Why and When to Use Personification in Advertising

Brands are constantly searching for ways to stand out, connect, and persuade. One creative device that consistently proves effective, when used strategically, is personification. Giving human traits to a product, object, or idea might sound like a literary trick best left in the pages of children’s books, but in advertising, it can unlock surprisingly powerful results.

Why Use Personification?

1. It Builds Trust Through Relatability

At its core, personification makes things feel familiar. When we see a juice bottle that “asks” us to give it a shake before opening, it suddenly becomes more than packaging, it becomes a partner in our morning routine. A bag that “invites” you to unzip its front pocket feels less like a product and more like a helpful guide. This kind of interaction can increase the perceived trustworthiness of the brand. By humanizing the product or the message, advertisers can lower the barrier to belief. It's no longer a cold, corporate claim; it's something (or someone) you can relate to.

2. It Grabs Attention Through Direct Appeal

A key challenge in advertising is simply being noticed. Personification is an attention magnet because it disrupts expectations. When a product “speaks” or behaves like a person, it activates the part of our brain that’s wired to engage with social cues. Whether it’s a sponge that’s “tired” after cleaning or a car that “wants” to go off-road, the ad shifts from being a statement to an interaction. This moment of surprise or amusement is often enough to make someone stop scrolling, watch a little longer, or lean in.

3. It Drives Action With Playful Prompting

Good advertising doesn’t just inform, it nudges. Personification can create a more natural and memorable way to suggest a behavior. “Shake me before you open!” is more engaging than “Shake well.” “Unzip me to explore inside” feels more inviting than “See internal compartments.” By turning instructions into playful prompts, personification helps move people from passive viewing to active engagement.

When to Use It

Personification isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, it works best in specific contexts:

• For everyday products that benefit from charm. Household items, personal care products, or packaged foods can easily feel boring or overly functional. Personification adds warmth and voice to the otherwise mundane.
  
  
• When you want to teach or instruct. Complex or multi-step products often come with instructions that consumers skim over. By turning those instructions into dialogue or personality, you make the message more digestible and memorable.
  
  
• In campaigns that rely on emotional storytelling. Brands looking to build loyalty or shift perceptions can use personification to forge an emotional bond. Think of the M&M’s characters or the talking insurance gecko... they become more than mascots; they’re brand personalities.

Final Thoughts

In a world of data-driven targeting and algorithmic precision, it might feel odd to talk about something as whimsical as personification. But it’s precisely that human touch, that spark of creativity and emotion, that often turns a good ad into a great one.

Used wisely, personification helps your product speak not just to the consumer, but with them.