What is Product Identity?

John Spacey, March 17, 2016 updated on January 14, 2023

Product identity is the overall personality of a product. It is common for customers to describe products using the same words used to describe people. As such, marketing teams often think of products as having a personality and identity in the market. For example, a product might be trustworthy, reliable or stylish.

Product Identity vs Brand Identity

Product identity and brand identity are essentially the same concept. Brand identity is the far more common term. As such, product identity is the application of brand identity to a single product. This can be useful as products under the same brand many have unique identities.

Product Identity vs Product Positioning

Product identity is the concept behind a product framed in terms of target customer perceptions. In other words, it is the overall impression you want customers to have of a product. Product positioning is a unique and valuable market fit for a product. This can include identity and other factors such as price, quality and product experience.

Example

A sportswear company offers a large catalog of shoes for various sports. They think of each product as having an identity such as a "cushy ride" running shoe for people who want to minimize the impact of a run on their knees, legs and back. This identity is used as the basic concept behind design, refinement, testing, go-to-market strategy, pricing and promotion.

Overview: Product Identity
Type	Product Development Brand Identity Elements
Definition (1)	The overall personality of a product.
Definition (2)	The concept behind a product framed in terms of target customer perceptions.
Related Concepts	Product Development » Brand Identity » Product Positioning » Market Fit » Price » Quality »