OCEAN Personality Types
Market research agencies and marketers often use the Big Five personality traits to help understand the consumer and to segment customers into personality types. It is also often used by HR professionals to evaluate prospective employees.
The Big Five dimensions are considered to be the key underlying traits that make up an individual’s personality. The Big Five traits are often referred to as OCEAN big five – Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism (But also occasionally called CANOE).
OCEAN personality traits can help explain who we are, but it is not our ‘total’ personality. Brian Little argues that it is sometimes when we break away from our norms that we can show greater insights.
See the video below for a brief but entertaining introduction to OCEAN from Personality Researcher Brian Little.
1. Openness
People who like to learn new things and enjoy new experiences usually score high in openness. Openness includes traits like being insightful and imaginative, and having a wide variety of interests.
2. Conscientiousness
People who have a high degree of conscientiousness are reliable and prompt. Traits include being organised, methodical, and thorough.
3. Extraversion
Extraversion traits include being energetic, talkative, and assertive (sometimes seen as outspoken by Introverts). Extraverts get their energy and drive from others, while introverts are self-driven get their drive from within themselves.
4. Agreeableness
As it perhaps sounds, these individuals are warm, friendly, compassionate and cooperative, and traits include being kind, affectionate, and sympathetic. In contrast, people with lower levels of agreeableness may be more distant.
5. Neuroticism
Neuroticism or Emotional Stability relates to the degree of negative emotions. People who score high on neuroticism often experience emotional instability and negative emotions. Characteristics typically include being moody and tense.
Some recommended reading on the subject of Personality testing and the OCEAN Big Five, check out Wikipedia.
There are also numerous personality trait tests you can do online, which are fun and informative. (E.g. The Big Five Project).
How the OCEAN Big Five are used today
In the workplace, many organisations use OCEAN-based assessments to guide hiring decisions, evaluate cultural fit, and build balanced teams. For instance, a team heavily weighted toward high Conscientiousness and low Openness may excel at execution but struggle with innovation—while a group with diverse profiles can balance creativity, efficiency, and interpersonal harmony. Some companies even share personality summaries with employees, offering guidance on how to communicate more effectively across different personality dimensions.
In marketing and customer insights, the OCEAN model has gained remarkable traction. Beyond demographics like age or income, psychometric profiling and psychographics allow brands to understand why people make decisions. For example:
- Highly open consumers may be drawn to innovative products and bold campaigns.
- Those high in conscientiousness may respond best to messages highlighting reliability, security, and trust.
- High extraversion audiences may be engaged through social, interactive, or experiential marketing.
- Agreeable individuals might prefer community-driven or altruistic brand messaging.
- Consumers with higher neuroticism levels may respond to reassurance, safety, or stability cues.
Marketers increasingly combine OCEAN insights with digital targeting tools, creating personality-based audience segments and tailoring content to align with psychological drivers. This approach goes beyond simply knowing who the customer is to understanding how they think and feel.
As a result, the OCEAN model is no longer confined to psychology textbooks—it’s an everyday tool shaping hiring decisions, team dynamics, and the very strategies brands use to connect with people on a deeper, more human level.
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