Consumer Behavior Brand Personality
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR: BRAND PERSONALITY 15
ConsumerBehavior: Brand Personality
Nameof Student
Brandpersonality is the propensity by customers to attribute humanpersonality traits to a brand. It allows customers to articulatetheir individual self or particular characteristicsof their personality.Brand personality is connected to brand loyalty. Customers usuallyremain loyal or choose brands that include character attributes thatare consistent with or pertinent to their ownself-concept. In marketing literature, researchers have establishedthe personalities of different brands. The brand personalityconstruct has beenappliedto a branding situation. It relates to the associations thatconsumers have with a brand. The insights of brand personalityattributes can becreatedby any indirect or direct interface of the customerwith a product. Effectivebrands increase their brand equity by having a dependable set ofattributes that particular customersegments enjoy. Brand personality is a qualitative value-add thatdifferent brands gain and ensures competitive advantage.
Historyof Brand Personality
Brandpersonality has developed through variousphases from early historical periods to the 20thand 21stcentury. Jenifer Aaker and her five-factormodel areone of the most prominent developments in brand personality. Thebrand personality model wasdevelopedin 1997. Aaker described brand personality as anumber ofindividual attributes that are related to abrand.The framework comprises of five brand personality aspects sincerity,ruggedness, sophistication, excitement and competence.Aaker used abroadquantitative study to reveal a brand personality scale that consistsof 42 personality traits that can becategorizedaccording to fifteen facets. The facets,consecutively, reflect the five dimensions of brand personality.Overall any product or brand canbe classifiedin any of the five categories of brand personality. Aaker (1997)noted that brand and human personality share the sameconceptualization however,there is akeydifference. Humanbeingshave a personality. Though brand personality denotes the personalityof a brand, inanimate objects such as brands do not have a properpersonalityin the same way that brands cannot be expected to appreciate certainvalues. Brand personality, thus, relates to the association thatpeople have with the brands. The brand personality framework hasreceived significant attention in marketing literature since Aaker’spublication. Most recent researches on brand personality arebasedon the brand personality conceptualization by Aaker.
PeerReviewed Articles on Brand Personalities
“Niros,M. I., & Pollalis, Y. A. (2012). BrandPersonality and Consumer Behavior: Strategies for Building StrongService Brands. Journalof Marketing and Operations Management Research, 2(2),101-115.”
Brandpersonality is a crucialstrategy for service brands to strengthen their brand image sincecustomers need to establish supportable and strongtrust and relations. It should be a persistent, nonstop and hardendeavor using Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC).
“Yao,Q., Chen, R., & Xu, X. (2015). Consistencybetween Consumer Personality and Brand Personality Influences BrandAttachment. SocialBehavior and Personality, 43(9),1419-1427.”
Themanagement should take into consideration three crucial factors whenattempting to increase the emotional brand attachment of consumersconsider the personality of customersin branding strategy individualize the branding strategy andestablish a brand personality that is in line with the target marketpersonality.Individuals feel emotionally attached to products that reflect whothey believethey are or that match their personality.
“Trabold,L. & Mathur, P. (2011)"Is Abercrombie Making Me Arrogant?The Impact of Brand Personality Traits on Post-Consumption Behavior”Advancesin Consumer Research,38:1.”
Brandsassociated with particular traits influenceboth downstream behaviors and self-trait perceptions, even when anindividual does not have chronicity for a particular attribute. Incidental brand influences changing the behavior of human beings.
“Maehle,N., Otnes, C. & Supphellen, M. (2011) Consumers’ Perceptions ofthe Dimensions of Brand Personality. Journal of ConsumerBehavior, 10(5): 290-303.”
Somespecific brand personality aspects relate to specific productcategories. Nonetheless, strong brands on various personality aspectsshare commonality above the product group whereas brands thatcustomers distinguish as deficient of specific personality dimensionsshare common traits.
“Klipfel,J. A. L., Barclay, A. C., & Bockorny, K. M. (2014).Self-congruity: A determinant of brand personality. Journalof Marketing Development and Competitiveness, 8(3),130-143.”
Companiesshould monitor existing brands for changes in brand personality dueto creative or innovative consumer behavior, real-ideal image,and false congruity. A health brand image depends on monitoring ofsuch changes and marketers have to take care to account for thecontrol customers have over brand personality.
“Huang,H., Mitchell, V. & Rosenaum-Elliot, R. (2012) Are Consumers andBrand Personalities the Same? Psychology Marketing, 29(5): 334-349.”
Consumersreveal their personalities through the products they use. Theassociation between symbolic dimensions (openness to experience,neuroticism, agreeableness and extraversion among others) is strongerrelativetotheir association with functional aspects such as conscientiousness.A strong relationship exists between the personality of consumers andthat of their favorite brands.
“MuhamadFazil Ahmad (2015) Antecedents of Halal Brand Personality”. Journalof Islamic Marketing,6(2):209-223.”
TheHalal brand personality embraces wider and diversedimensions than product brands since it evokes a large variety andnumber of associations. The distinct brand personality facets ofHalal brand personality are necessaryinstruments for various groups including government, corporatecommunication, private offices, non-governmental organizations,consumers, marketing and related research centers.
“Malär,L., Nyffenegger, B., Krohmer, H., & Hoyer, W. D. (2012).Implementingan intended brand personality: A dyadic perspective. Academyof Marketing Science.Journal, 40(5),728-744.”
Ensuringa fit between realized and intended brand personality have apropensity to generate successful brands. The implementation of brandpersonality requires ease of decoding (by the consumers) and ease ofencoding (by the management) of an intended brand personality.
“Choy,M., & Kim, J. I. (2013). New brandsdiluting the personality of existing brands. Journalof Brand Management, 20(7),590-607.”
Adistinctive positive brand personality ensures distinct brandassociation the brand personality of an extremely well-known seniorbrand is not weakened by the introduction of a subordinate brand whenmanagement increases consumer familiarity with the topbrand. Presenting consumerswith an image of enduring enthusiasm is an effective strategy ofensuring a more attractive brand to customers.
“SaikatB. (2016) "Influenceof consumer personality, brand personality, and corporate personalityon brand preference: An empirical investigation of interactioneffect," AsiaPacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics,28(2): 198-216.”
Consumersplace more important on personal traits and personality of a brand aclear and strong brand personality point to a favorable perspectiveregarding the product. The personalitiesof both corporate and product brand influence their preferences whilereaching a purchasing decision.
“Ramaseshan,B., & Stein,A. (2014). Connecting the dots between brand experience and brandloyalty: The mediating role of brand personality and brandrelationships. Journalof Brand Management, 21(7-8),664-683.”
Thebrand personality, brand experience as well as brand relationshipaspects (brand commitment and brand attachment) establish the degreeto which customers are loyal to a particular brand. The marketingdepartments of firms need to focus their efforts on devisingfavorable brand relationships and brand personality with theirconsumers.
“Gordon,R., Zainuddin, N. & Magee, C. (2016) “Unlocking the Potentialof Branding in Social Marketing Services:Utilizing Brand Personality and Brand Personality Appeal”,Journalof Services Marketing,30(1): 48-62.”
Brandpersonality appeals are interrelated and have indirect and directconnections with customer outlooks and behavioral intents towardsboth social marketing and commercial services. Branding andparticularly brand personality appeal unlock the potential ofbranding and build flourishing service brands.
“Guèvremont,A., & Grohmann, B. (2013). Theimpact of brand personality on consumer responses to persuasionattempts. Journalof Brand Management, 20(6),518-530.”
Brandpersonality is only important when customers interpret as well asreact to attempts to persuade them. Emotions are important inunderstanding the reactions of consumers. Brand managers need to knowhow customers perceive their brand to ensure that futurebrand communications and persuasion approaches match customerexpectations and do not have anadverse impact on thebrand.
“Xiao,T., Chunxiao, L. (2013)Impact of Brand Personality and Consumer Ethnocentrism in China’sSportswear Market. Asia-PacificJournal of Marketing and Logistics,25(3): 491-509.”
Brandpersonality and consumer ethnocentric predisposition influence theconsumer product evaluation and purchase intent of young Chinese.Brand personality has an important impact on the product qualitydiscernment and purchase intent towards both local and foreignproductswhereas ethnocentric inclination does not have any significant effecton their intentto buyeither foreign or domesticbrands.
“Leonard,E. & Katsanis, L. (2013) The Dimension of Prescription Drug BrandPersonality as Identified by Consumers. Journal of ConsumerMarketing, 30(7):583-596.”
Brandpersonality is anefficientdifferentiation and positioning tool the consumers’ perception ofa brand image is consistent with the brand identity thatpharmaceutical marketers portray. Consumersusually attribute the human personality attributes to prescriptiondrugs and their perceptionof the drugs brand personality has two distinctive dimensionsinnovativenessand competence.
“Möller,J., & Herm, S. (2013). Shapingretail brand personality perceptions by bodily experiences. Journalof Retailing, 89(4),438-446.”
Companiesneed to dynamically plan, execute as well as control the retailbrand personality to evoke desired brand perceptions. Bodilyexperiences are an important lever for retail branding the retailenvironment can draw out such experiences as well as brandperception in verycleverways.
“Rojas-Mendez,J., Murphy, S. & Papadopoulos, N. (2013) The U.S. BrandPersonality: A Sino Perspective. Journal of Business Research, 66(8): 1028-1034.”
Countriesbrand personality can have both positive and negative attributes interms ofthe consumers’ mental representation identifying brand personalitydimensions of a country can ensure more effectiveglobal positioning approach meant to enhance its competitiveadvantages. Thepositioningof a nation brand personality should take into consideration thecountryor context particular values, aspirations as well as cultural trainswhen targeting specific population segments or countries.
“Rauschnabel,P., Krey, N., Babin, B. & Ivens, B. (2016) Brand Management inHigher Education: The University Brand Personality Scale. Journalof Business Research,69(8): 3077-3086.”
Brandpersonality plays a key role in university marketing and success.University marketers should consider several factors such as brandpersonality while managing their brand health. They shouldcircumspectly plan as well as implement strategic personalitydevelopment in a viewpoint that includes other issues such as overallmarketing efficacy and brand equity.
“Kang,C., Bennett, G. & Peachey, J. (2016) Five Dimensions of BrandPersonality Traits in Sport. SportsManagement Review, 19(4): 441-453.”
Brandpersonalities are more apt to become encoded in individualpersonalityattribute both applicable as wellasrelevant to sports brands. Brand personality is an importantmarketing tool and hence sportbrand marketers,and managers might require agamebrand personality scale that would ensure they measure thepersonality of their brands.
“Zamudio,C. (2016) Matchingwith the Stars: How Brand Personality determines CelebrityEndorsement Contract Formation. InternationalJournal of Research in Marketing,33(2):409-427.”
Celebrities’professions,as well as buzz,moderate the impact of brand personality on contract formation ofcelebrity endorsement: brand personalities determine the chances ofcompanies landing contracts with different types of stars.Congruent brand personality deals are not always perfect forcelebrities and companies.
“Moons,I. & de Pelsmacker, P. (2015) Self-Brand Personality Differencesand Attitudes towards Electric Cars. Sustainability,7(9): 12322-12339.”
Self-brandpersonality variations impact the attitude that people have towardscar brands. The virtualsignificance of personality aspects that push extension judgment,as well as parent brand outlook,differs from that of brand assessment exclusive of extension. Theperception that a brand is more dependable than an individual self isa much more critical driver of product assessment.
“Garsvaite,K. & Caruana, A. (2014) Do Consumers of FMCGs seek Brands withCongruent Personalities? Journalof Brand Management,21(6): 485-494.”
Brandmanagers of FMCG can efficientlyassociate human attributes to their brands in their endeavor to seekdifferentiation this is importantinformationof exceptional brand connections. Brand personality is especiallyrelevant to firms that sell products where differentiation based onprices and functionality only is not easy to realize and those thathave finances that can sustain strongcommunication campaigns.
“Clemenz,J., Malte, B. & Timo, M. (2012) How the Personality of a BrandImpacts the perception of different Dimensions of Quality. Journalof Brand Management,20 (1): 52-64.”
Brandpersonality individual traits aredirectly connectedto the customers’ perception of quality aspects. The personalityattributes activity and responsibilityimpact customer quality perception.Itis important to create a strong brandpersonality to sustain a product’s supposed quality.
“Jung,L. & Soo, K. (2013)The Effect of Brand Personality on Brand Relationship, Attitude andPurchase Intention with a Focus on Brand Community. Academy ofMarketing Studies Journal, 17(2): 85-97.”
Marketershave to manage brand personalities in an efficientmanner to ensure competitive advantage. Cute and sincere brandpersonalities positively affect consumer-brand associations andproduct attitudes. Robustand exciting brandpersonalities impact product outlooksand customer-brand associations negatively.
“Eisend,M., & Stokburger-sauer, N. (2013). Brandpersonality: A meta-analytic review of antecedents andconsequences. MarketingLetters, 24(3),205-216.”
Themost important drivers of brand personality are consumerpersonalities, a brand’s country of origin, branding activities andcommunication with hedonic benefit claims. Mature brands have astronger brand personality impact than those in the early stages.Competence and sincerity have the strongesteffect on the success factors of a brand whereas ruggedness andexcitement have the weakest effect on brand commitment and attitude.
Conclusion
Brandpersonality is a qualitative value-add that guaranteesfirms a competitive edge. Like human beings, brands have personality.The personalityhelps companiesto market their brand better since they understand customers’perception towards particular brands. Businessesneed to nurture brand personality as it plays a key role indistinguishing one brand from another.
References
AakerJ. (1997) Dimensions of Brand Personality. Journalof Marketing Research,34(3): 347- 356.
Choy,M., & Kim, J. I. (2013). New brands diluting the personality ofexisting brands. Journalof Brand Management, 20(7),590-607.
Clemenz,J., Malte, B. & Timo, M. (2012) How the Personality of a BrandImpacts the perception of different Dimensions of Quality. Journalof Brand Management,20 (1): 52- 64.
Eisend,M., & Stokburger-sauer, N. (2013). Brand personality: Ameta-analytic review of antecedents and consequences. MarketingLetters, 24(3),205-216.
Garsvaite,K. & Caruana, A. (2014) Do Consumers of FMCGs seek Brands withCongruent Personalities? Journalof Brand Management,21(6): 485-494.
Gordon,R., Zainuddin, N. & Magee, C. (2016) “Unlocking the Potentialof Branding in Social Marketing Services: Utilizing BrandPersonality and Brand Personality Appeal”, Journal of Services Marketing,30(1): 48-62.
Guèvremont,A., & Grohmann, B. (2013). The impact of brand personality onconsumer responses to persuasion attempts. Journalof Brand Management, 20(6),518-530.
Huang,H., Mitchell, V. & Rosenaum-Elliot, R. (2012) Are Consumers andBrand Personalities the Same? PsychologyMarketing,29(5): 334-349.
Jung,L. & Soo, K. (2013) The Effect of Brand Personality on BrandRelationship, Attitude and Purchase Intention with a Focus on BrandCommunity. Academyof Marketing Studies Journal,17(2): 85-97.
Kang,C., Bennett, G. & Peachey, J. (2016) Five Dimensions of BrandPersonality Traits in Sport. SportManagement Review,19(4): 441-453
Klipfel,J. A. L., Barclay, A. C., & Bockorny, K. M. (2014).Self-congruity: A determinant of brand personality. Journalof Marketing Development and Competitiveness, 8(3),130- 143.
Leonard,E. & Katsanis, L. (2013) The Dimension of Prescription Drug BrandPersonality as Identified by Consumers. Journalof Consumer Marketing,30(7):583-596
Maehle,N.,Otnes, C. & Supphellen, M. (2011) Consumers’ Perceptions of theDimensions of Brand Personality. Journalof Consumer Behavior,10(5): 290-303
Malär,L., Nyffenegger, B., Krohmer, H., & Hoyer, W. D. (2012).Implementing an intended brand personality: A dyadicperspective. Academyof Marketing Science.Journal, 40(5), 728-744.
Möller,J., & Herm, S. (2013). Shaping retail brand personalityperceptions by bodily experiences. Journalof Retailing, 89(4),438-446.
Moons,I. & de Pelsmacker, P. (2015) Self-Brand Personality Differencesand Attitudes towards Electric Cars. Sustainability,7(9): 12322-12339.
MuhamadFazil Ahmad (2015) Antecedents of Halal Brand Personality”. Journalof Islamic Marketing, 6(2):209-223.
Niros,M. I., & Pollalis, Y. A. (2012). Brand Personality and ConsumerBehavior: Strategies for Building Strong Service Brands. Journalof Marketing and Operations Management Research, 2(2),101-115.
Ramaseshan,B., & Stein, A. (2014). Connecting the dots between brandexperience and brand loyalty: The mediating role of brandpersonality and brand relationships. Journalof Brand Management, 21(7-8),664-683.
Rauschnabel,P., Krey, N., Babin, B. & Ivens, B. (2016) Brand Management inHigher Education: The University Brand Personality Scale. Journalof Business Research,69(8): 3077-3086
Rojas-Mendez,J., Murphy, S. & Papadopoulos, N. (2013) The U.S. BrandPersonality: A Sino Perspective. Journalof Business Research,66 (8): 1028-1034
SaikatB. (2016) "Influence of consumer personality, brand personality,and corporate personality on brand preference: An empiricalinvestigation of interaction effect", AsiaPacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics,28(2): 198-216.
Trabold,L. & Mathur, P. (2011)"Is Abercrombie Making Me Arrogant?The Impact of Brand Personality Traits on Post-Consumption Behavior”Advancesin Consumer Research, 38:1
Yao,Q., Chen, R., & Xu, X. (2015). Consistency between ConsumerPersonality and Brand Personality Influences BrandAttachment. SocialBehavior and Personality, 43(9),1419- 1427.
Xiao,T., Chunxiao, L. (2013) Impact of Brand Personality and ConsumerEthnocentrism in China’s Sportswear Market. AsiaPacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics,25(3): 491-509
Zamudio,C. (2016) Matching with the Stars: How Brand Personality determinesCelebrity Endorsement Contract Formation. InternationalJournal of Research in Marketing,33(2): 409-427.
No related posts.