A brand-new world: brand-endorsers-users fit on social media

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 472-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Teresa Borges-Tiago ◽  
Flavio Tiago ◽  
José Manuel Veríssimo ◽  
Tiago Silva

Purpose The digital relationship between brand and users, and brand and endorsers has been analyzed from different angles. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how these three elements co-create online the brand personality of the firm, through user-generated content. Design/methodology/approach This study gathered data from the hotels’ websites, Facebook, Twitter and TripAdvisor accounts, examining the content posted by the hotel, by tourists and by the celebrity endorsing some of the hotels. To pursue the aims, the brand personality dimensions communicated online were assessed through content analysis for the global presence and for each social network by user typology to establish the alignment of brand personality traits communicated. Findings Digital communication was found to vary significantly between the hotels and tourists in different social networks. The amount of content created by tourists is significantly higher than the ones produced by the hotel. The sincerity dimension of brand personality was confirmed in both communications. However, tourists’ brand image impacts brand personality differently than the hotels themselves. Furthermore, an analysis of the influence of customers on social networks indicates that celebrity personality traits seem to impact on the image of a hotel brand. Originality/value This research can be used to help brand managers to understand better the digital co-branding with clients and celebrity, as well as to identify gaps in their brand personality strategy. It could also assist future researchers focusing on digital celebrity endorsement since few researchers have analyzed digital communication in different social networks.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin F. McManus ◽  
Sergio W. Carvalho ◽  
Valerie Trifts

Purpose This study aims to explore the role of brand personality traits in explaining how different levels of brand favorability evoke affect from and forge connections to consumers. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a quantitative approach consisting of within-subjects (Study 1) and between-subjects (Study 2) experimental designs. Mediation analyses were tested using OLS regression with the MEMORE and PROCESS macros. Findings Findings suggest increases in brand excitement and sincerity to be related to differences in positive affect evoked by favorable and unfavorable brands; decreases in brand sincerity to be related to differences in negative affect between favorable and unfavorable brands (Study 1); brand competence and excitement to be related to the relationship between brand favorability and self-brand connection; and brand competence and excitement to best distinguish favorable brands from unfavorable brands (Study 2). Originality/value These results support the importance of brand personality traits that are considered to be universally positive and provide managers with an initial roadmap for which brand personality traits should be prioritized when communicating with consumers.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seung-Eun Lee

Purpose This study aims to explore whether fabric contents, specifically cotton and polyester, possess particular personality dimensions, as posited by Aaker (1997). The author examined both explicit (conscious, deliberate) and implicit (unconscious, automatic) perceptions of brand personality traits of cotton and polyester. Design/methodology/approach The convenience sample of this study included 51 students from different merchandising classes in a Midwestern university. Participants were first directed to the multidimensional implicit association test (md-IAT) and their implicit perceptions were measured for the content of the two fabrics (cotton and polyester) on five different personality attribute dimensions (sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication and ruggedness). After the IAT, participants completed the post-IAT survey, including explicit measures of brand personality attributes of cotton and polyester. Findings The findings of this study show that fabric contents can be successfully described and differentiated by Aaker’s brand personality dimensions. Compared with polyester, the distinctive brand personality of cotton was the favorable association between cotton and sincerity. This association was significantly higher than all other personality dimensions in both consumers’ implicit and explicit perceptions. Neither cotton nor polyester was significantly associated with the exciting, competent and sophisticated personality dimensions. Originality/value A unique contribution of this study is that it examines implicit perceptions of the brand personality traits of cotton and polyester. The use of the md-IAT in this study allowed the assessment of consumers’ automatic associations with cotton and polyester of which they may not be aware.


2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Brochado ◽  
Rui Vinhas da Silva ◽  
Peter LaPlaca

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine brand knowledge of wines produced in a selected Portuguese viticulture area. More specifically, we intend to understand how consumers organise brands that have the highest awareness in their memory in terms of perceived personality traits. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was developed to assess brand awareness of Portuguese green wine brands and brand personality using Aaker’s brand personality framework. Multiple correspondence analysis was used in this study to present the relative positioning of the top-of-mind green wine brands. Findings – Despite the large number of green wine brands available on the market, six brands dominate in terms of brand awareness. Top-of-mind green wine brands are marked with clear and distinctive brand personality, and a small subset of brand personality attributes serve as significant criteria for brand positioning. Practical implications – The results of the present study could be beneficial for academics and practitioners, as it reveals that the top-of-mind brands within a specific viticulture area could exhibit a clear positioning based on personality traits. Therefore, brand personality traits might provide a mechanism for wine managers to distinguish or differentiate their wines. Originality/value – This work contributes to the findings of previous studies held to study brand personality perceptions. From a theoretical point of view, this paper reflects the usage of one the most popular instruments for brand personality measurement in a wine market context.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 1185-1202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young Gin Choi ◽  
Chihyung “Michael” Ok ◽  
Sunghyup Sean Hyun

Purpose This study aims to investigate the effects of coffeehouse brand experiences and brand personality traits on brand prestige, and the effects of brand prestige on brand relationship quality and loyalty in the coffeehouse industry. Design/methodology/approach Validated measurements were identified from a literature review. The measurement model and the conceptual model depicting hypothesized relationships were evaluated based on responses from 309 coffeehouse customers using confirmatory factor analysis and a structural equation modeling, accordingly. Findings Brand experiences and brand personality traits had direct effects on brand prestige, which in turn influenced brand relationship quality and attitudinal loyalty. Brand relationship quality directly and indirectly influenced attitudinal and behavioral brand loyalty. Research limitations/implications The data were collected from coffeehouse customers in the USA; therefore, the results may not be generalizable to other regions or types of service industries. The results have important theoretical and practical implications for gaining a competitive advantage through brand experiences, brand personality traits and prestige. Practical implications To enhance the coffeehouse brand prestige, it is critical to enhance patrons’ experiential interactions by using sensory appealing equipment/tools, developing sentimental slogans, active/behavioral mascots and intellectual advertising. Furthermore, it is necessary for it to build and enhance its own brand personality characterized by sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication and ruggedness. Originality/value This study is the first to empirically test the relationships between brand experiences, brand personality traits and prestige in the coffeehouse industry.


2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 869-884
Author(s):  
Mozard Mohtar ◽  
John M. Rudd ◽  
Heiner Evanschitzky

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the variations in brand personality trait items to describe both global and local brands in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach The authors adopted both factor analytic and experimental methods to investigate the internal and external validity of Malaysia brand personality (MBP) scale. They followed a stringent scale development process that ensures the scale conform to psychometric properties. Findings In seven studies, the results show that the 22-item four-factor Malaysian brand personality scale adheres to strong psychometric properties of scale development process. The findings further indicate that there are seven indigenous traits, while most traits emerge from factor analyses originate from studies of Aaker (1997) and colleagues (2001). This confirms universality of some brand personality traits and dimensions. Research limitations/implications Within the limits of the study, we did not examine the MBP facet level, and were confined to those respondents in Klang Valley only. Practical implications The MBP scale enables marketing managers in Malaysia to focus on brand personality dimensions that their customers can relate to. In other words, marketing communications can be more efficient when managers can identify brand personality traits that enhance customers’ behaviors and profitability. Originality/value Malaysia is a multicultural and multiethnic country which is increasingly becoming the focus of international brand expansion. The authors view that the development of the MBP scale is timely and should provide managers further insights into the brand personality structure that is relevant in Malaysia.


2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 572-586
Author(s):  
Alyssa Dana Adomaitis ◽  
Diana Saiki

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine the perceived personality of brands featuring different levels of sexuality in advertisements of luxury fashion brands. Design/methodology/approach To determine the identity of the company a “personality traits” scale by Geurens et al. (2015) was used with 25 brand personalities: conscientiousness/responsibility, extraversion/activity, emotional stability/emotionality, agreeableness/aggressiveness, and openness/simplicity. The final survey was then made available on Amazon Turk for two weeks. Each participant assessed one photograph at a level of sexuality given the gender they identified with the most. Findings There were 1,266 participants including 701 females and 565 females. Statistical analysis of the responses revealed that the degree of sexuality in the advertisements impacted brand perceptions. Among both genders, the greater degree of sexuality in the advertisement, the more the brand was considered less conscientious and responsible. The results also suggested that men and women view levels of sexuality differently. They varied most in the area of openness and simplicity, with men viewing advertisements of male models that had greater sexuality as simple. Men felt less sexuality was more emotional and romantic, while women viewed mid-level degree of sexuality in this manner. Originality/value Limited research has examined how level of sexuality influences perceived brand personality. The results contribute to theories pertaining to motivations to identify with a luxury fashion brand and provide strategies for luxury fashion brands to enhance their intended brand image.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-107
Author(s):  
Richard Rutter ◽  
John Nadeau ◽  
Ulf Aagerup ◽  
Fiona Lettice

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the brand relationships between a mega-sports event, the Olympic Games, and its branded main sponsors, using the lens of brand personality. Design/methodology/approach The study uses the internet-based website communications of the sponsor and event brands to assess congruence in brand personality identity exhibited in the communications of sponsors and how these relate to the event brand itself. A lexical analysis of the website text identifies and graphically represents the dominant brand personality traits of the brands relative to each other. Findings The results show the Olympic Games is communicating excitement as a leading brand personality dimension. Sponsors of the Olympics largely take on its dominant brand dimension, but do not adapt their whole brand personality to that of the Olympics and benefit by adding excitement without losing their individual character. The transference is more pronounced for long-running sponsors. Practical implications Sponsorship of the Olympic Games does give brands the opportunity to capture or borrow the excitement dimension alongside building or reinforcing their own dominant brand personality trait or to begin to subtly alter their brand positioning. Originality/value This study is the first to examine how the sponsor’s brand aligns with the event being sponsored as a basis for developing a strong shared image and associative dimensions complimentary to the positioning of the brand itself.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 178-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Tong ◽  
Jin Su

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the personalities that are associated with sportswear brands and tests the applicability of Aaker's brand personality framework in the context of sportswear brands. Design/methodology/approach – This study employed Aaker's brand personality framework to empirically investigate the personality of sportswear brands based on data collected from 420 college students. Findings – Results revealed that consumers perceive seven distinct personality dimensions and 53 personality traits in sportswear brands: Competence, Attractiveness, Sincerity, Innovation, Activity, Excitement, and Ruggedness. Originality/value – This research developed a valid and reliable scale that measures personality for sportswear products and confirms that consumers do associate particular brand personality dimensions with sportswear brands. The findings would help managers in the sportswear market better understand the image of their brand in the minds of consumers and better distinguish their brand from competing brands.


2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 1155-1180
Author(s):  
Weisha Wang ◽  
Cheng-Hao Steve Chen ◽  
Bang Nguyen ◽  
Paurav Shukla

PurposeWith rising globalization, Western and Eastern brands are increasingly collaborating and co-branding. Drawing on the theory of dialectical self that captures the degree of cognitive tendency to tolerate conflicts, inconsistencies and ambiguities in self-concept, this paper investigates the effect of consumer dialectical self on co-branding that encompasses Western and East Asian cultural brand personality traits.Design/methodology/approachTwo studies were conducted using Chinese participants to examine the effects of the dialectical self on co-brand evaluation under single-and dual-personality conditions and to explore the mediating role of ideal social self-congruence and the moderating role of product type (high vs low conspicuous).FindingsThe findings suggest that counterintuitive to the received wisdom, the dialectical self negatively influences one's attitude towards a co-brand in the dual-personality condition only. Further, ideal social self-congruence mediates the relationship between the dialectical self and dual-personality co-brand evaluation in the high conspicuous product condition only.Practical implicationsImportant implications are offered to international marketing managers for managing the dialectical self that lead to positive co-brand evaluations. Moreover, managers should highlight ideal social self-congruence for co-branding success for particular product types.Originality/valueThis paper examines co-branding from a novel perspective of consumer dialectical self and shows the pivotal role it plays when brands carry varying cultural traits engage in co-branding. By identifying the role of the dialectical self and the important mediator and moderator, the paper fulfils an important gap in co-branding literature and offers key implications.


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