In brand management, the process of social identification is used to measure how
well the brand personality matches the consumer’s self image. Brand cues that
evoke certain images of prestige and luxury activate a sensation and expression of
high status. When consumers consume brands with a certain personality, a
matching process takes place to determine whether the brand cues are consistent
with the self images of the consumer. Or consumers adopt imaginary stereotypical
users of a brand and then select the brands that match their own actual or desired
self. The process of social identification depends on how the symbolic value of the
brand is used by the consumer – what symbolic need the brand fulfils for the
consumer. Consumers use brand personalities at a social or an individual level. As
already mentioned, at the social level, brand personality serves to signal belonging
to certain social groupings or subcultures. In that case, consumers reject brands
and brand meaning that are not consistent with the references and images of the
reference group the consumer is or would like to be a part of and use brands that
are in accordance with their aspirations.^3 At the individual level, the brand can
fulfil a need from the independent self to differentiate from groups of people and
thereby demonstrate individual image and self.
The development of self congruence using brand personality is a dynamic two-
way process. Consumers who prefer a particular brand because of its personality
endow and influence the brand personality with their own self and symbolic
signalling, strengthening or weakening the brand personality. To ensure that this
process will strengthen and not weaken the brand personality, it is essential for the
brand manager to ensure that the brand personality appeals to the right consumers
and that their consumption of the brand underpins the existing personality of the
brand. Getting this process right will consolidate and enhance the brand person-
ality in the long run. Selecting and appealing to the right group of consumers can
hence strengthen the brand, whereas attracting the ‘wrong’ group of consumers
can devaluate the brand personality and undermine the credibility of the brand.
The interaction between the brand and the consumer can hence be described as a
cyclical process, either strengthening or weakening the brand.
Congruence between self and brand personality positively affects brand
loyalty directly and indirectly through functional congruity, product
involvement and brand relationship quality. This underpins the paramount
importance of self–brand congruence, not only in the battle to attract and appeal
to certain groups of consumers, but also for the long-term nurturing of
brand–consumer relations, consumer-brand loyalty, and in the efforts to create
the right brand personality.
Core theme: brand personality
Brand personality refers to both the personality endowed in the brand by the
company and the brand personality perceived by consumers. One aspect of brand
personality is hence what the company wants the consumer to think and feel about
the brand, the other is what consumers perceive (and the two are not necessarily
the same).
The personality approach 127