Brand Management: Research, theory and practice

possible to transfer the idea of personality dimensions from human personality
psychology to brands and brand management. The study resulted in the Big Five
of brand management (the five dimensions of brand personality) (see figure 7.8).
They describe the five major groupings of personalities consumers associate with
brands and conclude that brands, in the same way humans have a unique person-
ality, are perceived as having unique and distinct brand personalities. The five
groupings of personalities have, in complementary research following the Aaker
study, indicated that these five personalities apply, not only in the United States,
where the study was originally made, but have also proved to be valid in other
Western cultures. In Latin and Asian cultures, however, there seem to be some
variations in how the different personality dimensions are rated (Aaker et al. 2001;
Sung and Tinkham 2005)
The personality traits describe the characteristics that people associate with
each brand personality dimension. These traits should ideally be reflected in the
attributes of the brand or/and in the ‘behaviour’ of the brand. From the consumer
perspective, the brand personality can be uncovered by exploring what consumers
associate with the brand. From the company perspective, it can be uncovered by
analysing the product-related attributes like brand name, logo, communication
style, price, distribution, etc. All these elements add up to the brand personality.
Apart from the more product-specific attributes, the brand personality is also
reflected in the characteristics attributed to the brand and in the associations,
symbolic values and emotional responses to the brand or the emotional rela-
tionship with the brand. For a brand personality to be successful, it must be
consistent and durable.
A strong and consistent brand personality can lure people to consume that brand
because they feel personally associated with the brand personality. If the attributes
or behaviour of the brand (marketing activities) are not consistent with the brand
personality, consumers are likely to abandon the brand because the personality
loses credibility. From the marketing perspective, brand personality is closely

Brand–self

congruence

Personality

Consumer self

Core Theme:

Brand personality

Figure 7.7Core theme of the personality approach: brand personality

The personality approach 129