related to and an important driver of brand identity and is a useful management
tool that can be used to benchmark brand personality within or across product
categories. The brand personality framework can be used to materialize abstract,
intangible brand ideas and provide direction for the implementation of the brand
idea in the user imagery, advertising and more product-related aspects like pack-
aging. Succeeding in developing and implementing a strong, attractive and unique
brand personality increases consumer preferences and evokes consumer emotions
and bonding with the brand. This increases the level of trust and loyalty between
brand and consumer. A key reason why brand personality can be such an effective
tool for brand management is that consumers consume brands as a means in their
identity construction projects – brands are important for consumers’ construction
and expression of self. The brand personality construct and consumers’ expression
of self are hence closely related. The framework of Aaker is the most up-to-date
conceptualization of a personality framework for brand management, because it
reflects the most recent insights into the mechanisms of human personality and
brand personalities.
In practice, other theoretical frameworks and foundations for imbuing person-
ality into brands have been widely used. The effectiveness of these tools and
methods are, however, not supported by an extensive study like the Aaker
framework. Theory about archetypes and narrative structures is an example of
these alternative foundations for brand personality tools that have been widely
used, especially by advertising agencies, to build a brand platform or personality.
SincerityExcitementCompetenceSophisticationRuggednessBrand Personality
dimensionsDown to earth, honest,
wholesome, cheerfulDaring, spirited,
imaginative, up-to-dateReliable, intelligent,
successfulUpper class, charmingOutdoorsy, toughDominant personality
traitsFigure 7.8Dimensions of brand personality
130 Seven brand approaches