This bachelor thesis should give an overview of brand personality, as an important part of
branding. Going through historical periods before the 20th century up to present day, I will try
to present the development of brand personality through different phases. The main focus of
this bachelor thesis will be on Aakers model of brand personality, as she was the first author
who developed brand personality scales.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction – The purpose of the thesis - Definitions
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Definition of Brand Personality
2. The existence of brands before 20th century
2.1 Early Bronze: 2250 – 2000 BCE - The Indus Valley
2.2 The Middle Bronze Age: 2000-1500 BCE- Shang China
2.3 The Late Bronze Age: 1500-1000 BCE – Cyprus
2.4 The Iron Age Revolution: 1000-500 BCE - Tyre
2.5 The Iron Age: Greece: 825-336 BCE
3. Brands in modern 20th and 21st century
3.1 Jenifer Aaker and her Five Factor model
3.2 Kapferer’s Brand Identity
3.3 Joseph Plummer
3.4 Keller
4. New model of brand personality
4.1 Geuens, Wejters, De Wulf – A new measure of brand personality
5. Brand Personality in every day life
Objectives and Thematic Focus
The primary objective of this thesis is to provide a comprehensive overview of brand personality, tracing its historical evolution from proto-brands in ancient civilizations to its modern conceptualization in the 20th and 21st centuries, with a specific focus on evaluating contemporary measurement models.
- Historical development of branding and brand personality traits across different eras.
- Critical analysis of Aaker's Five Factor model for measuring brand personality.
- Examination of alternative frameworks, including Kapferer’s Brand Identity prism and Keller’s corporate personality model.
- Evaluation of the new brand personality measure proposed by Geuens, Wejters, and De Wulf.
- Integration of emotional connection and loyalty in brand management within daily life.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 Jenifer Aaker and her Five Factor model
(Aaker J. , 1997) defines brand as “the set of human characteristics associated with a brand”. Using two types of brand personality scales (Aaker J. , 1997) “examine how the relationship between brand and human personality may drive consumer preference”. First Ad hoc scales are composed of a set of traits ranging from 20 to 300.These scales are more atheoretical in nature, and they are often developed for the purposes of a research study. The second type of brand personality scales are those which are more theoretical in nature. They are based on human personality scales which have not been validated in the context of brands.
A scale is developed to provide a basis for theory building on the symbolic use of brands. J.Aaker explored the brand personality on the basis of 144 adjectives (or traits) across 37 brands that cover various product categories. Most of the time she followed psychologists steps in their study of human personality. She generated 309 items from 4 different sources: literature review of scales used in psychology to measure personality, personality scales used by marketers and items generated by qualitative studies. These three sources were then completed a free association task by respondents who were asked to elicit personality traits that they would associate with some brands.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction – The purpose of the thesis - Definitions: Provides an overview of the thesis scope and defines the core concept of brand personality.
2. The existence of brands before 20th century: Traces the historical origins of branding through various stages, including the Bronze and Iron Ages.
3. Brands in modern 20th and 21st century: Discusses key theoretical frameworks for modern brand personality, including Aaker, Kapferer, Plummer, and Keller.
4. New model of brand personality: Introduces and evaluates the Geuens, Wejters, and De Wulf measure, focusing on its reliability, validity, and methodology.
5. Brand Personality in every day life: Explores the role of emotional connection and loyalty in building successful brands in contemporary markets.
Keywords
Brand Personality, Branding, Brand Identity, Aaker, Five Factor Model, Kapferer, Corporate Personality, Consumer Preference, Geuens, Brand Equity, Loyalty, Marketing, Emotional Connection, Brand Image, Market Research
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this thesis?
The work provides a detailed overview of brand personality, examining its historical development and evaluating several prominent academic models used to define and measure it.
What are the central thematic areas covered?
The thesis covers the history of branding, Aaker’s personality traits, Kapferer’s identity prism, corporate personality models by Keller, and a new proposed measurement model.
What is the primary goal of the research?
The goal is to trace the evolution of brand personality and identify how different authors have attempted to measure the relationship between consumer perception and brand characteristics.
Which scientific methods are primarily utilized?
The work employs literature review and comparative analysis to evaluate qualitative and quantitative brand personality scales developed by various researchers.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body focuses on the transition from proto-brands to modern brand management, detailed critiques of existing scales, and practical applications in daily life.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Brand Personality, Aaker’s Five Factor Model, Brand Identity, Corporate Personality, and Brand Equity.
How does Keller differentiate between corporate and product brands?
Keller argues that corporate brands encompass a wider range of associations and emphasizes the influence of corporate personality on employees compared to product-focused traits.
What limitations were identified in Aaker's model?
Critics, such as Kapferer, argue that Aaker's definition is too broad, and others note that her scale includes intellectual abilities that do not align with standard personality definitions.
How did Geuens, Wejters, and De Wulf improve upon existing measures?
They developed an ultra-short scale designed to exclude non-personality items and tested its reliability and validity across a large sample of consumers.
- Quote paper
- Iva Rakocevic (Author), 2011, Brand Personality, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/179611
