Brand personality and its impacts on consumers' purchase intentions

Abstract

With the influence of globalization and technological development, the use of mass marketing has gradually lost its impacts on target audiences (Barwise & Farley 2005, 70). Nowadays, it is advisable to approach potential consumers in a personalized and interactive way. Hence, in order to generate an intimate relationship between companies and their customers, brand personality is brought into use (McEnally & Chernatony 1999, 9). However, very few studies actually demonstrates how brand personality influences consumers’ purchase intentions (Keller 2007, 96). The aim of this thesis was to examine the current relevance of brand personality and the way it generates impacts on consumers’ purchase intentions. The thesis adopts a quantitative approach, using a self-administered questionnaire the form of an online survey to gather data. Participants were asked questions regarding their preferred brands. The sample includes 227 people of 41 nationalities all over the world, with a nearly equal gender ratio of 53% femal and 45% male. In the end, the result confirms the concept of brand personality is still considered relevant to consumers nowadays. It also recognizes brand trust as one of the key factors supporting the impacts of brand personality of consumers’ purchase intentions. With these findings, the author suggests more research should be done on consumers’ perception of brand personality in different parts of the world. It will also be interesting to see how consumers’ purchase intentions change once facing a foreign brand personality profile.