An Exploration of Brand Personality Typology
Open Access
- Author:
- Romeo, Gabrielle Faith
- Area of Honors:
- Marketing
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Jennifer Chang Coupland, Thesis Supervisor
Jennifer Chang Coupland, Thesis Honors Advisor
Johann Baumgartner, Faculty Reader - Keywords:
- Brand
Personality
Typology
Aaker
Archetypes - Abstract:
- The objective of this analysis is to examine how academics in the marketing field currently measure brand personality and determine whether there is room for further development within these evaluation criteria. I analyzed Jennifer Aaker’s 5 Dimensions of brand personality, the most widely accepted structure for categorizing brand personality today, and discovered scholars who question the accuracy of these dimensions for the broad nature of their categories. I added another layer to these dimensions through the lens of the Pearson-Marr Archetype Indicator, a lesser-known structure for classifying brand personality, and evaluated brands as categorized by Aaker’s 5 Dimensions against brands as categorized by Pearson-Marr. I found that the added layer of archetypes further divided brands within Aaker’s dimensions, demonstrating that while Aaker’s 5 Dimensions remain the most common structure for determining a brand’s personality, it is possible for the dimensions to be made more robust and specific. This analysis provokes questions for future research and consideration – such as, do certain product categories derive more benefit from adhering to one specific archetype than others? Is it more effective for competitors within the same product category to adhere to similar archetypes, or branch out and forge their own territory? And finally – what added value do corporations receive from analyzing their brand personality typology through multiple lenses?