In Search of Ecological Norms in Brand Personality Diagnostics

• Main Authors: Oleg Gorbaniuk, Michał Wilczewski
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kozminski University 2017-03-01
• Series: Journal of Management and Business Administration, Central Europe
• Subjects: brand personality; symbolic benefts; ecological level; normalization; quantitative research
• Online Access: http://mbace.eu/resources/html/article/details?id=143810

Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine a structure of brand personality at an ecological level and to develop norms for positioning a particular brand in relation to other brands by means of brand personality scales. Methodology: We present the results of a study in which 1,642 participants aged 15 to 82 (mean 35.3; 51.9% females) were involved. Each respondent marked three to four brands from different categories of goods and services on a 20-item adjectival list for measuring brand personality. As a result, 6,548 descriptions of 224 brands from 46 categories were collected. Findings: Our analyses show that the structure of the differences among brand personalities on the Polish market can be described in terms of four dimensions: competence, spontaneity, subtlety, and egoism. The established dimensions explain 85% of the variance. A distribution of the results within the scales applied served as a basis for establishing specifc norms for each of the four scales. Limitations: The norms established have a country-level character and are inclusively adequate and reliable for companies that purchase products and services on the Polish market. Originality: Our study presents a new, ecological approach to thinking about brands. Namely, it enables a more precise determination of the position of a certain brand in relation to many other competing brands and allows for a more effcient use of the potential for constructing brand personality.