The Study on Brand Personality of Automobile Advertisements and the Communication of Brand Personality
Authors: Chia-Ching Tsai, Chia-Chen Ho
Journal: Chia Da Management Review. Dec. 2013, 33(2): 139-180.
Keywords: analysis; Brand personality; Physical attractiveness; Match-up hypothesis; Communication effect
Abstract:
This study uses content analysis to investigate the brand personalities of automobile advertisements according
to brand personality scale (sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication, and ruggedness) of Aaker
(1997). The advertisements were selected from the top three automobile magazines in Taiwan (i.e., Car News,
Taiwan Motor, and Car Guide) from January 2006 to October 2008. This study found that the dimensions of
sophistication， excitement, and competence are more frequent than sincerity and ruggedness in brand
personalities. In addition, the study uses experimental design to investigate the match-up between the levels
of models' physical attractiveness and that of sophistication, excitement, and competence used to communicate
brand personalities. This study found that brand personality and models' physical attractiveness have a
significant impact on the communication effect. For attitude toward advertisement, no matter whether brand
personalities convey high or low excitement, high or low competence, or high or low sophistication, highly
attractive models are liked more than normally attractive ones are. For attitude toward brand, there is no
significant difference between highly and normally attractive models when the brand personality conveys high
excitement, while normally attractive models are marginally significantly liked more than highly attractive
models when the brand personality conveys low excitement. For the remaining brand personalities, regardless of
high or low competence or high or low sophistication, highly attractive models are more liked than normally
attractive ones are.