Abstract

Introduction

Prior Literature

Methodology

Discussion

Conclusion

References

Abstract

     Tools for analyzing social media text data to gain marketing insight have recently emerged. While a wealth of research has focused on automated human personality assessment, little research has focused on advancing methods for obtaining brand personality from social media content. Brand personality is a nuanced aspect of brands that has a consistent set of traits aside from its functional benefits. In this study, we introduce a novel, automated, and generalizable data analytics approach to extract near real-time estimates of brand personalities in social media networks. This method can be used to track attempts to change brand personality over time, measure brand personality of competitors, and assess congruence in brand personality. Applied to consumer data, firms can assess how consumers perceive brand personality and study the effects of brand–consumer congruence in personality. Our approach develops a novel hybrid machine learning algorithmic design (LDA2Vec), which bypasses often extensive manual coding tasks, thus providing an adaptable and scalable tool that can be used for a range of management studies. Our approach enhances the theoretical understanding of channeled and perceived brand personality as it is represented in social media networks and provides practitioners with the ability to foster branding strategies by using big data resources.

Introduction

     A brand is regarded as one of the most valuable assets owned by a firm. Strong and distinguished brands significantly enhance firm performance (Madden, 2006) and play a key role in building consumer perceptions about products and firms. In fact, scholars have demonstrated that brands exhibit personalities similar to human personalities (Aaker, 1997). As brands build these personalities, consumers sometimes interact with brands as if they were human (Levy, 1985) and form meaningful relationships with brands (Fournier, 1998). Naturally, consumers seek brands with personalities that are congruent with either their own or their aspirational (ideal) personalities (Batra, Ahuvia, & Bagozzi, 2012; Sirgy, 1982). Developing and measuring a strong brand personality is therefore key to many marketing efforts.

     The growth of social media platforms has sparked an opportunity to understand how firms foster meaningful brands and use brand personality in these media. Due to the growing potential for social media networks to be used as efficient marketing and brand-building platforms, firms have increasingly expanded branding efforts to this digital interactive medium. As a result, branding in the digital medium has become an essential form of marketing communication to convey core brand personality. Having the ability to use an effective marketing communications strategy to distinguish a brand from competitors fosters customer relationships and can build brand equity. Thus, for a firm to understand their brand personality in social media, they must develop the capability to assess both the intended and perceived brand personality through the generation of branded content and interactive dialog with consumers.

Conclusion

     Brand personality is a critical resource for the firm that binds together many different stakeholders—consumers, employees, shareholders, and management. It helps delineate the character of a firm and its products and facilitates the emotional connection between a brand and its target audience. Today’s firms are challenged to efficiently define, manage, and control their own brand personality to succeed in a competitive advantage over competitors (Madden, 2006). Brand personality can be an influential tool to induce emotions, build trust and loyalty (Fournier, 1998), and enhance consumer preference (Aaker, 1997). Social media is a natural platform in which brand personality is discussed—both by consumers and by brands—and therefore a natural arena in which to measure, compare, and track brand perceptions. To the best of our knowledge, our proposed approach is pioneering. It provides several opportunities for both researchers and practitioners especially in generating personality assessments regularly, easily, and efficiently for brands of interest.