Impact of Brand Personality on the Purchasing Decision - Research Paper Example

Impact of Brand Personality on the Purchasing Decision Introduction The concept of brands and branding has its root back to the early 1960s when it was also known as the ‘mad men’ era. During this period there were explosion of brands. Starting from mere cigarettes and soaps to luxury cars, a number of brands appeared which led human being to witness the modern form of marketing. Understanding the manner in which those marketing concepts evolved, will help to get better idea about why branded products are omnipresent nowadays. If we move back to the time when the concept of branding was unknown to human being, the theory of business was also very simple. The only criterion for being successful in trading was to manufacture superior quality products. For instance, if a company offered high quality coffee, bear or any other products, the customers were happy to buy those products. Moreover as long as the company maintained the same quality, repeat purchase was also common. It was also a time when consumers were more focused on the quality of products rather than the brand name associated with it. The report will primarily highlight the concepts of branding and the ideas related to it. In this context brand personality, brand value etc will be emphasized. Furthermore the importance and advantages of a brand will be also portrayed. The study will also analyze one of my recent purchases of a branded product. Finally the study will conclude highlighting the key areas and answering the question whether consumers often choose and use brands that have a brand personality or not. Brand & Brand Equity Traditionally the role of a brand was just about providing a name or an identity to the product (Baehrens, 2012). However presently eminent scholars such as De Mozota defined brand as the group of perceptions which is determined by both experience and communication. It can also be referred to as the addition of the characteristics of intangible and tangible which is used to make exclusive offers (DeMozota, 2003, Brand). A brand influences the perception of the customers about the company and therefore brands should be developed for its betterment (Adebola, Talabi, & Lamidi, 2012, pp.424-428). In addition, branding is also portrayed as the way by which an organization develops and delivers the propositions to the consumers. Nevertheless the assurance can be in the context of experimental enrichment, functional satisfaction or fulfillment of the aspirations (Baker, 2012, p.376). Usually, a brand is developed on the basis of 5 factors. They are design, positioning, customer relationship, storytelling and price (Healey, 2008, p.8). Some of the illustrious branded products are Nescafe, Marlboro-Clove, Kindle, Gucci, Apple, Samsung and Turtle among many others. In the similar approach brand value has also been identified as the biggest asset of the companies. It can be defined as extra cash flow earned by relating a brand with the goods and services (Aaker & Biel, 1993, p.69). Brand Personality Brand personality in simple terms can be defined as the way by which a brand speaks or how it behaves. It is process by which a brand is assigned with the human characteristics or personality traits with the brand in order to achieve some kind of differentiation to the product. These characteristics in turn signify the brand behavior with the help of its representatives. The representatives of a brand are the employees of the organization and packaging & advertisements of the company. Hence in simple words, whenever a brand identity or a brand image is uttered in terms of human characteristics it is known as the brand personality. In order to cite an instance renowned brands such as Allen Solley speaks its personality in the form of, an individual ‘who wears it, stand apart from the crowd’. In addition, brands such as Hewlett Packard (HP) represent competency, influence and accomplishments. Furthermore IT giant Infosys represents value, uniqueness and intellectualism through their brand. It is therefore known as the characterization or personification of a brand. Brand personality is the outcome of the experiences of consumers with a particular brand. Therefore it is often termed as long lasting and unique. Also it is important to note that brand personality depicts the emotional association of a brand. Figure 1 (Source: Visual-branding, n.d.) Benefits of Brands In most of the cases, consumers try to purchase a branded product. However due to some constraints branded products are always not availed by the customers. The limitations are mainly in the form of affordability factor. However there are some benefits associated with brands. It offers advantage to both customer as well as the company. A brand enhances the customer’s recognition. The visibility of a product gets highly increased. For example a branded product is easily recognizable from its shape, logo and packaging as due to enormous promotions the brand becomes familiar with the customers. From the perspective of a customer, a brand helps to minimize the search time. Similarly for the organizations, a brand helps them to remain visible among the large number of objectives. Strong brands can financially benefit the organization and can make effective product positioning. Furthermore a brand with personality helps the product to become popular, interesting and unique. It is also more engaging and generates more word of mouth promotion than an ordinary brand. A brand also helps to distinguish one company from the other (Dunn, 2004, p.4). Why Consider Brands One of the most important topics of discussion is why people chooses or prefers to embrace a branded product over a non branded one. A number of researches have been already carried out on this very topic and several outcomes have been noted. However among those some of the most apparent causes of preferring a branded product are highlighted below. Quality of the product – Some of the customers believe that a branded product offer high quality and hence they uses a branded product (Keller, 2008, p.558-559). Superior after sales service – Some consumers also believe that branded products offers superior after sales service and therefore it is always safe to buy a branded product. This judgment is mostly seen in the customers who consider buying gadgets. Social Status – There are substantial number of customer, who thinks that a branded product will give them social status. Familiarized – Customers are also there, who are habituated of using a branded item. Thus they never consider using non branded items. Purchasing Behavior of the Consumers Consumer behavior is an area of specialization which focuses on how an individual make decisions to expend their resources. The resources can be in the form of effort, time and money. In addition, consumer behavior can be defined as an activity or a process that are used by the consumers to assess, purchase or organize any products or services that satisfies the needs of the consumers. Now consumers buying behaviors is also related to the concepts that highlight the purchasing behavior of the consumers. It comprises of a series of thoughts and decisions of the customers while making a purchase. Therefore for a firm to efficiently cater to its target segment evaluation of the customer needs and demands are important. The areas which get highly impacted by the consumer behavior are underlined below:- The dependency of a firm on the reaction of the consumers towards its marketing strategy is imperative. As depending on the outcome, organizations develop their marketing mix strategy. A number of studies reveal that, organization should develop its operation strategy that satisfies the needs of the customers. Thus it become significant to assess where, what, how and when consumers buy. It is important for a marketer to know the stages through which a consumer passes till the purchase of the products. The consumer buying process is divided into six stages. The stages are highlighted below: - 1. Problem Recognition (awareness of need) – It is the state which is characterized by the differences between the actual states and the desired condition. It starts with the need arousal. A need arouses through the external or internal stimuli. Furthermore it also gets aroused sighting a new thing or during the time when new things are purchased. 2. Information search­ – Once the need arousal stage gets completed, the next step is to search for the information. In this stage the consumer tries to satisfy the needs by searching the alternative products. Depending upon the concentration of the need the intensity of alternative evaluation takes place. The sources from where the consumers searches for the information includes the following:- Public sources (such as consumer rating organization and mass media). Personal sources (such as friends, family members etc). Commercial sources (such as salesman, advertisements etc). Experiential sources.   3. Evaluation of Alternatives – Once the information are collected, the consumers evaluates the validity and authenticity of those information. The evaluation is however done on the rational and conscious basis. Also the judgment considers is taken on the basis of brand image, importance, product attributes, attitude, and weights etc. Only after the assessment of those alternatives, the decision is taken by the consumer. 4. Purchase decision – The evaluation of the alternatives in the last step helps the consumer to form a ranking of the products. In general a consumer considers three factors while making the final purchase. It includes attitudes, anticipated situational factors and unanticipated situational factors. This is also the step where the actual purchase is being done by the consumer. Depending on the outcome of all the evaluation, assessments and comparisons a purchase is made. 5. Post-Purchase Evaluation – Once the purchase is completed the consumers tend to evaluate his or her decision of purchasing the goods. This step is also known as the post purchase evaluation. This step however comes after the user uses it and feels some kind of dissatisfaction or satisfaction. The level of satisfaction generates from the pre purchase expectation of the consumer from the product (Raji, 2007, p.13). Considering Brand Personality For the last few decades, researchers are employing the concept of brand personality to describe how brands relate to a consumer. Studies revealed that consumers prefer those brands that have improves their self concept. Actually, consumers like to use the brands that that reflects their personality i.e. who they are. For example a person whose nature is like a sportsman, while buying a shoe he/she will may opt for a sports shoe of either Adidas or Reebok. As both these brands reflects a sporty personality. Similarly while purchasing a soft drink, a consumer with an adventurous personality, may opt for Mountain dew, as it reflects an adventurous and daring personality. Therefore it can be concluded that consumers likes to use those products that matches their personality, status and attitude. Brand Personality Framework A number of studies reveal that a brand exhibits some kind of personality, like that of a human being. For example Absolut Vodka is described as contemporary and 25 year old young, while Stoli’s Vodka exemplifies a conservative, intellectual and an old man. Now based on to five factor model of personality, Jennifer Aaker developed a simple framework in order to measure a brand’s personality. According to her one of the most undeniable aspects some admired brands lies in their personality (Aaker, 1997). The distinct traits identified by her are as follows:- 1. Excitement 2. Competence 3. Sincerity 4. Ruggedness 5. Sophistication (Kardes, Cronley & Cline, 2010, p.165). Figure 2 – The dimensions of brand personality (Source: Schoen & Schuman, 2007) Analysis of the Recent Purchase The analysis or the evaluation will be carried out about my recent purchase of branded mobile. Recently I had the opportunity to buy Samsung a galaxy S2. As mentioned above the steps of buying a product, I have also gone through the similar steps while buying Samsung Galaxy S2. It aroused as the simple need of a phone. Moreover the need aroused primarily because of two reasons. The first reason I should shed light on is through the process of observation. I have observed that most of my friends are using the mobile phone and they were taking all the benefits of the device. In addition, the other reason is when I visited a phone shop with my friend and saw a number of phones displayed. I was mesmerized by the design and stylish looks of the displayed mobiles. It was that when I decided to have a phone. Then the searching stage comes up, where I have almost gathered as much information as possible about the phones. The sources which I used to search the alternatives include internet, references from the friends and relatives and through gadget magazines. In the meantime, I thought of buying a phone which has a strong brand name and reflects a personality. As earlier described, brand personality reflects the human traits. In this regards I feel that stylish and elegant design suits my personality. Hence I started to look for the phones that offer elegant design and stylish looks. It is important to mention that the need to have a phone that reflects a personality aroused when I noticed some of my friends are using those items which resembles their attitude and personality. For example one of my friends belongs from a wealthy family and has the knack of being sophisticated. I found he always uses the brand that symbolizes glamour and sophistication. For example he uses Apple I phone, and uses Puma Shoe. By such observations, my focus shifted towards the products that reflect a personality. I did substantial amount of research and compared the available mobiles to select the best model that suits my needs. Based on the requirements, features and benefits offered by the various mobiles, I decided to buy a brand new Samsung Galaxy S2. It has the personality that reflects style and trendy and I believe the same matches with my personality. In the post purchase evaluation stage, I was fully satisfied with my phone. The expectations which I had for the phone fully matched when I tried it. Even at some specific areas the phone surpassed my expectations. Conclusion The study was aimed to underpin why consumers prefers to use a branded product over a non- branded one. Also the study was meant to highlight the concept of brand personality and the reasons why brand personality becomes important for a consumer, while purchasing a product. On accomplishing the study it has been found that brands are really important for both consumers as well as for the organization. The visibility increases enormously for the company and similarly for the customers it minimizes the searching time, offers value to the customers and sometimes provide social status. On the other hand the study illuminated that in general consumer searches for a brand that that reflects a brand personality. In this context, I have also witnessed the similar thing. During my recent purchase of Samsung Galaxy S2, I was greatly impressed with its design and elegant styling. However later I realized that my personality also reflects the same and hence I liked that product so much. I can also state that through the process of observation I was motivated to buy a brand that reflects a personality. Therefore it can be concluded that in general consumers often choose and use brands that have a brand personality consistent with their own actual self-concept, ideal self-concept, or others self-concept as it offers high satisfaction, social status and imitates an individual personality. 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