INFLUENCE OF METAPHORS AND PRODUCT TYPE ON BRAND PERSONALITY PERCEPTIONS AND ATTITUDES, THE

ABSTRACT:

This inquiry investigates whether metaphors in advertising have a synergistic or compensatory result on brand personality perceptions of utilitarian and symbolic produces The effects of metaphoric headlines versus pictures are also compared. In general, brands using metaphors in ads were perceived to be more sophisticated and exciting, on the contrary less sincere and competent than those using literal headlines or pictures. Ad attitudes, brand attitudes, and purchase intention were also enhanced with metaphoric advertising. In addition, compared with utilitarian returnss symbolic products were perceived to be more sophisticated and exciting, on the other hand less sincere and competent. It is interesting to note that when metaphors were used for utilitarian produces perceptions of sophistication and excitement were enhanced, whereas sincerity was diluted. The rises suggest that metaphors can be strategically used to influence brand personality perceptions, particularly for utilitarian cropss Theoretical and managerial implications, as well as directions for subsequent time research, conclude this paper.

Marketers use brand personality, the plant of human characteristics associated with a brand (Plummer 1985) to establish a unique identity for their brand. Practitioners have testified to the advantages of brand personality in contributing to brand equity (Biel 1993; Ogilvy 1985) Because brand personality is more difficult to imitate than yield attributes, it affords a more sustainable advantage. Studies have also demonstrated that brand personality can summon emotions (Biel 1993), build trust and loyalty (Fournier 1998) and enhance consumer election (Aaker 1999).

Aaker (1997) remind ofs that there are five dimensions of brand personality: sincerity, excitement, suitableness sophistication, and ruggedness. Sincerity shows warmth and acceptance; excitement shows sociability, energy, and activity; fitness represents security and dependability; sophistication shows class and charm; and ruggednes exhibits masculinity and strength.1 These personality traits are formed and influenced by means of direct and indirect contacts between the consumer and the brand (Ouwersloot and Tudorica 2001) Batra, Lehmann, and Singh (1993) argue that brand personality is created by dint of the marketing mix, including signs used in all phases of brand communication, sales promotion, and media advertising. However, little is known about whether and by what mode brand personality can be created or modified by dint of advertising elements such as the visual (picture) and verbal (headline) composings This paper thus extends the research of pictures versus words in the area of rhetorical advertising to brand personality perceptions.

From the advertising literature, the use of rhetorical devices similar as metaphors is both public (Leigh 1994; McQuarrie and Mick 1996) and encouraged (Morgan and Reichert 1999; Scott 199-4) Specifically, the use of metaphors expands dimensional thinking (MacInnis 2004) enhances ad replys (McQuarrie and Mick 1999; McQuarrie and Phillips 2005; Tom and brinks 1999), and leads to more extensive ad processing (Toncar and chew eagerly 2001). Its influence on brand personality has not been investigated, however. however by their rhetoric nature, metaphors can seemingly influence brand perceptions of similar dimensions as sincerity and sophistication. For instance, defined as a form of artful deviation (Corbett 1990) metaphors may put an interpretation upon an image of sophistication on the other hand insincerity.

Metaphors can be fix in both ad headlines and pictures. A nonmetaphoric ad headline/picture is literal and direct, whereas figurative interpretations are possible fora metaphoric headline/picture. Leigh (1994) place that figures of speech and headline/picture linkage are widely used in advertising. Given like prevalence, understanding how the metaphoric execution of pictures and headlines can influence brand personality perceptions is important. Like human personalities, brand personalities can increase and evolve over time (Goodyear 1993) Furthermore, the proces of developing brand personality involves a "transfer of cultural meaning" whereby meanings of social and cultural emblems are transferred onto the brand (McCracken 1988) Thus, understanding whether and in what manner metaphoric ad execution influences brand personality perceptions can provide marketers with another tool to strategically manage brand personality. Previous research has shown pictures to be superior to words, particularly in enhancing recall (Paivio and Csapo 1973) by the agency of investigating metaphoric pictures versus headlines, the rigor of picture superiority is experimented in the realm of metaphors regarding brand personality perceptions beyond that of recall.

Symbolic produces are those that are primarily consum for affective aims whereas utilitarian products provide more cognitive-oriented benefits (Holbrook 1986) Furthermore, symbolic productions carry important social meanings that are ofttimes used by consumers in enhancing image in a social connected thought [i]or[/i] thoughts (Soloman 1983). It follows, then, that symbolic returnss (e.g., designer jeans) may assume a different personality from utilitarian proceedss (e.g., medication) since they are consum for different reasons.