Cultural Factors That Impact Brand Personification Strategy Effectiveness

A brand personification is a human‐like portrayal of a product or brand that is designed to associate the brand with certain human characteristics. Brand personifications, such as fictional human characters (e.g., Mr. Clean), human‐like brand characters (e.g., Pillsbury doughboy), and product animations (e.g., M&M's characters), portray human‐like personality characteristics intended to shape consumers’ brand images. However, a brand personification strategy that appeals to consumers in one cultural context will not necessarily appeal to consumers in another cultural context. To explore cultural factors impacting brand personification strategies, a literature review was conducted. Ten research propositions were developed for future research and managerial implications were discussed.