saffron brady thesis: an investigation into alcohol brands and the use of online marketing...
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An Investigation into Alcohol Brands and the use of Online Marketing
Communications to enhance Brand Personality
By
SAFFRON BRADY
A research dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment for the Degree of MSc.
Strategic Marketing of the National University of Ireland, Galway
National University of Ireland, Galway
Marketing Discipline, J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics,
Head of Discipline: Dr. Declan Fleming
Dissertation Supervisor: Orla Higgins
Submitted: August 2012
Signed Statement
I have read the University’s code of practice on plagiarism. I
hereby certify this material, which I now submit for assessment on
the programme of study leading to the award of MSc. Strategic
Marketing is entirely my own work and has not been taken from the
work of others, except to the extent that such work has been cited
and acknowledged.
Student ID Number: 07691947
Name of Candidate: Saffron Brady
Signature of Candidate: ___________________
Date: 24/08/2012
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Abstract
The primary objective of the dissertation is to investigate alcohol brands and the effectiveness
of online marketing communications as a tool to enhance brand personality. Several
subsequent objectives are addressed pertaining to the primary research objective. Data
collection encompasses both primary and secondary research. The researcher first undertook
secondary research, which enabled the researcher to identify any gaps in the literature.
Primary research was carried out through semi-structured interviews with personnel from
Heineken Ireland, West Coast Cooler, Absolut Vodka Ireland and subsequently personnel
from digital and media advertising agencies representing the brands under investigation.
Organisations perceive their brands to possess a personality that consumers either use as an
avenue for self expression or to experience the anticipated emotional benefits that differentiate
one brand from another. The concept of brand personality is a widely held marketing concept;
various marketing academics and practitioners have contributed to the literature on brand
personality. Although extensive research has been carried out on brand personality offline
further research is needed online.
From the findings it is evident that alcohol brands today place strategic importance in the
online marketing landscape and in particular the implementation of a 360 degree approach to
their marketing activities. And these online marketing communication platforms provide a
tool to enhance the personality of alcohol brands. One major constraint the author noted
during the research process is that the marketing of alcohol brands is quite restricted online
from a company perspective, thus, carrying out the primary research from a consumer
perspective may have revealed more information. Additionally due to confidentiality concerns
over company sensitive information some respondents felt reluctant to divulge certain
information, which may have affected the findings of the research.
ii
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank the following people for their help and support throughout the
year:
Orla Higgins, my research supervisor for her invaluable support, guidance and encouragement
throughout my research.
Dr Declan Fleming and the staff of the marketing department for their support and guidance
throughout the year.
Thanks to all the staff of James Hardiman library for all their help and assistance.
To all the personnel from the alcohol industry who took time out of their busy schedules to
talk to me.
To all of the MSc. class, thanks for all the memories created throughout the year, I will look
back on them fondly.
Finally a massive thank to my family and friends for their help, support and encouragement
they have provided me throughout my years in college.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Background to the Study ................................................................................................................ 1
1.3 Personal Motivation ........................................................................................................................ 2
1.4 Research Question........................................................................................................................... 2
1.5 Research Objectives ........................................................................................................................ 3
1.5.1. Primary Objective ...................................................................................................................... 3
1.5.2. Secondary Objectives ................................................................................................................ 3
1.6 Research Methodology ................................................................................................................... 4
1.6.1 Research Design ......................................................................................................................... 4
1.6.2 Data Collection Methods ............................................................................................................ 4
1.6.2.1 Secondary Research ............................................................................................................ 5
1.6.2.2 Primary Research ............................................................................................................... 5
1.7 Limitations ....................................................................................................................................... 5
1.8 Overview of Chapters ..................................................................................................................... 6
CHAPTER TWO: BRANDING AND BRAND PERSONALITY .................................................... 8
2.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 8
2.2 Overview of Branding ..................................................................................................................... 8
2.2.1 Definition of Branding .............................................................................................................. 9
2.3 Building Connected Brands ......................................................................................................... 10
2.4 Brand Components ....................................................................................................................... 12
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2.5 Consumer Brand Knowledge ....................................................................................................... 15
2.5.1 Dimensions of Consumer Brand Knowledge ......................................................................... 16
2.6 Brand Association ......................................................................................................................... 17
2.7 Overview of Brand Personality .................................................................................................... 19
2.7.1 Definition of Brand Personality ............................................................................................ 20
2.7.2 Definition of Brand Personality (Beer) .................................................................................. 21
2.8 Brand Personality Value .............................................................................................................. 22
2.9 Position of Brand Personality in the Brand Hierarchy ............................................................. 23
2.9.1 Brand Personality as part of Brand Identity .......................................................................... 24
2.9.1.1 The Brand Steering Wheel ............................................................................................... 25
2.9.1.2 The Brand Identity Prism ................................................................................................. 26
2.9.1.3 Consumer Relationships and Brand Identity .................................................................... 28
2.9.2 Brand Personality as part of Brand Equity ............................................................................ 30
2.10 Roots of Brand Personality ........................................................................................................ 31
2.11 Brand Anthropomorphism ......................................................................................................... 31
2.11.1.Brand Narratives in Marketing Communications ................................................................ 32
2.11.2 Social Media and Brand Anthropomorphism ....................................................................... 33
2.11.2.1 Brand Anthropomorphism on Twitter .............................................................................. 34
2.12 Self-Concept Theory ................................................................................................................... 35
2.12.1 Brand Symbolism .................................................................................................................. 36
2.13 The Big Five Model ..................................................................................................................... 37
2.14 The Development of the Personality Trait Scale ...................................................................... 37
2.14.1 Brand Personality Scale ....................................................................................................... 39
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2.15 Online Brand Personality Framework ...................................................................................... 40
2.16 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 41
CHAPTER THREE: ONLINE MARKETING COMMUNICATION .......................................... 42
3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 42
3.2 Definition of Online Marketing Communications ..................................................................... 42
3.3 Overview of Online Marketing Communications ...................................................................... 43
3.3.1 Brands and the Internet ........................................................................................................... 44
3.3.1.1 Rothery’s New Marketing Mix .......................................................................................... 45
3.4 The Importance of Communicating a Brand ............................................................................. 46
3.4.1 Communicating the Brand Message ...................................................................................... 46
3.4.2 Positioning the Brand ............................................................................................................. 46
3.5 Introduction to Social Media ....................................................................................................... 47
3.6 Overview of Social Media ............................................................................................................. 48
3.6.1 Contributions to Social Media Literature ............................................................................. 50
3.7 Social Media Platforms ................................................................................................................. 51
3.7.1 Facebook ............................................................................................................................... 51
3.7.2 Twitter .................................................................................................................................... 51
3.7.3 YouTube ................................................................................................................................ 52
3.7.4 Pinterest ................................................................................................................................. 52
3.8 Brand Communities ...................................................................................................................... 53
3.8.1 Collaboration .......................................................................................................................... 53
3.8.2 User Generated Content .......................................................................................................... 54
3.8.3 Interactivity .............................................................................................................................. 55
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3.9 Engagement and Customer Engagement .................................................................................... 56
3.9.1 Five Experience Dimensions ................................................................................................... 57
3.10 Emotion and Branding ............................................................................................................... 58
3.10.1 Emotion and Beer Brands .................................................................................................... 59
3.10.2 Music and Brand Personality ............................................................................................... 60
3.11 Experiential Marketing .............................................................................................................. 61
3.11.1 Brand Experience................................................................................................................. 62
3.11.2 Virtual Experience ............................................................................................................... 63
3.11.2.1 Virtual Experience on a Brands Website ......................................................................... 64
3.12 Online Marketing Communication Strategies and Alcohol Brands ....................................... 65
3.12.1 Rich Media ............................................................................................................................ 66
3.13 Opportunities for Alcohol Brands Online................................................................................. 67
3.14 Segmentation of Alcohol Brands’ Personalities by Gender .................................................... 68
3.15 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 69
CHAPTER FOUR: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .................................................................... 70
4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 70
4.1.1 Definition of Research ............................................................................................................. 70
4.2 Research Process ........................................................................................................................... 71
4.3 Stage One: Problem Definition .................................................................................................... 72
4.3.1 Research Question and Objectives .......................................................................................... 73
4.3.2 Research Question ................................................................................................................... 73
4.3.3 Research Objectives ................................................................................................................. 73
4.3.3.1 Primary Objectives ............................................................................................................. 73
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4.3.3.2 Secondary Objectives ......................................................................................................... 73
4.4 Stage Two: Research Design ........................................................................................................ 74
4.5 Research Philosophy ..................................................................................................................... 74
4.5.1 Quantitative versus Qualitative data....................................................................................... 75
4.6 Stage Three: Data Collection Methods ....................................................................................... 76
4.6.1 Secondary Data ....................................................................................................................... 76
4.6.2 Primary Data ........................................................................................................................... 78
4.6.3 Focus Groups ........................................................................................................................... 78
4.6.4 Case Study ................................................................................................................................ 78
4.6.5 Interviews ................................................................................................................................. 79
4.6.5.1 Types of Interview Questions ............................................................................................ 81
4.6.5.2 Quality Criteria for an Interview ........................................................................................ 82
4.7 Stage Four: Sampling ................................................................................................................... 82
4.7.1 Sample Size .............................................................................................................................. 82
4.8 Stage Five: Fieldwork ................................................................................................................... 83
4.8.1 Interview Guide ....................................................................................................................... 83
4.8.1.1 Layout of Interview Guide ................................................................................................ 83
4.8.2 Validity and Reliability .............................................................................................................. 84
4.9 Stage Six: Analysis of Data ........................................................................................................... 85
4.10 Stage Seven: Presentation of Results ......................................................................................... 85
4.11 Research Limitations .................................................................................................................. 86
4.12 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 86
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CHAPTER FIVE: FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS ............................................................................ 87
5.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 87
5.2 Alcohol Brands .............................................................................................................................. 88
5.2.1 Heineken ................................................................................................................................. 88
5.2.2 Desperados ............................................................................................................................. 89
5.2.3 Absolut .................................................................................................................................... 89
5.2.4 Peroni ...................................................................................................................................... 89
5.2.5 West Coast Cooler ................................................................................................................... 89
5.3 Interviewees ................................................................................................................................... 90
5.4 Online Marketing Communications ............................................................................................ 91
5.5 Heineken ........................................................................................................................................ 91
5.5.1 Objectives ................................................................................................................................ 91
5.5.2 Target Market ......................................................................................................................... 92
5.5.3 Brand Positioning ................................................................................................................... 92
5.6 Brand Personality ......................................................................................................................... 92
5.6.1 Brand Associations................................................................................................................. 93
5.6.2 Social Media ........................................................................................................................... 93
5.7 West Coast Cooler ......................................................................................................................... 95
5.7.1 Objectives .............................................................................................................................. 95
5.7.2 Target Market ........................................................................................................................ 95
5.8 Brand Personality ......................................................................................................................... 95
5.8.1 Brand Associations................................................................................................................ 95
5.9 Online Marketing Communication Platforms ............................................................................ 96
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5.9.1 Social Media ........................................................................................................................... 96
5.9.2 Website .................................................................................................................................... 97
5.9.3 Digital Marketing ................................................................................................................... 97
5.9.4 Gaming and Apps ................................................................................................................... 97
5.10 Absolut .......................................................................................................................................... 98
5.11.Tailoring of Content Online ....................................................................................................... 99
5.11.1 Gender-Based Segmentation .............................................................................................. 99
5.11.2 Tone of Voice..................................................................................................................... 100
5.12 Emotional Branding .................................................................................................................. 101
5.13 Virtual Experience .................................................................................................................... 103
5.13.1 Heineken Music .................................................................................................................. 103
5.13.2 Digital Marketing ................................................................................................................. 104
5.13.3 Social Gaming ...................................................................................................................... 104
5.14 Online Enhancement of Brand Personality ............................................................................ 105
5.15 Summary of Research Findings .............................................................................................. 107
5.16 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 110
CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS ......................................................... 111
6.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 111
6.2 Objective One .............................................................................................................................. 112
6.3 Objective Two .............................................................................................................................. 112
6.4 Objective Three: .......................................................................................................................... 113
6.5 Objective Four ............................................................................................................................. 113
6.6 Objective Five .............................................................................................................................. 113
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6.7 Areas for Future Research ........................................................................................................ 114
6.8 Conclusions and Implications .................................................................................................... 115
List of References ............................................................................................................................. 116
Appendices ........................................................................................................................................ 134
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LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES
Tables
Table 1.1 The Marketing Research Process .......................................................................... 4
Table 2.1 Brand Components ............................................................................................... 14
Table 2.2 Dimensions of Consumer Brand Knowledge ...................................................... 16
Table 2.3 Definition of Brand Personality ........................................................................... 20
Table 2.4 Defintion of Brand Personality (Beer) ................................................................. 21
Table 2.5 Brand Personality Scale ........................................................................................ 39
Table 3.1 Brands and The Internet ...................................................................................... 44
Table 3.2 Rothery's New Marketing Mix ............................................................................. 45
Table 3.3 Contributions to Social Media Literature ........................................................... 50
Table 3.4 Virtual Experience on a Brands Website ............................................................ 64
Table 3.5 Online Marketing Communications Strategies and Alcohol Brands ............ 65
Table 4.1 Dinstinction Between Qualitative data and Quantitative data .......................... 75
Table 4.2 Academic Journals Consulted .............................................................................. 77
Table 4.3 Search Phrases Used ............................................................................................. 77
Table 4.4 Guide to Conducting Interviews .......................................................................... 80
Table 4.5 Types of Interview Question ................................................................................. 81
Table 5.1 Alcohol Brands ...................................................................................................... 88
Table 5.2 Interviewees ........................................................................................................... 90
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Table 5.3 Summary of Research Findings (Heineken) ..................................................... 107
Table 5.4 Summary of Research Findings (Desperados and Absolut) ............................ 108
Table 5.4 Summary of Research Findings (West Coast Cooler and Peroni) .................. 109
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Figures
Figure 2.1 Facebook Blueprint for Building a Connected Brand ..................................... 11
Figure 2.2a Dimensions of Brand Knowledge .................................................................... 18
Figure 2.2b Types of Brand Associations ............................................................................. 18
Figure 2.3 The Brand Steering Wheel .................................................................................. 25
Figure 2.4 The Brand Identity Planning Prism ................................................................... 27
Figure 2.5 Consumer Relationships and Brand Identity .................................................... 29
Figure 2.6 Brand Personality Framework ........................................................................... 38
Figure 2.7 Online Brand Personality Framework .............................................................. 40
Figure 3.1 Share of Time Spent by Users on Facebook ...................................................... 49
Figure 4.1 The Marketing Research Process ....................................................................... 71
Figure 4.2 Problem Definition Stages ................................................................................... 72
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CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
The purpose of the chapter is to provide an overview of the research carried out by the author.
Firstly, the chapter will provide a synopsis of the topic of branding and brand personality,
followed by the background to the study. The author will then outline her motivational
reasoning for undertaking the research along with the objectives of the study and what the
research seeks to fulfil. A brief outline of the methodology undertaken is included as well as
limitations of the study. The chapter will conclude with a brief outline of the contents of each
chapter.
The rationale for the research dissertation is to explore the new online marketing platforms
which alcohol brands are utilising and whether or not they are enhancing brand personality.
The reason behind this choice of topic is that brands in recent years have been given the
opportunity to extend their offline brand personalities online and voice their brand to the
consumer.
1.2 Background to the Study
As the dissertation is focused on brand personality, the author believed the alcohol industry
would be a suitable subject for research as the value of its brand very often lies in its
intangible components and not the product itself. Following a discussion with the author’s
supervisor, it was decided to conduct a case study on several popular alcohol brands with a
holistic approach to global brands.
Branding has been present from as far back as 1875 according to Kimmel (2005). From the
year 1875 we have witnessed the transformation of commodities into brands. Fast forward to
2012 and research shows that brands have become a persuasive component of the consumer’s
everyday life Domegan and Fleming (2012).
The concept of branding was first introduced by authors Keller and Aaker, with over fifty
years of research showing that consumers place importance on the symbolic aspect of a
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product. Perceived symbolism in a brand is referred to as “brand image” (Levy, 1959) and
brand personality is inherently linked to brand image. Aaker and Fournier (1995) claim the
importance of studying brand personality and the advantageous values of instilling personality
and emotional qualities in a product.
De Chernatony (1998) Kapferer (1992) and Aaker (1996) are all major contributors to brand
personality literature with prominence given to the intangible components of products.
Consumers often form a preference for a brand that is congruent with their own personality
(Sirgy 1982), referred to as self-concept theory. Alcohol brands in particular are susceptible to
the intangible components of the brand such as the image they are portraying when being
consumed.
Branding through the advancement in technology from the development of Web 1.0 to Web
2.0 and Web 3.0 in the last ten years has witnessed a surge in online brand activity from a
company’s website, its YouTube channel to its Facebook page.
1.3 Personal Motivation
The author decided to undertake a study of online brand personality and its effectiveness on
online marketing communications due to her interest in brand personality and, in particular,
how it can be projected in the online space, with primary research investigating both digital
media platforms and Social Media platforms employed by alcohol brands. The topic of
branding and brand personality in the online space is a fascinating topic to explore due to the
opportunities that exist for brands to engage with their customers and to extend their identity.
1.4 Research Question
For the purpose of the dissertation, the author is working on online brand personalities with
the aim of finding out how alcohol brands are utilising these newly-founded online
communication platforms to enhance the brands’ existing personality.
3
1.5 Research Objectives
In order to answer the research question, the author has put forward the following primary and
secondary objectives to be fulfilled during the research study.
1.5.1. Primary Objective
The primary objective of the dissertation is an investigation in to alcohol brands and the
effectiveness of online marketing communications as a tool to enhance brand personality.
1.5.2. Secondary Objectives
In order to fulfil the primary objectives a number of secondary objectives were developed.
The secondary objectives are as follows:
To investigate the various Online Marketing Communication Platforms used to
enhance the personality of the brand.
To identify how alcohol brands with different personalities can tailor their content to
specific target audiences online.
To explore the emotional capabilities for the alcohol brand online in enhancing the
alcohol brands personality.
To address how these new platforms of online marketing communications can provide
a virtual experience for the consumer.
To examine whether online marketing communications serve as a complementary tool
to offline communications in strengthening the personality of the brand.
4
1.6 Research Methodology
The research methodology followed a logical and systematic approach. The author favoured
Domegan and Fleming’s (2007) research process.
The research process was carried out as follows:
Step 1 → Problem Definition
Step 2 → Research Design
Step 3 → Data Collection Methods
Step 4 → Sampling
Step 5 → Fieldwork
Step 6 → Analysis of Data
Step 7 → Presentation of Results
Table 1.1 The Marketing Research Process (Domegan and Fleming, 2007, p. 21).
1.6.1 Research Design
In order to fulfil the research objectives, the author has decided to undertake exploratory
research. Exploratory research will enable the author’s flexibility in discovering new insights
from the literature.
1.6.2 Data Collection Methods
Data collection encompasses both primary and secondary research. The researcher will first
undertake secondary research which will enable the researcher to build up a strong theoretical
foundation of the subject and help to identify gaps in the literature, which can then be
explored further through primary research.
5
1.6.2.1 Secondary Research
Secondary research is information which has been previously sourced and published. In order
to conduct a comprehensive literature review the author began by searching the electronic
databases of the National University of Ireland, Galway. The author also consulted a number
of books specialising in brands, online marketing communications, and social media.
1.6.2.2 Primary Research
Primary research is first hand information collected by the researcher on a given topic. There
are a number of alternative methods to choose from. However for the purpose of the
dissertation the author conducted a number of semi-structured interviews with personnel from
the alcohol industry and digital and media agencies with the aim of gaining a perspective on
their current online marketing activities using online marketing communications.
1.7 Limitations
Owing to confidentially concerns and company sensitivity about certain information some
companies were reluctant to divulge certain details.
Various experts opinions from a company of interest were impossible to ascertain as the
individuals concerned were on annual leave.
Time constraints meant that some of the interviews were carried out by telephone at,
generally, the request of the interviewee.
The level of expertise from each organisation differed slightly which could impact on the
quality and depth of the responses given.
The primary research conducted was based on a company perspective and not a consumer
perspective; the interviewee’s knowledge was limited in terms of the consumer response
to various online marketing communications employed by the alcohol industry.
6
1.8 Overview of Chapters
Chapter One – Introduction
Chapter one provides an introduction into the study carried out, along with the background
and motivations of the study. An overview is given of the research process, research design,
data collection methods and limitations of the study.
Chapter Two – Branding and Brand Personality
Chapter two provides an insight into branding and brand personality. The subject of brand
personality is discussed by various theorists; from its inception, to its development and the
opportunities it represents for functional products, in particular alcohol brands. Subsequently
the position of brand personality in the brand hierarchy is also discussed.
Chapter Three – Online Marketing Communications
Chapter three provides an insight into the opportunities that exist for alcohol brands in the
online space. The chapter provides a synopsis of online marketing communications from
inception, with emphasis placed on recent developments related to Web 2.0 and Web 3.0. The
chapter concludes with prominent alcohol brands and various online marketing
communication strategies they are utilising.
Chapter Four – Research Methodology
Chapter four presents the research methodology used by the author in order to fulfil their
primary and secondary research objectives. The chapter discusses the author’s research
design, data collection methods, fieldwork, analysis of data and presentation of results.
7
Chapter Five – Findings and Analysis
Chapter five presents the research findings in the form of a case study. The findings are
derived from the semi structured interviews carried out with personnel representing prominent
alcohol brands. The findings are presented under the primary research question and
subsequently under the secondary research objectives.
Chapter Six – Conclusions and Implications
Chapter six presents the conclusions, implications and recommendations, which arose from
the findings and analysis in the previous chapter. The conclusions will identity whether the
author’s primary and secondary research objectives have been fulfilled. The chapter will close
with recommendations for future research within online marketing communications and brand
personality.
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CHAPTER TWO: BRANDING AND BRAND PERSONALITY
2.1 Introduction
The purpose of the literature review is to examine the relationship between brand personality
and the effectiveness of using online marketing communications as a tool to develop or
enhance a brands personality in the context of alcohol brands. Various opportunities exist for
companies today who manage to utilise their brand personality as a way to appeal to their
target audience and differentiate it from the competition. The chapter will focus on branding
and brand personality whilst the following chapter will address online marketing
communications and the various platforms employed by alcohol brands.
2.2 Overview of Branding
Brands today have become a persuasive component of everyday life where virtually
everything is branded. According to Hastings and Domegan (2012), “marketing and
businesses govern the way we live and preside over our societies and planet to the point where
91 corporations, not countries, are the largest 150 economies on our planet”.
Brands today are the most demonstrably and sustainable wealth creators in the world. For
some internet based companies such as Amazon and Yahoo it is suggested that increasingly
their value or asset is their brand, (Clifton and Maughan, 2000).
Over fifty years of research in marketing has shown that the customer perception and
association of a brand gives precedence to the non-functional aspects of a brand rather than to
its functional aspects. The symbolic perceptions of a brand are paramount. Perceived
symbolism in a brand is referred to as “brand image” (Levy, 1959) and brand personality is
inherently linked to brand image.
The late nineteenth century (from 1875 to 1900)’s onwards has witnessed the emergence of
thousands of brands into the marketplace, which were previously unmarked commodities;
such as soap, soft drinks and beer transformed into brands such as Coca-Cola and Budweiser
(Kimmel ,2005).
9
There are no purely utilitarian things (O’Guinn and Muniz), which includes brands. Erickson
(1996) in Hussey and Duncombe (1999, p. 23) states “Consumer products have a significance
that goes beyond their utilitarian, functional and commercial value”.
Kimmel (2005) states how “Consumers don’t just buy brands; they display them, use them as
social markers, and talk about them”. These non-functional aspects are referred to as the
symbolic perceptions in a brand. Perceived symbolism in a brand is referred to as “brand
image” (Levy, 1959) and brand personality is inherently linked to brand image.
2.2.1 Definition of Branding
The American Marketing Association (1960) defined a brand as “a name, term, sign, symbol,
or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or
group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors”.
The suggested definition of a brand which has been used for the past twenty five years, “is a
mixture of tangible and intangible attributes, symbolised in a trademark, which, if properly
managed, creates influences and generates value” (Clifton and Maughan, 2000).
According to Kotler (2005) “A brand is a set of associations linked to a name, mark, or
symbol associated with a product or service”.
From the customers point of view a brand can be defined as the total accumulation of all
his/her experiences, and is built at all points of contact with the customer (Kapferer, 2004).
“The difference between a name and a brand is that a name doesn’t have any associations; it is
simply a name” (Kotler, 2005), an example would be Coca Cola which has associations
including cola, refreshment, red and the real thing.
10
2.3 Building Connected Brands
Micu and Plummer (2007) state the importance and relevance of creating brand meaning and
brand-consumer relationships amidst the shrinking duration of product uniqueness. The
authors emphasise its importance as consumers become more selective about media,
messages, brand dialogue and relationships. According to a report commissioned by Forrester
(2012), “To succeed in the connected world, marketers must create connected brands: brands
that continuously engage with people when they want, where they want, and how they want –
particularly through social media”.
Marketers can build connected brands by taking six actions: they can articulate, connect,
engage, influence, integrate and rejuvenate (Forrester, 2012).
Each phase in building connected brands is referred to below and shown in Figure 2.1.
1. Articulate
Marketers can communicate the brands’ social identity with a unique, compelling, and
authentic voice by applying a social lens to the social identity of the brand and position it
accordingly. For example, Starbucks has extended its brand voice to the digital space where
the Starbucks customer can duplicate the same “Moments of Connection” that a Starbucks
customer has with his barista in a store setting by engaging with Starbucks through Social
Media.
2. Connect
Marketers can connect a brand with a consumer by enticing the customer to ‘like’ the page by
eliciting an emotional, mental or physical response in its marketing communications.
3. Engage
Marketers can interact with people by encouraging consumers to participate in the brand
communities by making content more personally relevant which will result in a deeper level
of engagement.
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Influence
Consumers can be influenced and inspired to share a brand’s story. For instance Bud Light
created a Facebook page where guests at a Super Bowl related event in 2011 were encouraged
to share photos on the Bud Light Facebook page after receiving RFID wrist bands.
4. Integrate
A brands identity can be integrated into its Facebook page as Social Media allows for a
product to be turned into a social experience. For example Ford is working on its Facebook
platform to create social elements by allowing members of their Facebook platform to listen
and share their music with their friends whilst driving.
5. Rejuvenate
Marketers can use insights from social channels to continuously monitor their brand’s health
and improve the brand experience.
Figure 2.1 The Facebook Blueprint for Building a Connected Brand (Forrester, 2012).
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2.4 Brand Components
Table 2.1 below on shows a description of the various brand components from the most
pertinent authors.
Component Description
Brand equity
“the differential effect that brand knowledge has on
consumer response to the marketing of that brand”.
“a set of assets and liabilities linked to the brand, its
name and symbol, that add value or subtract from the
value provided by a product or service to a firm and/or
to that firm’s customers”.
“marketing effects uniquely attributable to the brand –
for example when certain outcomes result from the
marketing of a product or service because of its brand
name that would not occur if the same product or
service did not have that name”.
(Keller 2003. p. 60), (Aaker 1991, p.15) and (Keller,
1993, p.1).
Brand essence
Brand essence is often described as the ‘brand’s core’
or ‘brand DNA’. It is comprised of four dimensions
and is the aggregate of these four dimensions.
Functional aspect of the brand: what the brand
is and what it is supposed to do
Personality or image of the brand: what user
imagery the brand has
Source: what the company stands for
Differences: how distinct it is from
competition
(Dahlen et al., 2010, p. 201).
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Brand experience
According to Schmitt who developed the concept of
customer experience management, brands can help to
create five different types of experiences.
Sense experiences involving sensory
perception;
Feel experiences involving affect and
emotions;
Think experiences which are creative and
cognitive;
Act experiences involving physical behaviour
and incorporating individual actions and
lifestyles; and
Relate experiences that result from connecting
with a reference group or culture
Smith and Rogers (2008).
Brand identity
Brand identity is inherently linked to brand personality
and can be defined as “a unique set of associations that
the brand strategist aspires to create or maintain. These
associations represent what the brand stands for and
imply a promise to customers from the organisation
members.”
Aaker (2002, p. 68).
Brand personality
Keller asserts “brand personality reflects how people
feel about a brand rather than what they think the
brand is or does”.
“Giving a brand a personality is a metaphorical
dressing of a product with emotional qualities as well
as attributes”, for instance WKD alcohol has a ‘darker
side’ which gives it a ‘laddish’ edge.
(Keller, 1998 ,p. 97) and (Dahlen et al. ,2010, p. 202).
Brand positioning
“Positioning is about a brand’s territorial rights:
claiming, establishing and maintaining a
product/market space in the target market segment and
14
Table 2.1 Brand Components
a mind space in the consciousness of the target
audience”.
(Dahlen et al. 2010, p. 125).
Brand promise
The brand promise is the essence of the functional and
emotional benefits the customer can expect to receive.
(Ghodeswar, 2008).
Brand role
Refers to the role the brand a brand plays in the target
customer’s life. For example, for example Red Bull
might be a ‘portable comforter for tired people’.
(Smith and Zook, 2011, p. 40).
Brand values
Brand personality and reputation can add value which
can come from experiencing the brand due to
familiarity, reputation or the personality the consumer
derives, the type of people using the brand and its
appearance or its distinctive packaging.
(de Chernatony et al. 2011, p. 375)
Brand vision
Brand vision refers to what the brand should be for
example Nike’s vision is one of achievement.
(Smith and Zook, 2011, p. 40).
15
2.5 Consumer Brand Knowledge
In an increasingly competitive marketplace and fast changing environment characterised by
increased competition and savvier consumers, coinciding with the decreased effectiveness of
traditional marketing, organisations must link or associate their brands with other people,
places, things or other brands and instil brand knowledge in the consumer (Keller, 2003).
“Consumer brand knowledge can be defined in terms of the personal meaning about a brand
stored in consumer memory, that is, all descriptive and evaluative brand-related information”
(Keller, 2003, p. 596).
Consumer brand knowledge is composed of brand awareness and brand image. Brand
awareness refers to “the ability of a potential buyer to recognize or recall that a brand is a
member of a certain product category” (Aaker, 1991, p. 61). And brand image is defined by
Aaker (1991, p.109) and Keller (1993, p. 3), as “a set of associations, usually organized in
some meaningful way,” and as “perceptions about a brand as reflected by the associations
held in consumer memory,” respectively. As Kapferer, (2008, p. 174) states, “an image is a
synthesis made by the public of all the various brand messages, e.g. brand name, visual
symbols, products, advertisements, sponsoring, patronage, articles”. An image can result from
decoding a message or extracting meaning or interpreting a sign.
Building brand awareness requires repeatedly exposing consumers to the brand as well as
intertwining the brand within the consumers’ memory and product category, whilst creating a
positive brand image requires establishing, strong, favourable and unique associations for the
brand.
16
2.5.1 Dimensions of Consumer Brand Knowledge
Numerous types of information on brands may become linked and can be derived from
different sources and levels of knowledge such as attributes, images, thoughts, feelings and
experiences linked to a brand described below in table 2.2 along with the dimensions of brand
knowledge illustrated in figure 2.2a and subsequently brand associations in figure 2.2b below.
Dimension Description
Awareness Category identification and needs satisfied by the
brand.
Attributes Descriptive features that characterize the brand’s
name/product either intrinsically or extrinsically.
For example a product can be intrinsically related
to product performance or extrinsically related to
brand personality.
Benefits Personal value and meaning that consumers attach
to the brand’s product attributes. For example
functional, symbolic, or experiential consequences
from the brand’s purchase or consumption.
Images Visual information, either concrete or abstract in
nature.
Thoughts Personal cognitive responses to any brand‐related
information.
Feelings Personal affective responses to any brand‐related
information.
Attitudes Summary judgements and overall evaluation of any
brand related information.
Experience Purchase and consumption behaviours and any
other brand‐related episodes.
Table 2.2 Dimensions of Consumer Brand Knowledge (Keller, 2003, p. 596).
17
2.6 Brand Association
The term brand association is a mental linkage to the brand and includes three different types
of associations: Attributes, Benefits and Attitudes. Aaker (1991) asserted that the underlying
value of a brand name is often its set of associations. Keller (1993) states brand associations
link the brand to the consumer memory, containing meaning of the brand for consumers.
Associations reflect the characteristics independent of the product itself, helping to process
information, create positive attitudes/feelings and provide a basis for extension.
Brand associations include product-related and non-product related attributes; functional,
symbolic or experiential benefits; and attitudes all of which can be seen in figure 2.2b below.
Strong associations about a brand are likely to result with relevant information presented
consistently over time. With the various marketing communication alternatives available, the
entire marketing program should be co-ordinated to create congruent and strong brand
associations.
Bacardi is a successful alcohol brand which owes its success to its intangible and symbolic
components. One of its key intangible added values is its personality, epitomised by its
symbol, a bat. On the other hand Bacardi’s tangible components are undesirable: it has no
taste and in all blind tastings it fares very poorly (Kapferer, 2008, p. 57).
18
Figure 2.2a Dimensions of Brand Knowledge (Keller, 1993, p. 7).
Figure 2.2b Types of Brand Associations (Keller, 1993, p. 7).
19
2.7 Overview of Brand Personality
The concept of a brand personality is familiar and accepted by most advertising practitioners
such as Plummer (1985) and marketing academics such as Gardner and Levy (1955). As
stated in Aaker and Fournier (1995), for decades researchers have argued the significance of
brand personality as a topic of study because it can help to differentiate brands, develop the
emotional aspects of a brand (Landon 1974) and enhance the personal meaning of a brand to a
consumer (Levy, 1959). Levy was the first researcher to point out the changes from a mere
functional usage of consumer goods to an extended symbolic meaning of a consumer good.
He examined how the specific symbolism of a brand conveys information regarding gender,
age and class of the brand user
These meanings are inferred as “the specific set of meanings which describes the ‘inner’
characteristics of a brand and are constructed by a consumer based on behaviours exhibited by
personified brands or brand characters” (Aaker and Fournier, 1995, p.393).
Others indicate that brand personality is needed along with information for creative’s when
developing advertising (Lannon and Cooper 1983) in Aaker and Fournier (1985).
Subsequently Aaker and Fournier state that the creation of a brand personality involves the
personification of a brand where the brand performs intentional behaviours to become “alive”
with the anticipation that the consumer will then derive various attributions about the brand’s
personality.
20
2.7.1 Definition of Brand Personality
Aaker states that brand personality is one of the most studied constructs of branding. The
ultimate objective of the brand personality is to attract consumers’ attention so that they may
form a preference for the brand.
The following are some definitions from authors who define brand personality as:
Author Definition
(Aaker 1997, p. 347).
“The set of human characteristics associated with the brand” and as
“the psychological process of imbuing brands with personalities”.
(Aaker and Fournier,
1995, p. 393).
“As the specific set of meanings which describe the
"inner" characteristics of a brand. These meanings are constructed
by a consumer based on behaviours exhibited by personified
brands or brand characters”.
(Ghodeswar ,2008,
p.5)
“A brand’s personality provides a richer source of competitive
advantage than any functional feature can” as a brand’s personality
attributes are more difficult to replicate than functional features of a
product or service.
Table 2.3 Definition of Brand Personality
21
2.7.2 Definition of Brand Personality (Beer)
Aakker (1997, p. 347) illustrates the brand personality for Absolut vodka. When the brand is
personified it tends to typically be a 25-year old who is described as cool, hip and
contemporary, whereas Stoli vodka is personified as an intellectual and conservative older
man. The following table below provide key contributions from pertinent authors on brand
personality for beer:
Author Definition
Keller and Sirgy,
(1982) and (1998)
Beer is a product strongly associated with ‘personality’. Brand
personality and user imagery are more likely to be related to products
such as beer.
de Chernatony and
McWilliam (1990)
“in the beer market there are only marginal differences between
brands, yet on branded product testing, consumers claim far greater
differences, due to brand personalities”.
Lewis and
Vickerstaff (2001)
Beer consumption transcends into a social function representing
opportunities for organisations to add value to their beer brands
through personifying them in terms of their consumers through user
imagery.
Table 2.4 Definition of Brand Personality (Beer)
22
2.8 Brand Personality Value
Brand personality is an important topic as it can help to differentiate and develop the
emotional aspects of the brand (Plummer 1985, Aaker 1996 and Park 2005). “Brand
personality cannot be easily imitated and the uniqueness it projects gives the holding company
an economic advantage over its competitors” (Carpenter, 2000 and Kim 2001 in Park et al.
2005). Thus developing and using brand personality is an effective economical business
strategy (Aakker, 1996, Hoffler and Keller, 2003 and Keller and Lehmann, 2003).
Consumers are more likely to find differences between competing brands where emotional
appeals are used- such as in the case of beers than between brands predominately relying on
functional value (de Chernatony et al., 2011, p.125). Emotional differences are more
sustainable: when associating a brand with a particular value that have a more personal
meaning and thus help to ensure brand longevity (Patwardhan and Balasubramanian, 2011).
Bestowing a brand with a personality helps the brand become interesting and memorable and
helps people develop a relationship with the brand (Aaker and Joachimsthaler, 2000, p.53).
Brands have a social and psychological role. When consumers purchase brands they are not
just concerned with the functional aspects, but with the brand’ personality. The symbolic roles
the brand represents places less importance on what a brand can do for the consumer and more
on the underlying meaning behind the brand (self concept theory). Aaker (2010, p.79) refers
to brands as symbols which focuses on the visual imagery and the methaphors of the brands as
well as the brand heritage The images surrounding brands enable consumers to form a mental
vision of what and who the brands stand for referred to by Aaker (2010, p.79).
Brands allow consumers to make non-verbal statements about themselves (de Chernatony et
al., 2011, p. 125). Powerful brands make strong statements and consumers choose them not
because of their quality but because of the image they project. A brand’s symbol represents
cohesion for the brand as well as encouraging brand recognition and recall. Ronald
McDonald, Mr Tayto and Mr Clean and several others provide the brand not only with a
symbol but with a personality, (Aaker, 2010, p.79).
23
2.9 Position of Brand Personality in the Brand Hierarchy
According to de Chernatony’s (1998) model on brand components from which she
conceptualised brands into two major dimensions of tangible and intangible dimensions which
are further broken down into nine other elements. The tangible elements relate to the brands’
rational product features and the intangible elements relate to the symbolic and emotional
values of the brand personality.
She discovered brand personality as one of the most important structures in the intangible or
emotional components of the brand construct. Kapferer (1992) places importance on the
intangible components of brands, predominately stressing the emotional and representational
components of building a brand. The intangible elements in the model refer to the beliefs and
meanings created in the mind of the consumer through a mix of media and non-media
elements.
Aaker’s ten guidelines for building strong brands, compiled in 1997, claim that having a
strong brand is having an identity. Aaker (1996) refers to brand personality as a strategic tool
and as a metaphor to help a company understand people’s perceptions of a brand identity and
how it creates brand equity. She states how the key components of brand equity involve image
dimensions unique to a product class or a brand.
24
2.9.1 Brand Personality as part of Brand Identity
A brand identity is the message sent out by the brand (Doyle 1998, p. 172). Upshaw (1995)
states that brand identity is derived from the morphing of a brand’s positioning and
personality and is revealed in the product performance, the brand name, its logo and the
brand’s marketing communications.
Aaker (2002, p. 68) defines brand identity as “a unique set of associations that the brand
strategist aspires to create or maintain. These associations represent what the brand stands for
and imply a promise to customers from the organisation members”. Keller (2001) states that
achieving the right brand identity requires brand salience. Brand salience is an aspect related
to brand awareness which refers to the order in which brands come to mind which is
frequently measured by top-of-mind awareness and total unaided brand awareness (Miller and
Berry ,1998).
A brand and the brand identity encompass a number of different elements. Not all the
constituents of the extended identity need to be used for a brand. Aaker has described four
brand identity perspectives where the elements are grouped together in four groups including
the brand as a product, the brand as an organisation, the brand as a person and the brand as
symbol.
25
2.9.1.1 The Brand Steering Wheel
Brand identity stems from the research into human identity which contains three fundamental
criteria; self-image which is the subjective perception of brand identity and refers to managers
and employee’s perceptions of the brand. brand identity reflects attributes are where the target
groups brand identity can be expressed through advertising and brand image where the
consumers builds up a picture of the brand from previous experiences. When a brand image is
strong they can be used to enhance a person’s self-image
Brand identity reflects a company’s strategic thinking about the general direction of the brand.
It serves as a basis for brand positioning. In the brand steering wheel model below the left
hand side is referred to as the logical side consisting of the core product offering; it is useful
as consumers do not buy attributes but product benefits, Schmitt and Rogers (2008).
Brands evoke rational and emotional as well as verbal and non-verbal associations. Brand
identity attributes are situated in both hemispheres of the brain and evoke brand associations
of different modalities, thus an integrated approach should be considered as target groups
regard brand holistically (Schmitt and Rogers, 2008, p.62).
Figure 2.3 The Brand Steering Wheel (Schmitt and Rogers, 2008).
26
2.9.1.2 The Brand Identity Prism
The model on Brand identity in Figure 2.4 is based on six central components including
physique, personality, culture, relationships, reflection and self-image. De Chernatony (1998)
depicts the identity prism characterised by the six facets mentioned below. It is composed of a
brand pyramid consisting of three tiers:
1. The upper is referred to as the brand core and is fundamental to the brand and
remains unchanged.
2. The middle tier is referred to as the brand style where the brands core is articulated in
terms of brand’s culture, its personality and its self-image.
3. The third layer articulates how the brand is correctly communicated revealing a brand
theme. Brand themes include the physique of the brand, its reflection and the
relationship expressed such as glamour or prestige.
The identity prism emphasises the brand’s identity as a structured whole of six integrated
facets, three of which are culture, personality and self-image. Infused within the brand itself
are social facets which give the brand its outward expression, consisting of physique,
reflection and relationships. The intangible emotional components in the identity prism have a
higher value than the physique components. These components form intangible meanings in
the mind of the consumer reiterating the importance of brand personality.
27
Figure: 2.4 The Brand Identity Prism (de Chernatony and McDonald, 1998, P.7).
28
2.9.1.3 Consumer Relationships and Brand Identity
Smith and Zook (2011, p. 38) state, “a brand is a cluster of rational or functional and
emotional aspects that match customers’ rational and emotional needs” where brands evoke
rational and emotional as well as verbal and non-verbal associations. Consumers do not buy
product attributes but product benefits (Schmitt and Rogers, 2008). For example Red Bull
fulfils a functional aspect in that it keeps you awake and an emotional aspect in the sense that
you feel you can do more.
Heylen et al. (1995) state that as brands become more homogeneous in terms of brand
selection consumers brand personality takes precedence over identity. Heylen et al. have
developed an “implicit model of consumer behaviour” shown below in figure 2.5. It has been
developed to allow researchers to delve into the unconscious, instinctive dimensions of
consumer behaviour. The model provides both a personality and an identity for an object such
as a brand.
It depicts how in consumer relationships with people, products, brands, and companies,
consumers are more affected by personality than identity. According to this model the core
values of a brand delve down a lot deeper than its functional abilities down to emotional ones
such as personality. A personality inherent in a brand helps the brand to direct its marketing
activities through a consistent and authentic brand meaning and helps the consumer to quickly
recognize the value of the brand offering with little information provided (Aaker, 1996).
29
Figure 2.5 Consumer Relationships and Brand Identity (Heylen et al. (1995) in Hussey
and Duncombe (1999, p. 23)).
30
2.9.2 Brand Personality as part of Brand Equity
Brand personality is inherently linked to brand equity and is referred to as “a set of assets and
liabilities linked to the brand, its name and symbol, that add value or subtract from the value
provided by a product or service to a firm and/or to that firm’s customers”(Aaker, 1991, p.15).
Brand equity builds long term equity, provides a mode of differentiation and a powerful
relationship device. Brand equity can be created by three models: the self-expression model,
the relationship basis model and the functional benefit representation model. The self-
expression model is discussed below along with a brief description of the remaining two
models.
1. The Self-Expression Model
Brands have the ability to speak to consumers’ self image and through the consumers’ attitude
towards certain brands they are able to form a relationship with that brand (Kapferer, 2008).
De Chernatony and McDonald (2001, p.122) state, “Brands serve as expressive devices;
people therefore prefer brands whose image is closest to their own self- image”. The premise
of the self-expression model is that some brands become vehicles for certain groups of
customers to express a part of their self-identity. A user of the brand can ‘self-express’ or
experience the emotional benefits of the brand in line with their self-congruity. The concept of
self-congruity suggests consumers have a tendency to choose situations and companies that
reaffirm their self- schema. Very often consumers form a preference for a brand that is
congruent with their own personality (Sirgy 1982). For instance, a brand that is reliable can
play the role of a partner, associate or a friend.
2. The Relationship Basis Model
The relationship basis model is based on the notion that we should think about organisations
and people based on personality characteristics such as fun, excitement, sincerity and
competence.
3. The Functional Benefit Representation Model
The functional benefit representation model focuses on brand personality and how it can
communicate brand benefits and brand attributes in a product.
31
2.10 Roots of Brand Personality
Brand personality traits are formed and influenced by any direct or indirect contact that the
consumer has with a brand. Keller (1998, P.97) states that “brand personality reflects how
people feel about a brand, rather than what they think the brand is or does”. The symbolic use
of brands is possible because consumers often give brands human personalities referred to as
brand anthropomorphism (Aaker, 1997), where often human qualities of emotionality and
thought are transferred to the brand. For example, the brand characters of M&M in the M&M
commercials have the capacity to laugh and joke (Ouwersloot and Tudorica, 2001). Brand
Anthropomorphism, the self-concept theory and the big five model all contribute to brand
personality which are referred to below.
2.11 Brand Anthropomorphism
Brand anthropomorphism is referred to as “seeing the human in non-human forms” (Aggarwal
and McGill, 2007, p. 468) and “a psychological process of seeing the human in nonhuman
forms and events” by Guthrie (1993) in Kwon and Sung (2011, p.6). The term is also referred
to by Delbaere et al. (2011, p.121) as “the cognitive bias whereby people are prone to attribute
human characteristics to things”.
People often perceive their cars as loyal companions and establish a name for them. Aggarwal
and McGill (2007) state that when marketers encourage consumers to anthropomorphize a
product it is important to bear in mind the schema of the target audience for the brand, with
the goal of forming congruity between the products features and the consumer’s preferences.
Some objects readily resemble a more human shape than others, for instance the shape of a
bottle. A Coca-Cola bottle is more likely to be anthropomorphized than a Coca-Cola can
(Graham and Poulin-Dubois 1999).
Objects can be animated through a spokesperson and thus used to promote a product, for
example Mr. Peanut and the M&M chocolate candy characters. An advertising research report
conducted by The Hershey Company (2008) revealed from a survey done on consumers of
M&M’s that consumers associated the brand and its image with the commercials of the
personalized content where the different colours of the product were related back to the
characters’ adventures and they were associated with people who were ‘on the go’.
32
Three forms of anthropomorphism exist, as suggested by Guthrie which includes the partial,
the literal and the accidental. The author will be focusing on the former for the purpose of the
research. Partial anthropomorphising “occurs when people see objects and events as having
some important human traits but do not consider the entity as a whole to be human”(Guthrie,
1993).The object is interpreted as semi-human, where consumers attribute some human traits
to their possessions.
2.11.1. Brand Narratives in Marketing Communications
In marketing communication dialogues take precedence over monologues, and are at the heart
of marketing communications. Jensen and Jepsen (2006) in Dahlen et al. (2010, p. 13)
“declare that ‘the brand with the best story wins’. And this is true for all successful brands
both in terms of achieving marketing objectives and brand longevity”. Brands are being
discussed more in an on-going dialogue of brand narratives. Narrative is a natural heuristic
because the retention of stories in the brain is highly effective and even more so than any
other form of information. Brand narration works best when both the company and the
customer co-create it. Thus corporations are more concerned with the production of images
rather than the production of things (Aggarwal and McGill 2007); marketers must establish a
human identity or a human term for their products and product lines by referencing the
product using personal pronouns such as “he” or “she” instead of “it” and the “product
family” instead of “product line”.
33
2.11.2 Social Media and Brand Anthropomorphism
As suggested by Mangold and Faulds (2009), the emergence of internet based Social Media
has made it possible for one person to communicate with a vast number of people about
products and the companies that provide them and to communicate directly with the customer.
The creation of brand presence can give an extra boost to peoples’ tendency to
anthropomorphise products or brands as part of the overall marketing strategies. According to
Kelleher and Miller (2006), Social Media allow brands to open a dialogue, provide prompt
feedback, communicate with a sense of humour and admit mistakes.
Blog participants are more conditioned to perceive an organisational conversational human
voice than those who read an organization’s website. When marketers blog about their brand
in a human voice it can portray the brand’s personality traits in informal language by using
human representatives, personal pronouns and verbs in the imperative form, such as
encouraging a relationship and non-verbal cues such as the use of abbreviations and emotion
to communicate. Thus, through communicating and interacting with consumers, marketers can
convey both their personalities and the brand’s human characteristics, Kwon and Yung
(2011).
34
2.11.2.1 Brand Anthropomorphism on Twitter
Brand anthropomorphism is prominently used on Twitter. Products have been long denoted
as partially human by researchers. Products are seen as having a consciousness, a soul, a
genetic code, a personality (Gilmore 1919; McGill 1998 and Aaker 1997; Keller 2002) in
Kwon and Sung (2011), along with a relational approach (Aggarwal 2007; Fournier 1998; and
Muniz and O’Guinn 2001).The benefit of humanizing a brand by imbuing a product with
social and human traits into its overall marketing strategy is that “Products that can be
“humanized” are often seen as stronger candidates for long-term business success” (Muniz
and O’Guinn 2001, p. 470).
By attributing human characteristics to brands via Twitter, marketers animate and humanise
their brand which may result in unique brands with distinctive images and meaningful
personalities which should increase consumer preference for the brand and equip them with
some protection against competitors through the distinctiveness of their brand.
Research carried out on the top Fortune 500 companies revealed that that 35 % of them are
now tweeting (Barnes, 2010). Several purposes of using this medium were identified:
Another way to communicate
Can add value to customers
Product/brand awareness
Ability to keep up with trends and competitors
Demonstration of product
A more cost effective and productive form of marketing
(Barnes, 2010, p. 10).
35
2.12 Self-Concept Theory
Park and John (2010) state that brand personality is appealing to consumers as the brand can
allow them to express, affirm, or enhance their sense of self. According to de Chernatony et
al. (2011, p. 131), “Brands are only bought if they enhance the perception that consumers
have of themselves or if they believe the brand’s image to be similar to that which they have
themselves”. Rio et al. (2001) refers to a social identification function based on the brand’s
identity where it can act as a communications instrument where consumers can integrate and
associate themselves with groups they perceive positively. It states that consumers have a
tendency to classify themselves as members of specific groups and that consumers use brands
to express themselves and their personality.
The person’s self-image can be traced back to Roger’s self-theory. Central to this theory is the
notion of self or Self-concept. The ideal self-concept is who the person would like to be and to
aspire to, where the consumers buy brands that support their own self-image. According to
Rogers (1959) we want to feel, experience and behave in ways which are consistent with our
self-image and reflect what we would like to be like, our ideal self. The closer our self-image
and ideal self are to each other, the more consistent or congruent we are and the higher our
sense of self-worth.
In consumer research it is argued that consumers prefer brands that are similar to themselves.
Often consumers have a tendency to prefer and choose appealing personalities in an attempt to
affirm or enhance their sense of self. Landon (1974) found beer to be a socially consumed
product where self-image played a role in forming a preference for a particular brand of beer.
36
2.12.1 Brand Symbolism
De Chernatony et al. (2011) indicate that from the 1960s and 1970s researchers demonstrated
the added value associated with strong brand personalities and showed that consumers choose
products similar to their friends. Consumers are more concerned with what a product says
about them (Symbolism) rather than what it does for them. Instilling a personality in a brand
provides a mechanism to differentiate a brand in a product category and acts as a central
driver of consumer preference and usage.
Marketing research has focused on the symbolic meaning consumers attribute to brands
(Austin et al. 2003). One such symbolic brand association is brand personality (Zentes et al.,
2008). Researchers have focused on how the personality of a brand enables a consumer to
express his or her own self or ideal self. Brand personality tends to serve a symbolic or self
expressive function in contrast to a utilitarian function for product related attributes. Various
strategies are used by advertisers to portray the personality traits associated with Fast Moving
Consumer Goods (FMCG’s) such as the Coca-Cola personality trait association of coolness
(Aaker, 2002).
“The images surrounding brands enable consumers to from a mental vision of what and who
brands stand for. Specific brands are selected when the images they convey match the needs,
values and lifestyles of consumers” (de Chernatony et al., 2011, p.124). Brand symbols can
enable people to convey messages about themselves and help to facilitate expressive gestures.
Malhotra (1988) and Sirgy (1982) indicate how brand personality provides a preference for
the brand. Previous research carried out on brand preference and the consumer personality has
suggested the greater the congruity between the human characteristics that distinctively
describe an individual’s actual or ideal self and the brand, the more susceptible the consumer
is to forming a preference for the brand.
For example from a drinker’s perspective, Guinness represents symbolic and nourishing
values of myths of power and energy, and from a personality perspective the Guinness
consumer associates the brand with traits including manliness, maturity, experience and wit.
Subsequently, if the consumer is faced with two alcohol brands, he/she will subconsciously
assess the appropriateness of the personality of the two brands for the situation in which they
wish to consume it (de Chernatony et al., 2011, p.124).
37
2.13 The Big Five Model
Selecting a brand with a certain personality enables consumers to express themselves (Aaker
1999). Consumers associate human characteristics with a brand where they tend to endow
brands with human characteristics that result in a brand personality which consists of five
dimensions – sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication and ruggedness (Aaker 1997).
As illustrated by Aaker’s (1997) five personality trait dimensions, consumers can project an
image of their own personality by selecting a brand that reflects that personality.
2.14 The Development of the Personality Trait Scale
Aaker (1997) states how personality relating to individual psychology can be applied to a
marketing context. The basic premise is that brands, similarly to human beings, can develop a
personality that is widely assumed to share human characteristics (Aaker et al., 2001).
Personality concerns two functions: the first concerns the consumer’s internal processes -
“what I say about myself”- and the second concerns social reputation, “what others say and
think about me” (Hogan (1991) in Opoku and Hinson (2006)).
Aaker (1997) developed the ‘big five’ human personality structure using subjects who were
given brands with three different functions and asked to identify traits associated with each
brand. The several functions included symbolic functions such as clothing, cosmetics and
fragrances; utilitarian functions such as pain relievers and toothpaste; and a combination such
as computers and soft drinks.
Aaker (1997) asserts the ‘big five’ human personality model may be applied across all product
categories. He proposed a 42-item brand personality scale (BPS) that assesses any brand
across five key dimensions referred to below. Brand personality is depicted in figure 2.6
below.
1. Sincerity: domestic, honest, genuine and cheerful
2. Excitement: daring, spirited, imaginative and up to date
3. Competence: reliable, responsible, dependable and efficient
4. Sophistication: glamorous, pretentious, charming and romantic
5. Ruggedness: tough, strong, outgoing and rugged
38
Figure 2.6 Brand Personality Framework (Aaker, 1997, p. 352).
39
2.14.1 Brand Personality Scale
Table 2.5 below illustrates Aaaker’s five dimensions of brand personality. The table consists
of 42 traits corresponding with a personality facet. One of the dimensions Excitement, can be
further derived into traits such as Daring, Trendy, Exciting, Spirited, Cool, Imaginative and
Up-to-date; very often an alcohol brand’s personality can be described as ‘daring’ or ‘trendy’.
Table 2.5 Brand Personality Scale (Aaker, 1997, p. 354).
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2.15 Online Brand Personality Framework
Park et al. (2005) state that Aakers framework on brand personality focuses on an external
context in the physical world, alternatively the model is adapted to an online context by
Okazaki (2006). The marketing communication in the marketing mix has often been regarded
as the most influential in the creation of brand personality (Anderson and Rubin,1986 in
Okazaki, 2006). From Aaker’s existing five model brand personality framework, three out of
the five personality characteristics Sophistication, Excitement and Competence, are
transferred directly into an online context with two additional characteristics of and Popularity
and Affection. For the purpose of this research the author contents that Alcohol brands can
apply the additional two characteristics to their online marketing strategies.
Figure 2.7 Online Brand Personality Framework (Okazaki, 2006, p. 293).
41
2.16 Conclusion
This chapter gave a detailed overview of branding and its various components. It emphasised
the symbolic and non-functional aspects of brands related to the brand personality. Brand
personality was thoroughly investigated: from its position in the brand hierarchy related to
brand identity and brand equity. Several marketing academics and practitioners views on
branding have been discussed; since the introduction of branding as a marketing concept
along with the inception of brand personality, to its development and ultimately to its
progression online today.
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CHAPTER THREE: ONLINE MARKETING COMMUNICATION
3.1 Introduction
This chapter attempts to provide a general synopsis of the various online marketing
communication platforms available for organisations and brands to embrace today. The goal
of the chapter is to merge the literature in chapter two on branding and brand personality and
conceptualise branding into an online marketing communications context. This chapter also
examines the various changes taking place on the web, and the opportunities it offers for
brands. The end of the chapter illustrates various alcohol brands, their brands’ image and
personality. The authors included in the literature review represent the most prevalent findings
in online marketing communications.
According to Smith and Zook, (2011), the once passive audience has been liberated and
empowered by technology due to the emergence of new channels of communication, opened
up by Social Media. Web 2.0 and, more recently, the development of Web 3.0 have facilitated
dialogue between brands and customers. Consumers can engage through user generated
content or fully blown collaborative co-creation to deliver new products and solutions. Clifton
and Maughen (2000, p.105) state observations made for the success of future brands will
include customers as collaborators in the business where ultimately the language will become
more human like. The authors contend that a brand that captures passion, heart and dreams,
will help to build real brand relationships on a more personal level.
3.2 Definition of Online Marketing Communications
According to Chaffey (2009) “Online communications techniques are used to achieve goals of
brand awareness, familiarity and favourability and to influence purchase intent by
encouraging users of digital media to visit a website, to engage with the brand or product and
ultimately to purchase online or offline through traditional media channels such as by phone
or in-store”.
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3.3 Overview of Online Marketing Communications
According to Dahlen and Smith, (2010, p. 292), “since the 1980’s, the focus of most
advertising has shifted away from the product (the material objects and its benefits or
attributes) towards the brand or, more precisely, the brand image”.
The introduction of new platforms on the web such as Web 2.0, and more recently, Web 3.0
has facilitated the growth, accessibility and popularity of Social Media sites. Social Media
offer huge potential for companies to harness the attention of millions of viewers and spread
messages rapidly. Web 2.0 has seen the transformation from static web pages into interactive
web pages full of information and communications. Thus marketing communications have
evolved into a two-way interaction between companies and consumers, where both parties
influence brand building.
Whereas in the not so distant past customers had far fewer communication channels and
therefore marketers didn’t have to work as hard to grasp marketer’s attention, today marketing
communication strategies have changed. The information injection has been turned upside
down: consumers now have control. This change has resulted from a one way strategy of
telling customers the benefits of the product to a collaborative means with a two way stream
of communication in which customers will engage with the organisation.
Today marketing communications are morphing with customer experiences and product
development and distribution as the impact of digital media is hugely enhanced by Social
Media. Engaging content enhances the customer experience. The search for added value is
now relentless, whether through new features or more likely through enhanced web
experiences, through Social Media sharing, or through the addition of features to a product,
for instance, Coca Cola’s “spin the coke” which is an app for fun.
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3.3.1 Brands and the Internet
The internet has unique sensory aspects that provide for strong emotional and affinity
connections, such as sound, motion, entertainment, interaction and self-direction, with brand
personality expressed through emotional attributes (Bergstrom, 2000). Below table 3.1 depicts
several pertinent authors’ contributions to the internet and its contribution towards
strengthening the brand.
Author The Internet
Bergstorm (2000, p.12). States that “the Internet offers some unique aspects that can
be used to create real advantages over other media. It is still
important to remember that the Internet allows you the
flexibility to tailor a brand to a specific customer target
segment”.
Chaffey and smith (2009, p.
37).
“The internet offers new opportunities to build and strengthen
the brand. To add some ‘sizzle’ to the brand. To add extra
value (or ‘added value’), extend the experience and enhance
the image”.
Wang et al., (2002, p. 1143).
States how “The internet has become a proven medium for
advertising and has become a viable alternative to traditional
media such as television and billboards”. Consumers today
enjoy the information technology not only as passive viewers
but also content generators.
Table 3.1 Brands and the Internet
45
3.3.1.1 Rothery’s New Marketing Mix
As stated by Shankar and Hollinger (2007), “the role of online marketing communications in
the marketing mix is constantly evolving.” This change is illustrated by Rothery’s (2008) new
marketing mix components in Table 3.2 below. The table depicts how the traditional methods
of marketing a product using the 4P’s of the marketing mix can be adapted online, stating,
“Think of the 4E’s instead of the 4P’s from the old marketing mix” where the P is replaced by
E.
There is an increasing dialogic nature to marketing communication between an organisation
and a customer. Traditionally building a brand and communicating it was based on traditional
mass media advertising of a “trifecta of reach-connect-effect” to a stronger mechanism of
“exposure-engagement-experience”, which is similar to Rothery’s (2008) 4E’s model.
Rothery’s 4E’s model in Smith (2011) consists of the following: Experience, Exchange,
Everywhere and Engagement, and can be described as the way in which a product becomes an
experience online, place becomes everywhere, price becomes an exchange and promotion
becomes an engagement/experience. Alternatively, promotion is morphing with the product as
communications seek to engage customers with experiences. As communication becomes a
more important driver than actual experience (as suggested by Eagleton (2006, p.7) in Smith
and Zook (2011)) “instead of experiencing the world, we now experience the experience of
it”.
The 4P’s of the Traditional Marketing Mix The 4E’s of the New Marketing Mix
Product Experience
Price Exchange
Place Everywhere
Promotion Engagement
Table 3.2 Rothery's New Marketing Mix (Rothery, 2008, p.5 in Smith and Zook (2011).
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3.4 The Importance of Communicating a Brand
Customers do not interpret brands alike: people have filters such as experience and perception
(Plummer 2000). There are three primary components to a brand image: physical attributes
such as the description of the product/brand, functional characteristics, what a brand does,
and, most significantly, characterizational aspects which refer to the brand personality. At first
glance there is rarely anything intrinsic to a brand. Communication plays a role in bringing the
brand to life with brand personality dimensions such as ‘exciting’ and ‘sophisticated’.
3.4.1 Communicating the Brand Message
Ghodeswar (2008) states that “a brand needs to carve a vision of how that brand should be
perceived by its target audience”. Advertising that is creatively executed helps a brand to
make a strong impression on its target audience where successful brands are built through
creative repetition of themes through its media efforts, advertising, direct marketing, sales
promotion, sponsorships, endorsements, public relations, the internet, and integrated brand
communications are major channels used to position a brand in the consumers’ mind set.
Ultimately for a brand’s long term success, the development and implementation of long-term
integrated communication strategies will allow for the delivery of a consistent brand value,
brand personality and brand identity to its target audience.
3.4.2 Positioning the Brand
The positioning of a brand is the perception of the brand embedded in the consumer’s mind. A
well positioned brand demonstrates an advantage over competing brands (Aaker, 1996). In
terms of focusing the brand in the consumers’ mind set, an organisation’s brand should focus
on positioning the product by adding psychological value to products in the form of intangible
benefits (the emotional associations, beliefs, values and feelings that people relate to in a
brand). Ultimately the advantage of fostering intangible qualities in a product in the consumer
mind set will lead to the creation of a strong brand identity or brand personality (Sherrington,
2003).
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3.5 Introduction to Social Media
Social Media is defined by Kaplan and Haenlein (2010, p. 61) as “a group of Internet-based
applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that
allow the creation and exchange of User Generated Content”. Social Media focus on
generating conversation and building community (Nair, 2011). There are various forms of
Social Media, including social networks, internet forums, weblogs, social blogs, micro
blogging, wikis, podcasts, pictures, video, rating and social bookmarking (Kaplan and
Haenlein, 2010; Weber, 2009).
Social Media can be classified as content communities such as YouTube, social networking
sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and virtual game and social worlds such as Second Life.
YouTube and Facebook enable the sharing of pictures, videos and other forms of media,
Second life attempts to replicate the consumers’ actual life in a virtual world context and
“Twitter enables people to post tweets, which are brief statements about what they are doing
and to read the postings of others” (Greer and Ferguson, 2011).
Monger (2012) state the importance of brand personality in Social Media and how companies
need to adopt consistent and compelling brand stories. He comments that “as social media
channels have increased, so has the need to communicate simultaneously”. A brand’s
personality image should encompass all the associations a consumer has for the brand:
thoughts, feelings (brand personalities imply associated feelings) and imagery of the brand
linked in the consumer’s memory.
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3.6 Overview of Social Media
Although Social Media are conceived as a relatively new phenomenon, Social Media
platforms can be traced back to 1979. Social Media site Usenet was founded by Tom Truscott
and Jim Ellis in 1979 from Duke University, according to the founders Usenet provided a
platform for internet discussions worldwide. People referred to the new Social Media Usenet
as “Open Diary” and “Weblog” which was truncated as “blog” a year later. Various factors
have contributed to the growth of Social Media including the growing availability of high
speed internet access which provided a favourable growth platform for social networking sites
such as the inception of MySpace in 2003 and soon after Facebook in 2004.
Generating dialogue online between the consumer and a brand is becoming increasingly
important (Weber, 2009). Weber claims that the stronger the dialogue between the brand and
the customer, the stronger the brand. Lipsman et al. (2012) state how Social Media provides a
platform for consumers to connect with brands that are of interest to them, and to ‘like’ the
brand on Facebook. Brands can reach out to those fans who explicitly ‘liked’ a brand which
can result in an accelerated effect for the brand where the friends of fans typically represent a
wider reach of consumers at 34 times on average for the top 100 brands’ pages, (comScore,
2011). With the Facebook newsfeed as the primary location where branded content is
consumed, it was found that Facebook users spend approximately one quarter of their time on
the network interacting with their newsfeed, (comScore, 2011) which can be seen in figure 3.1
below.
49
Figure 3.1 Share of time spent by users on Facebook (comScore, 2011).
50
3.6.1 Contributions to Social Media Literature
Author Contribution
Eisenbenberg, (2009)
in Paterson (2011).
“until recently, the general approach to marketing communications
was ‘we talk, you listen’ with the typical campaign saying ‘here is
the advert, please absorb its message. Social Media has reversed
these roles, to a ‘you talk we listen’ approach”.
(Weber, 2009). According to Weber the social web means marketers must adopt a
new stance with an audience. Rather than talking at customers,
marketers should talk to them. When marketing in the social web
marketers should participate in, organize and encourage social
networks to which people want to belong.
(Mangold and Faulds
2009; Kapland and
Haenlein 2010).
Social Media represent an opportunity for companies to integrate
their social media activity with their activity in traditional media to
increase the likelihood that consumers will be engaged with their
brand and to present a cohesive brand image.
(Paterson, 2011, p.
527).
“The terrain of social encounters has shifted into the virtual realm to
social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter”.
Kaplan and Haenlein
(2010).
State that “each Social Media application usually attracts a certain
group of people and firms should be active wherever their customers
are present”.
(Valcke and
Lenaerts, 2011).
In comparison to the Web 1.0 which entailed passive viewing in one
direction from the producer of content to the publically passive
consumer (the read only web), Web 2.0 involves a broader
interaction between producers and consumers who are more active
users by participating, commenting and generating content
themselves.
Table 3.3 Contributions to Social Media Literature
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3.7 Social Media Platforms
3.7.1 Facebook
Facebook is a social networking platform which emerged in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, a
student of Harvard business school. Eight years on, in 2012, its success since it began has
been monumental. As stated by Patterson, “Facebook’s growth has been truly astonishing. Its
ubiquity is so universal that not having a Facebook profile can label anyone under thirty as a
technologically-challenged, backward-thinking, cave-dwelling nobody” (Patterson, 2010, p.
528). Currently Facebook is the second most visited internet site on the internet just behind
Google (mostpopularwebsites.net, 2012), it is also the world’s most popular site in terms of
time spent (Nielson, 2011), and at present in 2012 has a global audience of 868 million
members (checkfacebook.com). In 2006 Facebook made it possible for companies to create
branded pages. Brands on Facebook can be used as a means to express one-self: by selecting
brands with a particular brand personality statement, one can say that people on Facebook
express themselves by liking a brand, person or object on the platform. The ‘liked’ brand
becomes associated with the person, and this is open for everyone to see on the person’s
profile.
3.7.2 Twitter
Greer and Ferguson (2012, p.199) define twitter as “a Web-based social network system first
made available for public use in August 2006 referred to as a status update service”. A
customer expects a dialogue in social media. Communications on Twitter can range from
personal diaries of daily activities to business applications (Miller, 2009). Twitter enables
marketers to reach consumers directly, enabling brands to help build and maintain consumer
relationships by engaging in conversations. According to Kwon and Sung (2011), research
conducted on 44 global brands based on Twitter use indicated that marketers tend to exhibit
their brands’ presence and personalities into their brands by using human representatives,
personal pronouns and verbs in the imperative form.
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3.7.3 YouTube
YouTube is a content community founded in 2005, where users can post, view, comment on
and link to videos on the site. According to Lindgren (2012) YouTube is sometimes labelled
as the most successful internet site. As of 2010 its views have been extraordinary at 2 billion
video views per day, and 24 hours of content uploaded every minute. Ellison and Boyd (2007)
state it enables various forms of interaction, such as the ability to comment or rate a video.
3.7.4 Pinterest
Pinterest is at present the newest social networking site and is defined by Jacques (2012) as “a
place for people to share photos, bookmark images, comment on posts and generate
conversation around a visual centrepiece.”Although launched in March 2010, in the past six
months since May 2012 it has suddenly become one of the most popular new social
networking sites in the united stated, behind Twitter and Facebook (Jacques, 2012).
According to Veldman (2012) brands are rushing to use this new platform to engage with their
customer. And the success of a brand using this platform will depend on them tailoring the
content to for the lifestyle of their target market.
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3.8 Brand Communities
Brands are becoming increasingly interested in establishing a social and engaging presence
with their fans and helping to shape their customers’ experiences and also to leverage their
voices for an enhanced marketing effect (Lipsman et al. 2012 p.41). Research by Kwon and
Sung (2011) has shown that there are underlying motives driving a customer to become a
member of a brand community. Members of brand communities possess social and
psychological motives such as seeking entertainment value, information and interpersonal
utility, rather than simply seeking a discount. A brand that instils such motives in its daily
marketing communications efforts will ultimately generate and grow its fan base.
3.8.1 Collaboration
Yan (2011) states how Social Media provide a tool for brands to voice themselves and is a
means for Facebook users to engage and access brands. Audiences interacting with the brand
on Social Media may even help to develop the brand strategy and result in a closer
relationship with management. The consequence of consumer collaboration may lead to
stronger brand equity, brand associations, perceived quality and greater awareness.
According to Yan (2011) there are nine goals that brands should strive to meet using Social
Media, three of which are mentioned below:
Build a sense of membership with the organisation
Encourage the communication of brand values
Encourage the audience to engage in dialogue and promote the brand
Yan states how meeting these goals can help an organisation to differentiate the brand,
become more responsive to its target audience’s needs by adapting communication to suit
them and the positive impact it may have on the brand such as building, positive brand
associations, enhancing the perceived quality of the brand, and reaching out to audiences it
has not reached through the generation of greater levels of awareness.
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3.8.2 User Generated Content
According to Smith and Zook (2001) User Generated Content has been facilitated by Web 2.0
and is a platform on which Social Media are based. “Customers have been mobilized by
blogs, social network sites and invitations to create their own UGC, whether comments and
feedback or conversations, joint research, or the creation of advertisements, services or even
products” (Smith and Zook, 2011, p. 36).
User-generated content (UGC) is an important means through which consumers express
themselves and communicate with others online (Boyd and Ellison, 2008). UGC is published
content “created outside of professional routines and practices” (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010).
Many forms of User-generated content exist including Twitter tweets, Facebook status
updates, and videos on YouTube, as well as consumer produced product reviews and
advertisements (Muñiz and Schau, 2007). UGC) involves customers selling back to
themselves, as a result of being highly engaged customers.
De Chernatony et al. (2011) state that brands can add customer experiences to the brand, thus
contributing towards advertising where they can capture the public’s imagination. For
instance the rise in user generated content can enhance customers’ experience of a brand.
Platforms such as YouTube can be used to showcase the brand through viral marketing
campaigns, such as Cadbury’s gorilla viral campaign which has increased the brand
experience. According to de Chernatony et al. brands which offer a combination of tangible
and intangible assets to create value are estimated to represent at least 20% of the intangible
value of businesses on the major stock market, thus reiterating the importance in having a
strong brand personality.
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3.8.3 Interactivity
New media have made interaction possible and seen a reversal in the dialogue roles, with
consumers choosing the content they wish to engage in. Lipsman et al. (2012), state that
motivational reasons a user ‘likes’ a brand may include reasons such as self-expression,
communicating positive associations of that brand with other users, staying connected to the
brand, or a discount incentive such as deals and promotions. Facebook provides an ample
opportunity for fans to interact with the branded content, with users 40 to 150 times more
likely to consume branded content on the newsfeed rather than visit a brand’s fan page and
consume the content there (comScore, 2011). Social Media has created the ability to have a
two way relationship between brands and the consumer. Thus Facebook provides an
innovative approach to sharing information about brands between friends. (Information may
entail voicing one’s opinions of a brand or sharing a prior experience).
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3.9 Engagement and Customer Engagement
Social Media platforms are inherently social which can spur broader engagement and sharing
(Divol et al., 2012). Engagement can occur when consumers are invited to experience the
brand by joining in on the conversation occurring on the brand’s Social Media platform with
the brand, product, fellow users and enthusiasts of the brand: this is referred to as referred to
as ‘strengthening of the brand’.
Engaging customers with brands is crucial. Engagement is about creating relationships
between consumers and brands. MI4/ARF Engagement Task Force, (2006) states, “We
believe engaging storytelling ads will also prove superior in creating connections with
consumers that enrich brand meaning and ultimately impact brand behaviour”.
Customer engagement online through the internet, according to Smith and Zook, (2011, p.
447), provides the platform for a brand to add some excitement to the brand, extend the
experience and enhance the image and add some ‘sizzle’, whilst providing new opportunities
to invigorate the brand, For instance “drinks brand Bacardi sizzles online by maintaining the
club scene atmosphere with its online value proposition including a pulsating beat, BAT radio
(the logo contains a bat), video clips and cocktail recipes”, (Smith and Zook, 2011, p. 447).
57
3.9.1 Five Experience Dimensions
Several emotion and experience related concepts have been developed including brand
personality, brand community, brand attachment, brand engagement and brand love.
According to Bergh and Behrer (2011), the study of emotional attachment has found that
evoking positive emotions is crucial for brand engagement.
These dimensions (investigated by authors Brakus and Schmitt and Sir Shi Zhang) reinforce
the advantageous values of brands possessing such attributes, with the brand providing a
source of differentiation and a compelling experience for the consumer. Bergh and Behrer
(2011) state that a brand’s perceived uniqueness is mainly the result of executing a consistent
positioning strategy. For instance Coca Cola has memorable packaging through its bottles.
Brakus et al. (2009) further state that marketers should strive to create holistically integrated
experiences which possess qualities of all the five experience dimensions.
Whilst all products ultimately provide a utilitarian function through branding and marketing
communications, products can be communicated through experiences. Product experiences
are multidimensional in nature, consisting of hedonic dimensions such as feelings, fantasies
and fun. Product experiences can be developed through online marketing communications.
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3.10 Emotion and Branding
“Increasingly, companies are searching for ways to create strong emotional brand connections
with consumers. This is motivated by the fact that such connections lead to higher levels of
consumer loyalty, which increases company financial performance” (Park et al. 2010) in
Malär et al. (2011, p. 4).
Emotion very often is the underlying force in the consumers’ choice of a brand (Franzen and
Bouwman, 2001) where brands are emotionally anchored in the brain, with brands cognitively
and emotionally encoded in the brain (Gorden, 2006). This is elaborated by Randazzo (2006,
p. 13) who states, “a brand is ultimately a perceptual entity, a host of association, feelings,
imagery, symbolism etc. that exists in the mind and hearts of consumers”.
Savvy marketers are not in the business of selling products, but building and maintaining
strong brands through the power of emotion in communicating the brand. If you click on the
Budweiser website you enter the mytho-symbolic world of Budweiser, a world immersed in
beer, sports and partying (Randazzo, 2006). Maintaining a strong brand presence is essential
with an estimated 10,000 brands floating around in the consumer’s mind set at one time,
coinciding with an over-advertised world (Gordon, 2006). Thus, promoting interactivity and
creating an emotion appeal is essential to a brand’s survival and/or success.
Ultimately, creating an appealing brand identity and personality creates an emotional
connection between the consumer and the brand. Marketers should strive to initiate Kotlers
‘top of the mind’ and ‘share of heart’ concepts. His ‘top of the mind’ refers to brand
preference which is the dominant brands in consumers’ minds for a specific category, and
‘share of heart’ concept makes reference to brands that have an emotional connection with
consumers.
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3.10.1 Emotion and Beer Brands
Hill (2009) states “Beer companies want to differentiate their offering by having consumers
feel surprise on encountering the new packaging, followed by yearning transformed into
happiness upon sampling the beer it holds”. Hill also states how emotionally-based
differentiation is a gold mine in persuading the consumers of today’s global economy due to
the precedence of brands in society today (Hill, 2009, p.93).
Hill (2009) asserts that “Branding is 200 per cent proof emotionality. And what’s better
evidence than the sale of vodka odourless, colourless, tasteless liquor – where brand equity,
aided by a great name, great packaging and great advertising, is essential to creating loyal
customers”. The once economic model of rational purchase behaviour has been replaced.
Consumers’ actions are often dictated by emotional engagement with brands which “reinforce
and enhance their self identities” (Hill, 2009, p.99; Hill ,2008 , p.101).
The ‘emotionalisation’ of products has helped brands to reposition coffee as a hedonic or
social need (Elliott and Percy, 2007, p.34). In a study on beer brands by Harvey and Evans
(2001) in Elliot and Percy (2011), based on six worldwide markets, results showed that 85%
of the objects measured in the study were referred to by the participants as irreplaceable
possessions were in fact identical to one another. CarlingBlack Label and Stella Artois were
two beer brands involved in the study where, for example, beer brands were described by the
participants using the following terms: as masculine, attitude, football, humour, heritage,
music and reassuringly expensive. A belief exists that a semiotic relationship can exist
between an object and a person where the object possesses a psychological perception and a
shared meaning.
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3.10.2 Music and Brand Personality
Music is a method that can be used to establish the personality of a brand in a consumer’s
mind. Alcohol brands employ music as part of their online marketing communications for
example Heineken has a Heineken music website whilst Bacardi Breezer provides
complementary access to music downloads
On a promotional front, music is a powerful marketing stimulus which can activate mood and
stimulate emotions in consumers. Music has the ability to “evoke emotional expressions,
create non- random affective/behavioural responses in consumers, and stimulate moral
reasoning, cognition, and gratification, makes it a reasonably effective medium for displaying
a brand's personality” (Saulpaugh et al. 2012, p.160). “A custom song composition is defined
as a composition that is custom designed for a particular brand and uses the brand’s traditions,
passions, values, commitments and strengths to convey personality” (Saulpaugh et al. 2012,
p.152).
The purpose of the music is to communicate an overall representative message of the brand’s
persona. Extant research supports the notion that music can be used to convey an intended
brand personality if the music is well matched to the desired image of the firm.
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3.11 Experiential Marketing
In the 21st century products and services are increasingly branded and marketed by using
experience. According to Smith and Zook (2011, p. 41) customers get to interact in a new and
immersive environment online where traditionally life events appeared offline. These
customer encounters are referred to as brand touch points or customer touch points, where the
customer can come into contact with the brand through advertising, events, packaging,
websites or sponsorship.
Experiential marketing is classified as a significant touch point for a brand. Experiential
marketing is defined by Zarantonello and Schmitt (2010, p. 533) as “subjective internal
responses (sensations, feelings and cognition) as well as behavioural responses that are
evoked by brand related experiential attributes when consumers interact with brands, shop for
them and consume them”.
Alternatively, Posavac (2011) refers to experiential marketing as “the process of identifying
and satisfying customer needs and aspirations profitably, engaging them through two way
communications that bring brand personalities to life and add value to the target audience”.
Experiential benefits refer to the sensory pleasure or cognitive arousal derived from using
brands and the symbolic benefits refer to the signal effect of using brands (Helgeson and
Supphellen, 2004).
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3.11.1 Brand Experience
Brand experience is part of a brand’s design and identity, packaging, communications, and
environments, and has been classified as a new and exciting consumer psychology concept
(Zarantonello and Schmitt, 2010). The focus of brand experience is the marketing of products
through innovation and creativity where brands are marketed through innovative and product
features through appeals to the consumer’s senses, feelings, intellect, curiosity and self-image,
rather than to more rational notions of value.
Brand experience can happen in two settings, direct when there is physical contact with the
product and indirect when a product is presented on a website. The author will be focusing on
the latter for the purpose of this research. Posavac (2011) states that the brand experience
scale consists of dimensions corresponding to a description of the item; while fluency theory
shows that consumers process Sensory “this brand makes a strong impression on my visual
sense or other senses”- and Affective- “this brand is an emotional brand and induces feelings
and sentiments”.
The provision of appealing brand experiences is critical to brand differentiation. Brands
described as possessing both attributes have an advantage over brands described with
functional attributes only. Typically brands possessing both attributes require less effort than
functional attributes alone under certain conditions, which in turn leads to a more positive
evaluation of alternatives.
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3.11.2 Virtual Experience
Opportunities exist for brands online: “the internet is a more powerful medium than traditional
print and broadcast media in the sense that consumers are able to interact with products in 3D
multimedia environments, thus formulating a new form of experience, a virtual experience”
(Daugherty et al. 2008, p.570). According to Daugherty et al. (2008), “a virtual experience is a
psychological and emotional state consumers undergo while interacting with 3D visual
products in a computer mediated environment” (as stated by Li, Daugherty, and Biocca,
2001). There is the belief that advertising is more effective directly then indirectly through
advertising. However the development of three dimensional (3D) product visualisation
technologies provides rich insight for media advertising as it enables customers to interact
with a virtual product online.
Smith and Swinyard (1982), on a model on advertising effects and the integrated information
responses on direct and indirect experiences of advertising affecting consumer learning,
implied that indirect experiences offer little influence on consumer behaviour because
advertising is perceived as a biased source of information. Wright and Lynch (1995) refined
the theory of advertising effects by differentiating search from experience attributes of
products; search attributes such as a product’s colour or price only being verified prior to
purchase, whereas direct experiences such as taste are verified from experiencing the product.
The distinction is that direct experience attributes may have an advantage over search
attributes.
However, as argued by Daugherty et al. (2008) a virtual experience can emulate the expected
outcome from a direct product experience. Research carried out by the authors examined the
effects of virtual experience relative to indirect and direct experience, using a camera in an
indirect advertisement and one in a 3D interactive context on the internet. They proposed that
a virtual experience is more likely to be perceived as a richer experience than an indirect
experience due to a number of enhancements; interactivity, vividness, personal relevance,
enjoyment and a sense of presence stimulated by the 3D interactive products. Consequently
virtual experiences through the simulation of the consumption experience have the
opportunity to mimic consumer evaluations involving direct experiences of a representation of
the actual product. Ultimately opportunities exist for alternative types of sensory immersion
for example (auditory) in gaining an understating of the potential impact virtual experience
offers marketers.
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3.11.2.1 Virtual Experience on a Brands’ Website
“Websites offer customers a unique canvass for becoming involved with their favourite
brands.” (Davis, 2010, p.341). Table 3.4 below captures various brands’ virtual experience
activities on their websites.
Brand Virtual Experience
Nike ID Offers web site visitors the chance to customize
their own shoes.
BMW Mini Mini allows their customers to build their own
mini by clicking on the “build” button on the
website.
FreeBeer A Danish company gives away free beer
metaphorically speaking, where the recipe of
their product is passed on to the consumer to
modify.
Heineken
Heineken introduced a build your own bottle
competition to its global fan base.
Bacardi Virtual Party Atmosphere on Bacardi’s website
with free music downloads.
Table 3.4 Virtual Experience on a Brands Website (Davis, 2010, p. 341).
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3.12 Online Marketing Communication Strategies and Alcohol Brands
“Today, alcohol brands (like other major advertisers) are promoting their products across a
wide spectrum of new platforms – from social networks to mobile phones to immersive,
virtual communities” (Chester et al., 2010, p. 3). Four major platforms exist: three of which
are shown in table 3.5 with emphasise placed on the fourth one ‘Rich Media’
Social Media “engagement opportunities of social media are deeper than those of
traditional mass media and the power of social amplification is also
much stronger.” Conversations about brands are increasingly being
interwoven into the social world of consumers online.
Online Video The concept of viral marketing is that consumers are inspired to share
content created by another user or a brand, sharing it means they
become brand ambassadors. Alcohol marketers are taking advantage of
this platform. Various campaigns on alcohol brands have been
implemented such as:
Absolut’s Online Comedy Community
Smirnoff’s Tea Party and
Budweiser’s Banned Super Bowl 2007 Bud Commercial.”
Mobile Phones Mobile marketing which is currently in its infancy will allow for
locational and behavioural tracking of customers which in turn will
make mobile marketing more interactive and social. Various mobile-
enabled applications have been developed for alcohol brands such as:
Malibu’s app, “get your island on” game
Absolut’s Drinkspiration
GPS-enabled application for the iPhone and Budweiser’s Ale
Finder.
Virtual Reality
Sites
The new media landscape is also referred to as Rich Media has been
coined by major advertisers as “high-definition media and marketing
ecosystem”.
Table 3.5 Online Marketing Communication Strategies and Alcohol Brands (Chester et
al. ,2010, pp. 1-32).
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3.12.1 Rich Media
Chester states Rich media advertising can trigger a variety of interactions such as revealing
precisely how a customer interacts with a brand with studies showing that rich media can
boost brand awareness and purchase intent. The alcohol industry is at forefront of using these
tools.
The features defining the new paradigm include: engagement, targeted advertising, and a
comprehensive, “360-Degree Strategy” for reaching customers across the media landscape.
All of which are elaborated upon below.
Engagement
Chester et al. (2010, p.4) refers to engagement as “the level of involvement, interaction,
intimacy and influence a customer has for or with a brand over time”. Chester at al. (2010)
state that goal of engagement is to create an environment in which the customer is interacting
with the brand, “befriending” the product and integrating it into their personal and social
relationships. A marketing executive from MolsonCoors Brewing Company in 2009 states,
“Alcohol marketers ensure engagement online when they incorporate content the “target
audience will want to spend time”, with brands such as Miller, Absolut and Guinness working
with digital branding specialists. According to Mediacom (2012) encouraging people to
engage with their brands rather than chasing ‘likes’ is more beneficial as the likelihood of a
brand appearing in its fans’ newsfeed and their friends’ as well is more likely.
Targeted Advertising
“Behavioural targeting enables companies to develop unique, long-term relationships with
individual customers” (Chester, 2010). Diageo brands have worked with Baileys and Captain
Morgan on web campaigns to help them to identify their best customers (how much they
spend on the brand).
360- Degree Strategy
Chester states how “Marketers design their campaigns to take advantage of people’s constant
connectivity to technology, their multi-tasking behaviours, and the fluidity of their media
experiences”. In 2008 Smirnoff organised ‘The Smirnoff Secret Experience Party’ which was
“a cross-digital and offline hunt” in Australia.
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3.13 Opportunities for Alcohol Brands Online
As stated by Mediacom (2012) Digital media, particularly Social Media, present an
opportunity for a brand to reach a large and passionate audience with sport being the perfect
candidate. An example of this is Budweiser UK which previously launched an app that allows
users to share their predictions via Social Media sites enabling beer mats to be brought to life
by scanning the mats with their smart phone camera.
Below provides a brief insight into Heinekens and Jameson’s online marketing
communication strategies.
Heineken
Dahlen et al. (2010, p. 349) commented on Heineken’s decision to reposition its marketing
activities which would increase the likelihood of it reaching its core target audience. In order
to promote its premium beer to its target market audience of male 18 to 26 year olds, it
positioned its communications to engage them into conversation in a context within which the
brand is consumed.
Jameson Irish Whiskey
Jules Hall, a former general manager for a digital agency Hallway, where Irish whiskey brand
Jameson is a prominent client, states that “more and more channels enable brands to interact
with their customers” (Hall, 2007). He points out that organisations need to adopt trans-media
strategies to build on a foundation of interactivity in order for an organisation to effectively
connect with its audience.
Jameson’s Irish Whiskeys’ personality is showcased in a viral video chosen from a viral video
competition in 2007. The winning contender was Jameson’s first shot starring Kevin Spacey,
titled “The Ventriloquist”, based on an introverted ventriloquist who tries to match wits with
his extroverted dummy. The viral video made no mention of the Jameson product or its
legendary mascot James Jameson, featuring the epic adventures of John James. Entrants
submitted a seven page script that adhered to the Jameson brand’s brand associations such as
“legendary”, “humorous” and “very tall tale” theme, thus keeping in line with the brand’s
personality.
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3.14 Segmentation of Alcohol Brands’ Personalities by Gender
Levy (1959, p.12) argues, “Usually it is hard to evade thinking of inanimate things as male or
female”. Researchers argue that brand personality includes demographic characteristics such
as gender. Brands’ personalities can be considered masculine or feminine; similarity brand
personalities can be considered as modern or old-fashioned, everyday blue collar or elegantly
upper class. A brand’s personality can be segmented by these factors.
As stated by Grohmann (2009, p.105) “Positioning strategies frequently aim to associate
brands with masculine or feminine personality traits”. Aaker (2002) states that a brand
personality must be similar to what the target market desires and feels important enough to be
associated with the personality. Humans project more than one personality, adapting it
according to the situation; the same applies to the brand online in order to best fit the brands
target market or segment. Qualman (2009) states that organisations need to create a presence
on social networking sites and begin interacting with their target audience.
Brand managers should understand the difference between male and female consumers in
expressing their brand personality. According to the study on gender and personality in brand
preferences by Mulyanegara et al. (2007), males and females are different in their brand
personality relationship. Male consumers are considered to be more self- expressive in their
brand preferences compared to female consumers. These results provide scope for an
organisation to target a specific audience which matches the personality credentials of the
brand. Thus personality-based segmentation can be implemented by devising and promoting
different types of brand personalities to target different customers.
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3.15 Conclusion
Brands are being increasingly expressed through the essential components of complicit
communication of word of mouth, viral marketing and social media. Ultimately there has been
a shift away from asymmetric communication and more power now resides with the customer
through co-created or user-generated brand content online. Ultimately brand communication
has shifted away from pure image brand advertising to a new paradigm of experiential
branding, encompassing the entire brand encounter. According to Jaffe (2005, p.34)
contemporary communication is “infused by the DNA of digital innovation, upsetting the
balance of power to reveal an entirely new paradigm”. The digital DNA may be digital but at
its core is social. Content translates into communication and Social Media have accelerated
brand narrations. Communications, conversation and content are inextricably linked on
platforms such as Facebook and YouTube.
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CHAPTER FOUR: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
4.1 Introduction
The chapter seeks to outline the research design and methodology used by the author during
the research process in order to fulfil the research objectives of the study. More specifically a
discussion regarding the research purpose, research approach, data collection methods, sample
selection and analysis of the data will be outlined. Also the ethical issues in carrying out the
research are considered along with the limitations of the research.
4.1.1 Definition of Research
Malhotra (2010, p.39) Defined marketing research as the “systematic and objective
identification, collection, analysis, dissemination, and use of information for the purpose of
improving decision making related to the identification and solution of problems and
opportunities in marketing”. Research has been defined by Saunders, Lewis, and Thornhill
(2009) as something which is systematically undertaken by people in order to expand their
knowledge on a chosen subject. It is characterised by Collis and Hussey (2009, p.3) as a
process of enquiry and investigation, systematic, methodical, and as a mechanism to increase
knowledge.
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4.2 Research Process
In order to gather accurate, valid and reliable data it is important that the author applies a
systematic approach in gathering the required information. Domegan and Fleming (2007,
p.21) contend that “the research process refers to a set of stages that detail a number or
sequence of tasks a researcher undertakes to gather and report valid and reliable information
to assist with decision making”.
The marketing research process as outlined by Domegan and Fleming (2007) is discussed in
the following sections.
Figure 4.1 The Marketing Research Process (Domegan and Fleming, 2007, p. 21).
STAGE THREE - DATA COLLECTION METHODS
STAGE FOUR - SAMPLING
STAGE FIVE - FIELDWORK
STAGE SIX – ANALYSIS OF DATA
STAGE SEVEN – PRESENTATION OF THE RESULTS
STAGE TWO - RESEARCH DESIGN
STAGE ONE - PROBLEM DEFINITION
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4.3 Stage One: Problem Definition
Stage one is concerned with determining the purpose of the research being undertaken, it is
argued that this stage is the most critical (Domegan and Fleming, 2007; Saunders et al., 2009).
“Problem definition involves stating the general problem and identifying the specific
components of the marketing research problem” (Malhotra, 2009). The purpose of the first
stage is to determine the reasoning for undertaking the study and the information, which will
be required to fulfil the objectives. It is a crucial stage as it is only when the marketing
research objectives are clearly defined that the research project can progress.
Domegan and Fleming (2007) suggest that the research process encompasses four stages in
defining the research question: problem identification, problem clarification, problem
formulation and setting objectives and or/hypotheses. The problem identifying stage was
focused on the broad area of branding in an online context. Following identifying the
problem, the branding literature and also online marketing communications literature were
studied to narrow down the topic to the application of brand personalities in online marketing
communications. The author then formulated the problem and consequently set specific
objectives which are discussed later in the chapter.
Figure 4.2 Problem Definition Stages (Domegan and Fleming, 2007, p. 22).
PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
PROBLEM CLARIFICATION
PROBLEM FORMULTAION
OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESES
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4.3.1 Research Question and Objectives
The researcher defined the following research question, and consequently decided on primary
and secondary objectives.
4.3.2 Research Question
The research question’s aim is to provide the author with guidance and give structure to the
study. A Research question is defined by Malhotra as “refined statements of the specific
components of the problem” (Malhotra, 2010, p.85). Cooper and Schindler (2010) noted the
research question acts as a fact-orientated guide to finding information. For the purpose of the
dissertation, the author is working on online marketing communications and brand personality
with the aim of finding out the impact of online marketing communications on alcohol brands
and its effectiveness in enhancing the personality of the brand.
4.3.3 Research Objectives
4.3.3.1 Primary Objective
The primary objective of the dissertation is to investigate how alcohol brands are using online
marketing communication strategies to enhance their brand personality.
4.3.3.2 Secondary Objectives
In order to fulfil the primary objective a number of secondary objectives were also developed.
The secondary objectives are as follows:
To investigate the various Online Marketing Communication Platforms used to
enhance the personality of the brand.
To identify how alcohol brands with different personalities can tailor their content to
specific target audiences online.
To explore the emotional capabilities for the alcohol brand online in enhancing the
alcohol brands personality.
To address how these new platforms of online marketing communications can provide
a virtual experience for the consumer.
To examine whether online marketing communications serve as a complementary tool
to offline communications in strengthening the personality of the brand.
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4.4 Stage Two: Research Design
The research design is a plan of action or the framework proposed for the remainder of the
research process (Domegan and Fleming, 2007). Malhotra (2010, p.102) defined the research
design as a “framework or blueprint for conducting the marketing research process. It
specifies the details of the procedures necessary for obtaining the information needed to
structure and/or solve marketing research problems”.
Domegan and Fleming (2007, p. 66) state how the blueprint guides the remaining steps of the
research process - data collection, measurement, analysis and reporting. Research consists of
three different types, namely exploratory, descriptive, and explanatory research which may be
used by the researcher.
Exploratory research is used to gain a better insight into an existing phenomenon (Domegan
and Fleming 2007; Saunders, Lew is and Thornhill, 2009). Malhotra (2010, p. 103) explains
that exploratory research is used in “cases when you must define the problem more precisely,
identify relevant courses of action, or gain additional insights before an approach can be
developed, the research process that is adopted is flexible and unstructured”.
4.5 Research Philosophy
The term research philosophy encompasses the development and nature of knowledge in
relation to the research which is being carried out (Saunders, Lewis, and Thornhill, 2009). As
the research philosophy was influenced by the research problem, the author decided to follow
a phenomenological paradigm approach due to the qualitative nature of the research being
carried out in the form of a case study and the level of involvement by the researcher in
carrying out the case study (Collis and Hussey, (2007). The aim of the research will be to
conduct a deductive approach to test the data (Saunders et al. 2009, p61).
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4.5.1 Quantitative versus Qualitative data
Quantitative and Qualitative research come in two forms as noted by Collis and Hussey
(2009). Quantitative data is in a numerical form whereas Qualitative data comes in a nominal
form such as words, images and so on. Quantitative research as noted by Domegan and
Fleming (2007) is normally used when numerical data is needed. Research methods can
include observation, panel research and surveys. Qualitative research enables the researcher to
gather and analyse information through a variety of methods, including in-depth interviews,
projective techniques and focus groups. For the purpose of the study, the author has decided to
carry out qualitative research in the form of in-depth interviews which will be semi-structured.
The author believed qualitative research would be more beneficial than quantitative data as it
would enable the author to gain a deeper insight into the topic from respondents with expertise
in the area.
Quantitative data Qualitative data
Based on meanings derived from
numbers
Collection of results in numerical
and standardised data
Analysis conducted through the use
of diagrams and statistics
Based on meanings expressed through
words
Collection of results in non-standardised
data requiring classification into
categories
Analysis conducted through the use of
conceptualisation
Table 4.1 Distinctions between Qualitative and Quantitative data (Saunders et al., 2009,
p.482).
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4.6 Stage Three: Data Collection Methods
Data collection encompasses both primary and secondary research. At this stage the
researcher must ensure the appropriate data collection methods are chosen in order for the
research to be carried out systematically. Utilising both research types and exhausting all
secondary sources of information that already exist on the topic will help to ensure that the
researcher will be able to identify any gaps in the literature that needs further investigation-
such investigation to be carried out through primary research. The main objectives of the
primary data were generated through investigation into the secondary research data collected.
Domegan and Fleming (2007) state that all forms of secondary data must be exhausted before
primary research is undertaken.
4.6.1 Secondary Data
Secondary data is defined by Saunders et al. (2009) and Malhotra (2010) as data collected for
another purpose not directly related to your research at hand. The information received from
the secondary research has been obtained through secondary sources. Both primary and
secondary sources are used to address the research question. A review of published literature
relating to brand personality and online marketing communications was carried out. Saunders
et al. (2009) ascertains that a literature review is “a detailed and justified analysis and
commentary of the merits and faults of the literature within a chosen area, which demonstrates
familiarity with what is already known about your research topic”. There were a number of
resources used to acquire the information which is referred to below. The information was
sourced through the following secondary data collection databases:
National University of Ireland, Galway – James Hardiman Library
Online Market Research Databases – GMID, Mintel
Online Electronic Journal Databases – Business Source Complete, Science Direct,
Emerald Fulltext
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The table below outlines the relevant academic journals the author consulted during the
literature review:
Table 4.2 Academic Journals Consulted
Similar search phrases were used to identity relevant information which can be seen below in
table 4.3 below. This was necessary In order to fully exploit each electronic database and
deliver a rich literature review.
The principal search phrases used during the literature review stage included:
Branding
Brand personality
Online marketing communications
Brand personality and online marketing communications
Brand personality and social media
Table 4.3 Search Phrases Used
Journal of Marketing Research
International Journal of Business and Management
Journal of Consumer Research
Journal of Marketing: American Marketing Association
European Journal of Marketing
Journal of Advertising Marketing Intelligence and
Planning
Journal of Product and Brand Management
Journal of Interactive Advertising
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication
Advances in Consumer Research
International Journal of Business, Marketing and
Decisions Sciences
International Journal Of Human-Computer Interaction
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4.6.2 Primary Data
Primary data is referred to as original data collected by you or generated by an original source.
Primary data can be generated through the researcher’s own experiments, questionnaire
survey, interviews or focus groups (Collis and Hussey, 2009, p.73). For the purpose of the
dissertation the author will be conducting primary research in the form of qualitative research
using semi in-depth interviews whose findings will be presented in the form of a case study.
4.6.3 Focus Groups
As stated by Collis and Hussey (2009), “Focus groups are used to gather data relating to the
feelings and opinions of a group of people who are involved in a common situation or
discussing the same phenomenon”. Domegan and Fleming (2007) contend that focus groups
allow the author to make sense of what it is the author is saying and to help the author to
understand the reasoning behind what people say. In relation to this research project focus
groups would have been an ideal tool to use to gain an insight into the consumer’s online
behavioural perspective towards brands online and specifically in relation to alcohol brands.
However, due to time constraints this method was discarded.
4.6.4 Case Study
The case study is the research approach that was adopted. Robson (2002, as cited by
Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2009, p. 145) defines a case study as a “strategy for doing
research which involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon
within its real life context using multiple sources of evidence”. The case study involves the
research of a contemporary phenomenon within the real life context of a company. The data
collection technique employed for case studies can include interviews. In order for the
research findings to be valid and ensure that the data is telling you what you think it is telling
you, it is necessary to gather information from several different sources. This is referred to as
Triangulation which is “the use of different data collection techniques within one study in
order to ensure that the data are telling you what you think they are telling you”, (Saunders et
al., 2009, p146). Semi-structured interviews may be a valuable way of triangulating
quantitative data collected by other means such as questionnaires. The case study is worth
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carrying out when you are studying or basing it on existing theory. It was agreed with the
research supervisor that a case study was the most appropriate research study approach. As
the case study is examining more than one alcohol brand it is an embedded analysis rather
than a holistic analysis (Yin 2003 as cited by Saunders, Lewis, and Thornhill (2009), where
Yin states the alternative case study strategies available). An embedded case involves
researching more than one unit of analysis, where several brands are investigated in the case
study.
4.6.5 Interviews
Saunders et al. (2009) illustrate three types of interviews that may be utilised: structured, semi
structured and unstructured. Structured interviews use a predetermined set of questions where
each respondent is asked the questions in the same manner and in the same tone. The purpose
of structured interviews is to collect quantifiable data. However, due to the nature of this
research probing questions will be necessary to explore the topic in detail. On the other hand,
unstructured interviews can be defined as in-depth interviews and are used to explore a topic
in a general area with no pre-determined list of questions to work through. According to
Domegan and Fleming (2007), in-depth interviews are appropriate when probing is necessary
for adequate answers and information.
In order to fulfil the primary and secondary research requirements an unstructured interview
would not be suitable as the interview may have been geared towards the interviewee’s
themes which may not have been appropriate to answer the research question and achieve the
research objectives. Semi-structured interviews are more flexible in terms of the themes
discussed. The order of the questions asked may vary depending on the flow of the
conversation (Saunders at al. 2009). Thus semi-structured interviews are the most suited to
this research as they evoke a natural conversational flow between the interviewer and the
interviewee. The author decided to undertake semi-structured interviews as it is the more
flexible of the two alternatives.
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In order for the interviewer to be successful in the interview, the interviewer must possess a
level of competence. Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2009) point out the importance of the
following when carrying out interviews:
opening the interview,
using appropriate language,
questioning,
listening,
testing and summarising understanding,
recognising and dealing with difficult participants and
recording data.
Sufficient preparation is needed for an interview. Kvale (1996, p. 88) mentions seven steps of
an interview investigation.
1. Thematising Describe and summarise the research topic and outline the purpose
of the interview and clarify the ‘why’ and ‘what’ questions.
2. Designing Formulate the design of the study.
3. Interviewing Conduct the interviews based on the interview guide bearing in
mind the information required.
4. Transcribing Transcribe the oral speech from the interview into written text if
required.
5. Analysing The methods of analysis employed should correlate with the
purpose of the investigation.
6. Verifying The author must ascertain the reliability and the validity of the
interview findings.
7. Reporting The findings should be communicated in a clear and concise
manner.
Table 4.4 Guide to Conducting Interviews (Kvale, 1996, p.88).
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4.6.5.1 Types of Interview Questions
Different types of interview questions have been identified by Collis and Husser in table
(2009, p. 145) below:
Type of question Useful for Not useful for
Open question
Exploring and gathering broad
information
Very talkative people
Closed question Requesting factual information Requesting broad
information
Multiple questions Never useful Never useful
Probes
Gathering details and discovering
sequences of events
Exploring sensitive
events
Hypothetical question Encouraging broader thinking Situations beyond the
interviewee’s scope
Comparison question Exploring needs and values Unrealistic alternatives
Summary question Avoiding ambiguity, validating
data and linking answers
Premature or frequent
use
Table 4.5 Types of Interview Questions
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4.6.5.2 Quality Criteria for an Interview
The criteria for judging the usefulness of an interview are defined by Kvale (1996, p. 145)
below:
The extent to which the responses of the interviewee are concise, relevant and
unambiguous.
The interviewer’s questions should brief, clear and unambiguous, which should lead
to the delivery of rich detailed answers from the interviewees.
The interviewer’s capability in explaining and clarifying terminology with which the
interviewee may not be accustomed.
The interviewer’s capability in interpreting and verifying the interviewee’s responses
during the interview.
The topic of interview is easily communicated.
4.7 Stage Four: Sampling
Saunders et al. (2009, p.237) assert that “purposive or judgemental sampling enables you to
use your judgement to select cases that will enable you to answer your research question(s)
and meet your objectives”. The author uses judgement sampling for the purpose of this
research project as it is the most effective way to gather the required information. Domegan
and Fleming (2007) contend judgemental sampling to be representative of the sampling
approach. For the purpose of the dissertation the author has decided to use non-probability
judgement sampling.
4.7.1 Sample Size
The Alcohol industry in Ireland is quite small with many brands being owned by larger
multinationals, therefore gaining access to them was quite difficult. In order to gain a wider
perspective on alcohol brands several different organisations were included in the sample.
Each participant was first contacted by email or telephone and given a brief insight into the
research project. Once each participant accepted an interview an interview guide was sent to
them so they would be aware of the topics to be discussed during the course of the interview.
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4.8 Stage Five: Fieldwork
The fieldwork is the process of going out and collecting the data. The fieldwork involved
conducting interviews with a number of personnel from a variety of backgrounds: personnel
from digital and media companies and alcohol companies dealing with popular alcohol brands
both in the Irish market and worldwide. Domegan and Fleming (2007) state that conducting
fieldwork involves knowing who, what, where, how and why the information is required.
4.8.1 Interview Guide
The interview guide followed a semi-structured and exploratory approach. The interview
guide was guided by the findings of the literature and subsequently divided into four sections
including sub sections where necessary.
4.8.1.1 Layout of Interview Guide
1. Interviewee Information
2. Alcohol Brands
2.1 Objectives
2.2 Target Audience
3. Brand Personality
3.1 Brand personas
3.2 Brand attributes
3.3 Brand associations
4. Online Marketing Communication Platforms
4.1 Website
4.2 Social Media
4.3 Digital Media
4.4 Viral Marketing
4.5 Social Gaming and Apps
5. Communicating the Brand Online
5.1 Communication
5.2 Engagement
5.3 Collaboration
The questions were assembled using open-ended questions, facilitating for descriptive
answers from the interviewees. Probing questions were also used when necessary. Key
definitions relating to the main topics were enclosed in the interview guide which was
provided to interviewees prior to the interview.
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The following key personnel cooperated in the primary research:
1. Ms Zara Flynn – Account Director – Rothcosocial
2. Mr Gavin Downes – Account Director – Modern Green
3. Mr Thomas Brady – Brand Manager – Heineken
4. Requested Anonymity - CKSK
5. Ms Leila Ratnani – Brand Director – MPG UK
6. Ms Kate McCarthy – Brand Manager – West Coast Cooler
7. Ms Fiona Carroll – Brand Manager – Absolut
4.8.2 Validity and Reliability
Once the research has been conducted it is imperative that the information gathered is valid
and reliable. There are a number of issues that the interviewer noted during the primary
research process when carrying out the semi-structured interviews with interviewees. Validity
as noted by Saunders et al. 2009 “is concerned with whether the findings are really about what
they appear to be about”, whilst reliability “refers to the extent to which your data collection
techniques or analysis procedures will yield consistent findings” (Saunders et al., 2009, p.
156). It is anticipated that the more interviews the interviewer has the greater the reliability
and consistency of the findings. In order to generate valid research findings each interviewee
was carefully briefed on the research project to ensure clarity and validity in their responses.
In order to show reliable findings the same interview guides were used during each interview.
Anonymity was offered to each interviewee which offers reassurance that their identity will
remain confidential. This is particularly significant in interviews as anonymity encourages
greater freedom of expression and more open responses (Collins and Hussey, 2009, p. 45-46).
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4.9 Stage Six: Analysis of Data
Once the researcher has carried out the fieldwork and compiled the necessary data, the next
step is to analyse the data. Qualitative data is usually a little harder for the researcher to
analyse, as it cannot be broken down as clearly as quantitative data can. This research entails
face to face semi-structured interviews. The interviewees were contacted by phone or email.
Responses to the interview requests were extremely positive. In order to make allowances for
any interview cancellations additional organisations were approached. Most of the
respondents requested a telephone interview.
The data collected is recorded during each interview. The researcher must then carefully
analyse the responses. The interviews were two-fold: first each interviewee was asked specific
questions about their role in the organisation and how the company contributes to alcohol
brands in the online space. Then the questions delved deeper into questions raised by the
literature review. Six semi-structured interviews were carried out. The rationale for using a
semi structured interview is to allow the respondents to freely discuss their own opinions on
brands in the online space whilst maintaining a structured set of questions (Bryman and Bell,
2003).
4.10 Stage Seven: Presentation of Results
“The final and remaining stage in any marketing research process is to communicate the
findings and information to solve the problem/opportunity” (Domegan and Fleming, 2007, p.
32). The results were linked with the theory in the literature review in order to devise the
findings. The findings and analysis are presented in the following chapters along with the
overall conclusions in the chapter following the findings and analysis.
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4.11 Research Limitations
Owing to confidentially concerns and company sensitivity about certain information some
companies were reluctant to divulge certain details.
Various experts opinions from a company of interest were impossible to ascertain as the
individuals concerned were on annual leave.
Time constraints meant that some of the interviews were carried out by telephone at,
generally, the request of the interviewee.
The level of expertise from each organisation differed slightly which could impact on the
quality and depth of the responses given.
The primary research conducted was based on a company perspective and not a consumer
perspective; the interviewee’s knowledge was limited in terms of the consumer response
to various online marketing communications employed by the alcohol industry.
4.12 Conclusion
The chapter outlined the methodology involved in conducting the primary research. The
secondary research process has been outlined. Exploratory research was chosen and the
reasoning behind this is discussed in the chapter. The rationale behind choosing semi-
structured interviews was stated along with guidelines for carrying out a successful interview.
The chapter concluded with research limitations of the research study.
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CHAPTER FIVE: FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS
5.1 Introduction
The following chapter provides a brief synopsis of the primary research that was carried out in
the form of semi-structured interviews with personnel representing the alcohol brands under
investigation. The purpose of the interviews was to gain an insight into alcohol brands’
personalities and their use of online marketing communications and whether this medium is
an effective method of enhancing their existing brand personalities.
In order to obtain the required information it was decided to conduct a case study on a broad
portfolio of brands, including Heineken, Desperados, Absolut Vodka, Peroni and West Coast
Cooler. However, due to the respondents’ background the Heineken brand was examined more
so than the other brands in the study and thus the results are skewed towards the Heineken
brand.
The objective of the chapter is to provide an overview of the empirical research, which was
carried out in the form of semi-structured interviews with personnel from Heineken, West
Coast Cooler and subsequently several digital and media agencies. The findings are presented
under the following headings: alcohol brands, brand personality, online marketing
communications platforms and communicating the brand online, which are in keeping in line
with the interview guide used. The chapter will start with an overview of the alcohol brands
included in the study
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5.2 Alcohol Brands
The research has addressed some of the popular alcohol brands online and in particular those
with a prominent presence on Facebook in the global Facebook page, Heineken and in the
Irish Facebook page, West Coast Cooler. Desperados are also a popular brand that is
predominantly based online. The table below includes the brands which have been
investigated in the primary research.
Brand
Heineken
Desperados
Absolut
Peroni
West Coast Cooler
Table 5.1 Alcohol Brands
5.2.1 Heineken
Heineken is a global brand and strives to be the world’s most valuable international premium
beer brand. As a brand it is committed to surprise and excite customers everywhere. Heineken
emerged almost 150 years ago in Amsterdam in 1864 and was founded by Gerard Adriaan
Heineken. Its strategic goal to grow Heineken is to “excite our consumers with effective
global marketing platforms, such as the current ‘Open Your World’ campaign” (Heineken
annual report, 2012).
In December 2010 Heineken and Facebook formed a global partnership with the objective of
forming a collaborative agreement on digital campaigns. At present the Heineken Facebook
page currently ranks higher than any other alcohol brand’s globally at approximately 7.5
million fans, (Socialbakers, 2012). Ultimately, “Heineken is committed to being part of the
conversation with consumers and recognised as the preferred partner for its customers”
(Heineken annual report, 2012).
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5.2.2 Desperados
Desperados tequila flavoured beer is a beer flavoured with tequila. A unique taste experience
that combines the sweetness of tequila flavours with bitterness of a high quality, gold beer”
(Desperadosbeer.com, 2012). Desperados is positioned and differentiated as super-premium
tequila flavoured beer.
5.2.3 Absolut
Absolut Vodka, which was created by Ahus Sweden over a century ago in 1879, has become
one of the world’s top spirit brands (Absolut, 2012). It is placed as the world’s fourth largest
premium spirits brand.
5.2.4 Peroni
Peroni Nastto is an Italian premium larger brewed in Italy since 1963. “Peroni Nastro Azzurro
is the best-selling Italian premium lager worldwide, with its distinctive, intensely crisp and
refreshing character”, where it, “captures the Italian spirit: a passion for life, authenticity and
quality” (peroniitaly, 2012). The premium larger offers an air of exclusivity due to its
availability prominently in the most stylish bars and restaurants across the UK and is inspired
by Italy’s creativity and flair. It is “Positioned as ‘Italian style in a bottle’, from presentation to
pouring the brand, Peroni has struck a chord with modern urbanites looking for cosmopolitan
class”. (Sabmillar, 2012)
5.2.5 West Coast Cooler
West Coast Cooler is a wine based cooler with exotic fruit flavours and is positioned as a
refreshing alternative to beer or cider. It was launched in 1984 and since then has received a
number of stylish makeovers. In 2009 it received a new addition called ‘West Coast Cooler
Rosé’ and in 2010 a new bespoke bottle was designed for West Coast Cooler.
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5.3 Interviewees
In order to address the research question a number of secondary objectives were addressed.
The semi-structured interviews followed the interview guide. Each of the respondents was
asked the same questions in the same order, however, due to confidentiality concerns about
company sensitive data there were certain questions that were not addressed by all, thus the
consistency in the responses may have been affected which may impact upon the validity and
reliability of the findings. However, in order to address these research questions each
respondent was asked the very same questions. Each interviewee had either worked
specifically with one brand or had worked with several of the brands under investigation in
the research.
The table below gives a list of the respondents, their position in the company and the alcohol
brands they have worked on and with whom semi-structured interviews were carried out:
Interviewees Name - Position – Company Alcohol Brand(s)
Interviewee 1 Zara Flynn – Managing director-
Rothcosocial (Previous title:
Account Director for Heineken)
Heineken and Absolut
Interviewee 2 Gavin Downes – Account Director -
Modern Green
Heineken, Absolut and
Desperados
Interviewee 3 Thomas Brady – Brand Manager-
Heineken
Heineken
Interviewee 4 Anonymous – CKSK Heineken
Interviewee 5 Lelia Rathnani – Brand Manager –
MPG UK
Peroni
Interviewee 6
Kate McCarthy – Brand Manager-
West Coast Cooler
West Coast Cooler
Interviewee 7 Fiona Carroll - Brand Manager –
Absolut Vodka Ireland
Absolut
Table 5.2 Interviewees
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5.4 Online Marketing Communications
In terms of the online marketing communications used by alcohol brands, all were found to
utilise the very same platforms, some more than others. The platforms that the brands under
investigation embrace include Social Media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, along
with several new platforms under development such the newest Social Media platform,
Pinterest. Digital mediums, Websites, Social Gaming and Apps are also embraced by the
alcohol brands. Of the brands investigated some incorporated several Social Media platforms
into their marketing efforts whereas others were quite limited in their use of Twitter per se.
Each alcohol brand investigated places significant importance on online marketing activities.
Although traditional marketing is still very important and necessary, the marketing of alcohol
brands in the online space is indispensable. However, as noted by the researcher, the alcohol
brands targeting the younger audience in some cases focus all their marketing activities in the
online space, with Facebook taking precedence.
5.5 Heineken
5.5.1 Objectives
In terms of brand objectives, Heineken aims to strive for affinity and credibility in its
advertisements. Affinity centres on being funny, witty and engaging whereas credibility is
focused more on the quality of the beer and product lines. Interviewee 1 states that Heineken
really focuses on maintaining loyalists with the ultimate objective of getting them more
involved and more loyal. For instance instead of the customer picking up a cheaper alternative
to Heineken the objective is for them to encourage the consumer to choose Heineken.
Heineken’s goal is to make the customer more loyal to the brand, to love the brand and to
develop an affinity with the brand. In order to meet these objectives interviewee 3 agreed that
Heineken’s online marketing presence was crucial with a 360 degree approach to their
marketing activities as standard.
RQ 1: To address the various Online Marketing Communication Platforms
used in enhancing the personality of the brand.
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5.5.2 Target Market
Heineken has two target markets those of consisting of a younger target market of 18 to 24
year olds and an older target market of 25 to 34 year olds whom are predominantly male. In
reaching its target markets there are two different strategies employed by Heineken. The
younger target market is recruited through music; alternatively, the older target market is
recruited through rugby. The objective of the younger target market is to capture the
consumer’s attention and, ultimately, for Heineken to become the drink of choice down the
line whilst the objective for the older target market is to increase or maintain loyalty. The
former target market is what Heineken really focuses on who are more tech savvy and is
spends more time consuming online media than offline media.
5.5.3 Brand Positioning
Heineken is positioned very much as a premium brand that aims to capture the brand values of
the beer and not just focus on price alone.
5.6 Brand Personality
Each respondent was asked to give a description of the brand’s personality they manage. The
general consensus was that a brand personality was a key priority for maintaining their
brand’s presence and strengthening the brand. There were a number of descriptors used to
define the personality of the brand. Interviewee 1 states how the typical Heineken drinker is
given the persona of Jack; he is described as the early adopter and is typically the leader of the
pack who exudes coolness and confidence. He is very much described as a cosmopolitan and
open-minded type of man and exhibits resourcefulness and progressiveness. In a particular
situation he always comes out on top with reference to a typical MacGyver situation.
Interviewee 3 refers to Heineken’s personality generally as witty, charismatic, innovative and
forward-thinking. If Heineken were a young male he would be very positive, optimistic,
outgoing and pragmatic.
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5.6.1 Brand Associations
Brand associations relate to a non-product related feature such as what would a typical person
who consumes the Heineken brand look like as well as the experiential and symbolic benefits
the consumer derives. All the interviewees state how Heineken associates itself with sport,
television programmes and famous sports figures. Interviewee 1 makes reference to sports
figures such as Paul O’Connell and the Television programme ‘Entourage’ where the typical
Heineken persona is replicated on screen. The ‘Entourage’ persona demonstrates confidence,
open mindedness and is very much a cosmopolitan type of guy.
Interviewee 1 also refers to Heineken as a signal of being a ‘man of the world’ which is a
global strategy that they want to develop in Ireland. By consuming Heineken or associating
yourself with Heineken, means that from the consumer perspective you are more
knowledgeable, you feel more experienced and you’re a cool type of person and thus it is
those brand attributes that they are trying to convey in their personality types. Heineken also
represents experiential benefits: interviewee 3 states how Heineken strives to associate itself
with a brand that always revolves around an experience when consumed.
Similarly, interviewee 2 states that Heineken represents a sense of adventure, a worldly beer, a
beer that is travelled, a beer that would take you on a journey and a beer that would ultimately
‘open your world’. Thus the Heineken brand places importance on the non-functional
symbolic aspects of the brand and are keeping in line with their product’s credentials as a
premium brand.
5.6.2 Social Media
Heineken do not use Social Media to sell the brand. Some people may use Social Media for
discount purposes however this is not Heineken’s aim. In terms of engagement on Facebook
they get little snippets of conversation and receive quite a lot of interaction. It’s all about
targeting men who know their way around and recognise a fine beer. It is evidently that young
resourceful guy who is a bull’s eye target as a Heineken drinker. Heineken communicate with
its audience by a using creative, clever and quirky stance that the consumer may appreciate,
for instance a Heineken bottle over the sun that made it look like an umbrella was captured on
its Facebook page.
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Heineken Open Your World campaign
‘The Entrance’ represents Heineken’s move towards digital marketing and is their most
prevalent digital media campaign to date. ‘The Entrance’ is part of Heinekens ‘Open Your
World’ tagline implying that if you are attending an event associated with Heineken you are
not only experiencing Heineken but you are opening your world to other experiences.
Heineken’s “Future bottle design challenge”
Heineken is very much at the cutting edge of all its design. It wants to position itself as a
brand using cutting edge technology. Design and Heineken fit very nicely where they strive to
use this method to bring out their premium quality. The “Future bottle design challenge” was
a global campaign that gave designers all over the world the opportunity to design the future
bottle of Heineken. This campaign was seen very much as a way to differentiate themselves as
most alcohol brands are not involved in design at the moment. Although The future bottle
design challenge may not have engaged a lot of people, the people who did will see the brand
from a unique perspective and ultimately encourage people to talk about the brand.
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5.7 West Coast Cooler
5.7.1 Objectives
Currently it is a unique in the sense that it is the only existing brand in its product category in
the Irish market, and it is Irish owned so the brand identity credentials are very much
established here based on the personality of the brand.
5.7.2 Target Market
West Coast Cooler specifically targets females within the age category of 22 to 27.
5.8 Brand Personality
West Coast Cooler’s personality is very much that of a sophisticated brand. The brand essence
is that it 'oozes sparkling sophistication'. The brand is all about fun, sophistication and sharing
fun times with the girls who feel a little bit special when consuming it. The West Coast Cooler
typical brand user is a girl given the persona of Laura who socialises and goes out with her
friends and has a good time. She likes to remain in control and thus she prefers not to get too
drunk. The brand personality is very much about ‘the girls’ and the connection with one
another, whether staying in with the girls or heading out with them. Laura typically doesn’t
have a lot of money, but saves up her money to invest in the most up to date and stylish
clothes. In terms of her taste in television programmes she typically watches ‘Grey’s
Anatomy’ and ‘Desperate Housewives’.
5.8.1 Brand Associations
West Coast Cooler is very much associated with fashion and style. The typical symbolic
benefits consumers derive from West Coast Cooler are that it is refreshing, light and it is
ultimately all about having control.
West Coast Cooler Collaboration with Simone Rocha
A marketing campaign that took place in April 2012 was West Coast Cooler’s collaboration
with Simone Rocha which involved the design of a new bespoke bottle. This was designed as
a limited edition bottle with elegant and sophisticated packaging. The designer Simone Rocha
has stockists of her collection in Top Shop which fits with West Coast Cooler’s persona of
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Laura. There were a number of objectives the West Coast Cooler and Simone Rocha
collaboration set out to achieve. In terms of brand associations the goal was for West Coast
Cooler to enhance and reiterate its association with fashion and style, to create the whole
feeling of limited edition and ultimately to create a must have for the consumer whilst
reiterating its personality of sophistication.
5.9 Online Marketing Communication Platforms
West Coast Cooler significantly develops and enhances the brand personality using online
marketing communication platforms. West Coast Cooler is taking is a 360 degree approach
where their target market is tech savvy: anything that is done offline is very much
complemented online. Even though they are entirely separate entities those two approaches
complement each other. Thus a combination of the two is essential as the target market still
greatly appreciates offline marketing activities such as trade fashion events.
5.9.1 Social Media
West Coast Cooler considers their Facebook page as their primary method in communicating
and engaging with their target marker. Another recent Social Media platform they are
embracing is Pinterest. The interviewee states that due to their brands association with fashion
Pinterest will provide the perfect platform stating there is high potential for engagement and
the enhancement of their brand personality and brand associations. In terms of Facebook she
refers to it as probably the biggest online asset that West Coast Cooler has. Any advertising
carried out is always linked back to their Facebook page. The interviewee refers to the target
consumer as “Our Girls”. She states, “It is all about talking back to “our girls” the way they
want to be spoken to” and engaging them by “asking our girls to share on the wall”. And “it is
all about content and tone of voice, the conversation and the associations that we show
through our Facebook page and ultimately our personality is always brought through using
fashion and style associations”. Thus it is evident that the brand is very much striving for the
typical user within the specific target market to encourage a sense of ownership towards the
brand.
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5.9.2 Website
The website most definitely reflects the personality of the brand, through components such as
colour, tone and content. The colours used on the website predominantly pink, are based on
the personality of the brand. The West Coast Cooler website is seen as secondary to its
Facebook page and both mediums are consistent in how they convey the brand personality.
5.9.3 Digital Marketing
Any advertising campaign West Coast Cooler does offline is replicated digitally online.
However the interviewee is of the opinion that digital marketing has only scratched the
surface and that consumers are not yet ready for it. However, it is still very much at the
forefront of West Coast Cooler’s online marketing objectives.
5.9.4 Gaming and Apps
West Coast Cooler has developed Apps based around competitions in the past, run through
their Facebook page, and they are currently in the process of developing an iPhone app for
their brand which will ultimately cater for their tech savvy target market of 22 to 27 year old
females.
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5.10 Absolut
Interviewee 7 states “Facebook is the hub of our ABSOLUT digital eco system. This is where
we upload all of our content, get consumers engaged, launch new limited editions and run
competitions”. In terms of the brands digital advertising all their campaigns are communicated
through the line so digital advertising from websites to homepage takeovers to facebook is a
big part of their media plans.
Absolut Blank Campaign
Experiential Marketing is at the forefront of the Absolut brands marketing activities. The
brand offers exceptional experiences at the edge of contemporary culture. They conduct
experimental activation in on-trade outlets (bars and nightclubs). One recent campaign
launched by the brand is the ‘ABSOLUT Blank campaign’. From a brand perspective their
key objectives for this latest experiential activation is to: to communicate a clear brand
message in line with the new campaign ‘ABSOLUT Blank,’ to provide a positive experiential
activity and strong brand experience, increase footfall and strengthen relationships with trade
through an innovative on-trade offering and to increase awareness and trial of flavours.
Absolut Blank Reveal
Absolut have developed an app called ‘ABSOLUT Blank Reveal’ which complements the
‘ABSOLUT Blank Campaign’. The App was developed and used for our on-trade experiential
activation ABSOLUT Blank. She states that the app gives our consumers information about
our ‘ABSOLUT Blank campaign’, drinks, and uses augmented reality to bring these elements
to life.
Ultimately Absolut have seen positive results from all their campaigns and over the past year
have seen likes on Facebook grow by 140% with strong engagement. One example of a
successful campaign is ‘ABSOLUT Mode’ which was their limited edition bottle last
Christmas in 2011. The Likes increased on a daily basis. And over the course of the campaign,
ABSOLUT’s Facebook page gained 4,402 new likes representing a 43% increase in new
likes. There was a high success of entries due to nature of competition and the prizes on offer.
It was a simple but innovative competition mechanic. And frequent wall posts about the
campaign/competition ensured high engagement with fans throughout the course of the
campaign.
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5.11 Tailoring of Content Online
Interviewee 2 emphasised Desperados online focus in terms of building its brand. Desperados
has positioned itself very much away from the norm. It likes to be perceived as an alternative
beverage. They attempt to develop and enhance their personality by offering a value
proposition where you are buying the wild side of yourself with a focus on young working
people doing a 9 to 5 job or college students. Desperados expresses itself online through its
brand associations for instance when consuming the brand you are expressing an entire
different side of yourself and you are tapping into an emotion you want to express, create and
amplify by breaking through to the other side or crossing the line, keeping in line with their
tagline, “how would you cross the line?”. They reward consumers who visit their website with
a chance to win trips to music events etc. Subsequently, they reward consumers for online
engagement by ‘showing their ‘wild side’ to win a Desperados party pack.
5.11.1 Gender-Based Segmentation
Heineken and West Coast Cooler are two brands who specifically engage in gender based
segmentation which helps to strengthen their brand personalities. Heineken is distinctively
positioned as a masculine brand whereas West Coast Cooler is distinctively positioned as a
feminine brand. West Coast Cooler and Heineken are given the personas of Laura and Jack
respectively. They typically possess very strong and desirable personality attributes. For male
drinkers Jack represents Heineken’s typical drinker’s ideal self and who they aspire to become
and the same can be applied to Laura for female drinkers. Ultimately the interviewees were in
agreement that tailoring a brand to a specific gender can help to position the brand’s identity
and personality with their target market’s ideal selves. West Coast Cooler exhibits strong
feminine values online through the various competitions that they run with prizes such as the
exclusive party pack of West Coast Cooler for the girls, along with cosmetics such as false eye
lashes and lipstick. They also offer fashion and beauty tips on their website.
RQ 2: To address how alcohol brands with different personalities can tailor their
brand messages to specific target audiences online
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5.11.2 Tone-of Voice
A subsequent question was asked on the importance of tone of voice in communicating to
one’s specific target audience. Interviewee 1 states how a consistent tone of voice is key for
alcohol brands as each brand is very much its own person and has its own personality. In
terms of developing the tone of voice online he states how they try and see how Jack can be
related back to the consumer’s ideal self and how they can get the consumer to aspire to be
someone like Jack. Interviewee 2 suggests that Heineken must communicate in a tone that he
finds relevant, keeping in line with the brand as being aspirational: “who I want to be versus
whom I am”. Interviewee 3 states that Heineken must have a consistent tone of voice both
online and offline so the consumer can develop the same consistent tone and feeling for the
brand. Interviewee 5 states how Peroni places emphases on its tone of voice, particularly on its
Social Media platforms. Interviewee 6 states how consistently delivering the right tone of
voice is essential as she refers to them, “Our Girls”, where West Coast Cooler communicates
their brand persona Laura who is just like ‘one of the girls’. Ultimately their Facebook page
can help them to develop a relationship with their online fans and strive to create an emotional
bond between the brand and the consumer.
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5.12 Emotional Branding
The general consensus from the interviewees is that emotion plays a powerful role in
establishing a relationship with the consumer online. Consumer behaviour and trends reveal
that these days people are not just buying a product, they are buying into the emotion and
feelings experienced during or after consumption of the brand. Often what you remember is
more important than the taste of it. Thus tapping into people’s emotions in the alcohol market
is huge and is very much what they are striving to achieve.
The alcohol brands investigated are not necessarily trying to engage with a broad market of
consumers, but to be more selective. Social Media provides an opportune platform for this due
to the tendency of people with the similar preferences to congregate onto brand communities
referred to as consumer tribes. Interviewee 2 states “The people who engage with the brand
are genuine fans of the brand and are fond of the personality the brand portrays online”.
Consumer emotions and desires can be challenged online through being asked to be taken on a
journey such as Desperados’ online marketing tactic which asks the consumer whether he/she
is brave enough to take this experience asking people to immerse themselves in an experience
going forward. Interviewee 2 states that when a brand challenges the consumer’s emotions
and desires he/she is typically more willing to engage more with the brand. Interviewee 3
states that the key to evoking emotion is through humour and wit. If the messaging strikes a
chord and provokes a reaction that means the brand is doing the right job. Technology
capabilities such as rich media and video are more effective in inducing consumers to connect
with the brand. Ultimately the alcohol brands’ objectives are to continue to foster, grow and
strengthen their brand communities online.
Interviewee 4 states that creating an online brand persona through a conversational voice is a
way of getting closer to the consumer, engaging them and ultimately evoking an emotional
response. With brands online it is more and more about being human through bringing people
closer to the brand and genuinely helping people.
RQ 3: To explore the emotional attachment and connectivity which can be
formed using online marketing communications to enhance the alcohol brands
personality.
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Facebook represents an opportunity for brands to provide a platform for brand evangelists to
engage with the brand and one another through monologues. Typically a consumer tribe will
result. Interviewee 4 states how it is important to tell a story about a brand online, in particular
where its routes are and to specify about the beer and the actual brewing process such as ‘the
way to pour the perfect pint’.
Consumer Brand Knowledge
According to interviewee 1 Heineken tests on the seven attributes scale of consumer brand
knowledge in the consumer memory which consists of Awareness, Attributes, Benefits,
Images, Thoughts, Feelings, Attitudes and Experience. This scale is related to a number of
marketing activities related to their Music, Rugby and their brand. Notably there has been an
increase in all of the seven attributes with April 2012 figures revealing they are the highest
ever recorded. The results have shown a positive correlation between their various marketing
activities and consumer awareness of the brand and with a greater level of perceived brand
image. Their television ads have witnessed huge spikes in awareness along with Heineken’s
image of a Cosmopolitan, Confident and an Open Minded brand. Thus from a consumer point
of view, they know that it is working. Interviewee 3 states it is important to leverage all of the
consumers’ brand associations in its online marketing activities.
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5.13 Virtual Experience
There is potential for Heineken fans to share their experiences from a music event online on
the Heineken Facebook page, for instance traditional modes of advertising are still important
as the market is intense so the ads don’t seem to be going anywhere where everyone wants
market share. In order to grow Heineken’s market share and take a slice of the market share
from competitors such as Budweiser and Carlsberg, the brand interacts and engages more with
the customer.
Interviewee 2 provides an example of an experiential marketing activity carried out by
Heineken. The event occurred at Oxygen and was referred to as the “The cold room at
Oxygen campaign”. The results of this marketing activity showed that from 2010 to 2011,
Heineken went from the number five in the Oxygen beer campsite popularity rankings to
number one on the campsite. This event was then transferred online and discussed by
Heineken and Oxygen fans on the Heineken Social Media page, creating buzz and excitement
around the brand. The campaign message reiterated the premium quality of the brand and it
heightened the experiential benefits of the brand for the consumer.
5.13.1 Heineken Music
Heineken is a brand that uses music to help capture the younger consumer. Interviewee 1
states how music has a lot more potential as a brand is so fixed. The agenda of Heineken
music experience is to go and explore your own Heineken music experience on their website
and to provide a more visual and video based experience online. Music is used to push the
website and to associate the brand with music. From a website point of view they want to
incorporate their music into their website. Interviewee 2 states that in the development of
Heineken music is used to position Heineken as a brand that provides to new and exclusive
access to information about music. In the case of Oxygen, updates are received from music
journals and from music journalists, where they get exclusive access to interviews and behind
RQ 4: To address how these new platforms of online marketing communications
can provide a virtual experience for the brand.
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the scenes footage. Interviewee 3 on the Heineken music experience states, “now go and
explore your own Heineken music experience”.
In terms of a 360 degree approach to marketing a brand, Interviewee 1 states how people don’t
split their lives into the offline and online world. A 360 degree approach is implemented
through both online and offline marketing activities. Both Traditional and online marketing
are used to drive awareness. Experiential and promotional activities help to drive sales.
5.13.2 Digital Marketing
Interviewee 2 states that the objective of digital campaigns has transformed from awareness to
click through to more engaging where people fill in information referred to as Rich Media. It
is easier to tell a story using online media than offline media. Interviewee 3 states that the
Expenditure on digital has increased significantly. The target customer is becoming more and
more digital. With every program or activity launched for Heineken, there is always a strong
focus on digital, and they are hoping to get the customer more and more online. Interviewee 4
states how alcohol brands engage in a variety of digital marketing mediums in particular
Heineken. The digital mediums used include standard display ads, rich media ads, pre-roles of
ads on television such as on RTE Player, along with mobile ads, Facebook ads and Facebook
video ads.
5.13.3 Social Gaming
Consumer behaviour online means people may be more willing to play certain games online
as opposed to offline. Heineken currently have a game referred to as the Heineken Experience
Interactive game. It is similar to the Guinness Storehouse or the Jameson Distillery tour.
Heineken have also developed a Heineken music game where you can have a similar
experience to a concert. Ultimately Heineken is not just about the beer but the experience
where they are trying to create the connection with the consumer.
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5.14 Online Enhancement of Brand Personality
The general consensus from all the interviewees was that online marketing communications
are very much a complementary tool to offline communications in strengthening the
personality of their brands.
Interviewee 1 states how people don’t split their lives into the offline and online world. A 360
approach is implemented through both online and offline marketing activities. The more touch
points that people have with the brands the more keen they will be to consume and follow up
the brand in the future. The online personality is quite similar to their offline personality. It is
important that a consistent brand personality is presented both online and offline through their
various communication mediums.
Interviewee 2 states that physical advertising (offline) and digital advertising (online) are not
predominately about above the line and below the line anymore. It is more about the
collaboration of both online and offline approaches. Most notably, TV is more than ever
navigating online, which reinforces how offline and online complement one another.
Ultimately in order for a brand to enhance its personality there has to be a link between the
two of them.
People don’t really have an amazing experience online however a brand can amplify it and
promote it and you can make people really anticipate an epic experience and post party people
are going to want to relive it and relive the emotion of it online. For an online community you
are trying to create a tribe of online people who are passionate about your brand. That’s the
community that you want. Loyalists are the people who will most likely engage with your
brand.
Interviewee 3 states how everything that a Heineken brand does in terms of consumer
awareness, activity and competition offline is always supported online. And to drive
recruitment and awareness of the brand everything else must be complemented with online
activity. Heineken wouldn’t run a program that wasn’t available for a consumer to run online
and with any programme they run digital is key.
RQ 5: To examine whether online marketing communications serve as a
complementary tool to offline communications in strengthening the personality
of the brand.
106
A brand offline needs to have a 360 approach to its marketing activities. Interviewee 1 states
engaging brands online is key and that it is seen as very much an extension of their
personality.
Interviewee 3 states how although offline marketing is still key and in particular in the on
trade pub environment for driving footfall in to the pubs but they can also be more focused on
a digital perspective. Interviewee 5 states how Peronis' online presence is very much an
extension of the brand personality offline. Its website is used to showcase their association
with the Italian lifestyle with links on their website allowing the consumer to explore the
Italian lifestyle.
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5.15 Summary of Research Findings
Brand Heineken
Objectives
Involvement: To increase the consumers level of involvement
Loyalty: To Increase their loyalty
Affinity: To develop an affinity with the brand
Affection: To make lovers of the brand
Differentiation: To position itself as a brand using cutting edge
technology.
Target Audience 18 to 24 year old males and 25 to 34 year old males.
Brand Personality Resourceful ,Witty, Charismatic, Innovative, Forward thinking,
Optimistic and Pragmatic
Brand Persona Jack: Two versions (Older Jack and Younger Jack)
Brand Attributes An Early Adopter, The Leader of the Pack, Oozes Coolness and
Confidence, Cosmopolitan and Open Minded.
Online Marketing
Campaign
“Open Your World Campaign”
“Design your Own Bottle Campaign”
Social Media Engagement through Creative, Clever and quirky comments
Website Heineken Music
Social Gaming The Heineken Experience Interactive Game
App Heineken Rugby App
Table 5.3 Summary of Research Findings (Heineken)
108
Brand Desperados Absolut
Objectives To capture the younger audience
online.
To position itself in the mind of
the consumer almost as a piece of
artwork.
Target Audience 18 – 22 25 – 34 with a female bias.
Brand Personality Edgy
Mysterious
Exotic
Fun
Sophisticated
Trendy
Arty and Interesting
Creative visionary
Relatively knowledgeable
Brand Persona Des
Brand Attributes
Up for a wild night out
Worldly knowledge on things
Open to creative expression
Cool and creative
Brand Associations
“You are buying the wild side of
yourself”
and
“Expressing a different side of
yourself”
“You are buying a sense of
creativity and expression in
yourself “
(the thinking man’s Vodka)
Social and cultural catalysts
including: Creatives, Innovators,
Artists and Musicians.
Online Marketing
Campaign
“How would you cross the line
campaign”
ABSOLUT blank design your
own bottle and ABSOLUT Mode
limited edition Christmas bottle
campaigns.
Social Media
Prominent presence with high
engagement rates
More about the visuals than the
conversation online.
Website
Events: the websites links back to
Facebook activity by the brand and
its fans.
For Informational purposes and to
Show case the brands uniqueness.
App ABSOLUT Blank and ABSOLUT
Reveal Iphone App
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Table 5.4 Summary of Research Findings (Desperados and Absolut)
Brand West Coast Cooler Peroni
Objectives To capture more of their target
market online who are tech savvy.
To maintain its image of
exclusivity.
Target Audience 22 – 27 Females 25 – 35 predominately Male
Brand Personality Fun
Sophisticated
Intelligent
Sophisticated
Cosmopolitan
Contemporary
Brand Persona Laura Urbanites
Brand Attributes Sociable
In control
Fashionable
Trendy
Good looking
Confident
Brand Associations
“You feel a little bit special when
consuming it”
It is Refreshing and Light
You are In Control
You are buying into the Italian
lifestyle of sophistication
“The Prada of beer”
Online Marketing
Campaign
This Summer Everything’s Rose”
“ Collaboration with Simone
Rocha”
‘Opera de Peroni’
“The Four Seasons of Italian
style”
Social Media Facebook : Number one asset
(Connecting with ‘our girls’ and
‘setting the right tone’)
Pinterest: Huge potential
Facebook: Higher customer
reach online and delivery the right
tone of voice is very important
Website
Mainly used for competitions and to
Deliver fashion and beauty tips.
Provides a platform to showcase
the
Italian lifestyle. It is very much
like a virtual magazine online.
App Under development
110
Table 5.5 Summary of Research Findings (West Coast Cooler and Peroni)
5.16 Conclusion
Throughout the chapter the author presented the findings of the interviews conducted with the
relevant personnel of selected brands in order to answer the primary and secondary objectives
of the research project. The information contained in the chapter represented the findings from
the semi structured interviews, company reports and websites. The research findings will be
further discussed in chapter six where conclusions will be made from the study and
information for future research will be drawn. Examples of Heineken, Desperados, Absolut,
West Coast Cooler, and Peroni can be found in the appendix along with several supplementary
brands as mentioned in the literature review.
111
CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
6.1 Introduction
The final chapter will examine and draw conclusions from the research undertaken. The
findings from each research question will be addressed in order to answer the research
problem. The implications to both managers and theorists will be presented followed by
recommendations for future research. The primary purpose of the research was to examine
online marketing communications effectiveness in enhancing the personality of alcohol
brands. The chapter will provide a brief synopsis of the main conclusions which have been
drawn from the research.
The conclusions will be drawn under the following headings:
Objective One
To address the various Online Marketing Communication Platforms used in enhancing the
personality of the brand.
Objective Two
To address how alcohol brands with different personalities can tailor their brand messages to
specific target audiences online.
Objective Three
To explore the emotional attachment and connectivity which can be formed using online
marketing communications to enhance the alcohol brands personality.
Objective Four
To address how these new platforms of online marketing communications can provide a
virtual experience for the brand.
Objective Five
To examine whether online marketing communications serve as a complementary tool to
offline communications in strengthening the personality of the brand.
112
6.2 Objective One: To investigate the various Online Marketing Communication
Platforms used to enhance the personality of the brand.
From the literature review carried out it is clear that the online marketing communications
landscape is being utilised by alcohol brands. It is evident from the literature review that the
technological capabilities of Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 in recent years have provided scope for
alcohol brands to embrace their identity online. The primary research carried out indicated
that alcohol brands are using a 360 degree approach to their marketing activities where both
online and offline marketing activities are fully utilised. Some of the alcohol brands
investigated have progressed more so than others online, in particular through their Social
Media platforms and their use of the latest technology such as apps. Also notably some of the
alcohol brands solely based their marketing activities online, particularly the brands targeting
the younger consumer.
6.3 Objective Two: To identify how alcohol brands with different personalities can tailor
their content to specific target audiences online.
From the research carried out it was discovered that online marketing communication
platforms represent an opportunity for the alcohol brands personality to tailor their content to
a specific target audience online. The primary research revealed that online platforms are
particularly useful for the brands with distinctive or unusual personalities. In comparison to
the offline context the researchers were in agreement that online platforms offer the
opportunity for brands to be more creative and personally involved with their target audience.
One significant finding is that alcohol brands that have a distinctive gender bias can tailor
their content specifically to their target audience and thus can help the brand to increase the
level of brand associations the consumer has with the brand. Whilst providing an opportunity
for brands to be congruent with the target audiences sense of self
113
6.4 Objective Three: To explore the emotional capabilities for the alcohol brand
online in enhancing the alcohol brands personality.
The research indicated that the emotion of brands online is strategically important to the
survival of alcohol brands. Both the primary research and the theoretical evidence in the
literature review support the notion that consumers don’t buy products solely to fulfil a
functional need. The alcohol brand represents an experience in itself and consumers derive an
emotional response when consuming the brand. Emotional branding can be magnified online
through consumers sharing and rehashing similar experiences they have encountered with the
brand in a real life setting. Ultimately various online marketing tactics can be used by alcohol
brands to evoke an emotional response in the consumer.
6.5 Objective Four: To address how these new platforms of online marketing
communications can provide a virtual experience for the consumer.
According to Daughterty et al (2008) who states how an experience can be created online
referring to it as a virtual experience with reference to a company’s website. There is still
research needed in this area. From the primary research carried out it was evident that the
alcohol brands have developed an interactive landscape to create a virtual experience online
including music, apps and games. However due to the interactive landscape online as a recent
development from both the consumer and company perspective the progression of these
developments are still in their infancy. However all the respondents agreed that in order for
their brands to remain relevant in the future this particular tactic was crucial..
6.6 Objective Five: To examine whether online marketing communications serve as a
complementary tool to offline communications in strengthening the personality of the
brand.
It was clear from the research carried out that online marketing communication platforms
serve as a complementary tool in strengthening the personality of alcohol brands. Although
separate entities, they very much complement of one another. Significantly the primary
research revealed that a brand would not exist today if it didn’t utilise both platforms.
Ultimately opportunities exist for alcohol brands to humanise their brands online.
114
6.7 Areas for Future Research
The author has identified several areas where future research can be undertaken. Based on the
conceptual framework there are two areas which can be further explored; an obvious one
would be to explore the research from a consumer perspective and to establish whether online
platforms are enhancing the customer’s perception of the personality of alcohol brands.
Similarly the research could be applied to different product categories. Subsequently the
author believes that numerous variables could be measured against brand personality online
such as its impact purchase intention or consumer loyalty.
The author also believes research can be undertaken in the case of the branding of services
online through online communications to enhance its existing personality. For instance
research carried out by Beldona and Wysong (2007) on store brands and brand personality
revealed that consumers who were allowed to experience and taste the brand perceived the
brand personality more strongly. Thus similar research could be replicated online through a
brands virtual presence online.
Various researchers have proposed that brand personality boosts consumer preference and
usage (Sirgy, 1982), induces emotions in consumers (Biel, 1993), and has a positive
relationship with levels of trust and loyalty (Fournier, 1994). The author contends that fresh
insight is needed for the the correlation of these variables on brand personality to be examined
from an online marketing context.
Also the author suggests future research could focus solely on interactive gaming of brands in
a virtual context and the impact it has on brand personality. And to conclude the author also
believes there is future scope for further research on the brand personality and gender specific
product categories that specifically target gender through Social Media which would be an
extension of Grohmann’s (2009) study on segmentation of product categories by gender.
115
6.8 Conclusions and Implications
The author observed a few shortcomings from carrying out the primary research. The author
believed the research could have been done differently firstly there were certain research
questions addressed where not every brand investigated could relate to, thus if this research
was done differently a greater variety of brands would have been investigated. The author also
believed the research could have used focus groups or surveys to gain a consumer perspective
of alcohol brand personalities in the online space. Theoretical implications discovered from
the research suggestions from Aaaker’s (1997) personality scale of measurement was
originally developed for offline brands or brands using traditional methods of advertisements.
Alternatively Okazaki (2006) developed an online brand personality framework where three
of the five personality characteristics can be transferred directly online. However this area of
development is limited. Thus the author believes there is scope for the development of an up
to date online brand personality scale.
Although the online marketing communication platforms represent a significant opportunity
for alcohol brands and brands in general, from a regularity point of view alcohol brands are
restricted on Social Media. The research may have benefited more from conducting the
primary research objective onto a different type of brand that is not subject to regulation
online. Also due to the fact that online marketing is only a recently new phenomenon and in
particular Social Media, it was evident from the participants that although consumers are very
much engaging online with the brand there still is some uncertainty as consumer trends are
changing almost overnight.
Facebook advertising is prone to scrutiny from the public. It is important that the platform is
used solely for engagement and conversational purposes between the consumer and the brand.
Ultimately the participants contend that the more touch points they can foster between the
brand and the consumer, the stronger the brand personality, providing they are consistent in
their communication both online and offline. One significant indicator of the importance of
alcohol brands embracing online marketing communications is that the traditional marketing
of alcohol advertising is under threat of becoming illegal in the near future, thus, online
platforms are crucial.
116
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134
Appendices
Interview Guide A ............................................................................................................................. 135
Interview Guide B ............................................................................................................................. 137
Definitions of terminology used ....................................................................................................... 139
Appendix 1 - Top Alcohol Brands on Facebook Globally ( Socialbakers, 2012) ........................ 140
Appendix 2 - Top Alcohol Brands on Facebook in Ireland ( Socialbakers, 2012) ..................... 140
Appendix 3 - Heineken: Facebook (2012) ....................................................................................... 141
Appendix 4 - Heineken Brief Encounter (Rothco Advertising 2011) ............................................ 142
Appendix 5 - Heineken: Heineken Music (Heinekenmusic, 2012) ................................................ 143
Appendix 6 – Bacardi: Bacardi Music Webpage (Bacardi, 2012) ............................................... 143
Appendix 7- Desperados: Facebook (2012)..................................................................................... 144
Appendix 8 – Absolut: Facebook (2012) ......................................................................................... 146
Appendix 9 - Absolut: It all Starts with a Blank (The Inspiration Room, 2012) ......................... 147
Appendix 10 - Absolut: Absolut Blank Reveal iPhone App (itunes, 2012) ................................... 147
Appendix 11 - Peroni: Webpage (Peroniitaly, 2012) ...................................................................... 148
Appendix 12 - Peroni: Opera di Peroni (2012) .............................................................................. 149
Appendix 13 -West Coast Cooler: Webpage (West Coast Cooler, 2012) ..................................... 150
Appendix 14 -West Coast Cooler: Facebook (2012) ..................................................................... 151
Appendix 15 -West Coast Cooler: Pinterest (2012) ...................................................................... 151
Appendix 16 - West Coast Cooler: Limited Edition Bottle (2012) ............................................... 152
Appendix 17 - Jameson: Viral Video The Ventriolist ..................................................................... 153
Appendix 18 - Jameson: Virtual Distillery Tour (Jameson, 2012) ............................................... 153
Appendix 19 - Jameson: Facebook (2012) ..................................................................................... 154
135
Interview Guide A: (Absolut, Heineken, Desperados and Peroni )
NUI Galway Thesis Interview Guide
I am currently conducting a thesis as part of my masters in marketing. The purpose of my
research is to investigate brand personality through online marketing communications. The
industry I am working on is alcohol brands. The objective of my thesis is to ‘Investigate
Alcohol Brands use of Online Marketing Communications and whether it is enhancing their
brand personality.’
Below is a list of questions that I wish to acquire more information on.
Questions
Background
1. Can you tell me a little about your role in the company?
2. Can you briefly describe the work your organisation carries out?
Alcohol brands:
3. Objectives of the brand
4. Target market
Brand Personality
5. How would you describe the brand personality?
6. How would you describe the brand if it were a person
7. What type of characteristics or attributes does the typical drinker of the brand
possess?
8. How would you describe the brands positioning in the marketplace?
Brand associations
9. Can you describe the experiential and symbolic benefits of the brand?
136
Online Marketing Communications: What online marketing platforms does the brand
embrace?
13. Building of User-centred websites
14. Social Media campaigns:
15. Viral campaigns:
16. Creation of fun games and apps:
17. Mobile technology:
18. Can you elaborate upon each one where applicable?
19. How do they develop/enhance their personality online?
20. How important is the tone of voice for the brand online?
21. Do you think online marketing communications serve as a complementary tool to offline
communications in strengthening the brands personality?
137
Interview Guide B (West Coast Cooler)
NUI Galway Thesis Interview Guide
I am currently conducting a thesis as part of my masters in marketing. The purpose of my
research is to investigate brand personality through online marketing communications. The
industry I am working on is alcohol brands. The objective of my thesis is to ‘Investigate
Alcohol Brands use of Online Marketing Communications and whether it is enhancing their
brand personality.’
Below is a list of questions that I wish to acquire more information on.
Questions
Background
1. Can you tell me a little about your role in the company?
2. Can you briefly describe the work you carry out?
West Coast Cooler
3. You give a brief synapses on your Facebook page about West Coast Cooler’s history,
“Since its launch, its wardrobe has received a number of stylish make-over’s. The
most significant was in 2004, when a new bespoke bottle was designed for West
Coast Cooler”
Can you elaborate upon this?
4. Can you describe the work you carry out for the West Coast Cooler
5. What objectives did you have beforehand?
6. Was there a specific target market you were gearing towards?
7. What was involved in the process?
8. What objectives were achieved afterwards?
Brand Personality
9. How would you describe the West Coast brand personality?
138
10. How would you describe West Coast Cooler if it were a person
11. What type of characteristics or attributes does the typical West Coast Cooler drinker
possess?
12. Who is West Coast Cooler’s target market?
13. How would you describe West Coast Coolers positioning in the marketplace?
14. How does West Coast Cooler develop/enhance their personality online?
Brand Associations
15. What does West Coast Cooler consider to be important in terms of their experiential
and symbolic benefits?
Online Marketing Communications:
a) User-centred websites:
b) Social Media campaigns:
c) Digital campaigns
d) Viral campaigns:
e) Creation of fun games and apps
16. How important is ‘Tone of Voice’ online?
17. Do you think online marketing communications serve as a complementary tool to
offline communications in strengthening the brands personality?
139
Definitions
Brand personality refers to the transfer of human personality attributers into non-human
objects.
Brand associations refer to the non-functional attributes of a brand and how various
associations can become associated with a brand.
Consumer brand knowledge is where various subjective components can get linked to a brand
in the consumer memory such as Awareness, Attributes, Benefits, Images, Thoughts,
Feelings, Attitudes and Experiences.
Experiential marketing refers to the use of non- conventional ‘offline’ marketing activities to
enhance the brand experience for the user.
140
Appendix 1 - Top Alcohol Brands on Facebook Globally (Socialbakers, 2012)
Appendix 2 - Top Alcohol Brands on Facebook in Ireland (Socialbakers, 2012)
141
Appendix 3 - Heineken: Facebook (2012)
142
Appendix 4 - Heineken 'Brief Encounter' (RothcoAdvertising, 2011)
143
Appendix 5 - Heineken: Heineken Music (Heinekenmusic, 2012)
Appendix 6 – Bacardi: Bacardi Music Webpage (Bacardi, 2012)
144
Appendix 7 - Desperados: Facebook (2012)
145
146
Appendix 8 – Absolut: Facebook (2012)
147
Appendix 9 Absolut: 'It all Starts with a Blank' (The Inspiration Room, 2012)
Appendix 10 Absolut: ‘ABSOLUT Blank Reveal’ iPhone App (itunes, 2012).
148
Appendix 11 - Peroni: Webpage (Peroniitaly, 2012)
149
Appendix 12- Peroni: Opera di Peroni
150
Appendix 13 – West Coast Cooler: Webpage (West Coast Cooler, 2012)
151
Appendix 14 - West Coast Cooler: Facebook (2012)
Appendix 15- West Coast Cooler: Pinterest (2012)
152
Appendix 16- West Coast Cooler: Limited Edition Bottle
153
Appendix 17 -Jameson: Viral Video 'The Ventriolist' (Jameson, 2012)
Appendix 18 Jameson Virtual Distillery Tour (Jameson, 2012)
154
Appendix 19 - Jameson: Facebook (2012)