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Brand Personality Structures in the United States and Korea: Common and Culture‐Specific Factors
Author(s) -
Sung Yongjun,
Tinkham Spencer F.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of consumer psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.433
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1532-7663
pISSN - 1057-7408
DOI - 10.1207/s15327663jcp1504_8
Subject(s) - personality , androgyny , meaning (existential) , psychology , social psychology , set (abstract data type) , white (mutation) , masculinity , programming language , biochemistry , chemistry , computer science , psychoanalysis , psychotherapist , gene
The symbolic meaning of commercial brands (often called brand personality ) can represent the values and beliefs of a culture. When a set of global brands were rated on the same personality attributes in the United States and Korea, 6 common dimensions of brand personality and 2 factors unique to each culture were observed. The 2 culture‐specific factors in Korea (Passive Likeableness and Ascendancy) support our general hypothesis that Korean brand personality structure carries cultural meaning, reflecting the importance of Confucian values in Korea's social and economic systems. Although their cultural meaning is less clear, the 2 unique factors (White Collar and Androgyny) that emerged in the U.S. sample suggest changing cultural values associated with occupational status and gender roles.