ABSTRACT

To a great extent public image and public personality are coextensive. For example, the public image and public personality of Mother Teresa (or of Saddam Hussein) undoubtedly overlap. We here assume that products and particular brands of products have overlapping personalities and images, just as people do: “A brand’s personality [or image] can be thought of as a gestalt of the brand schema-that is, a global or top-level description of the important and affect-laden features of the brand schema …. brand schemas largely determine how the consumer reacts to advertising and brand personalities describe the essence of brand schemas” (Sentis & Markus, 1986, p. 133). In other words, people have cognitive schemas representing all their beliefs and feelings about a brand of product, and the personality of a brand is a synthesis of the contents of the brand schema. The personality or image of a brand is important for advertising because “consumers will choose those products that match their self-perceptions” (Sentis & Markus, 1986, p. 134). Shavitt (1985, 1989) also argued that products have personalities that, in Shavitt’s words, serve attitude-functions. Products should therefore be advertised using appeals that are congruent with the attitude-function, or personality type of the product. For example, an air conditioner serves a utilitarian attitude-function and would best be touted with utilitarian appeals.