The impact of culture on brand personality: An empirical study of the lifestyle brands originating from the American South

Abstract

This paper uses Aaker’s brand personality framework to investigate the personality of the lifestyle brands originating from the American South (Southern lifestyle brands) based on data collected from 283 participants. The results reveal that the personality of Southern lifestyle brands may be described across three dimensions, namely sophisticated, casual and Southern, comprising 62 personality traits. In addition, the results indicate that consumers from Southern states prefer purchasing products originating from Southern states, and that Southern consumers perceive brands from the South as possessing favourable qualities. The findings of the study clearly suggest that the region of the country in which a consumer is from can influence consumers’ brand evaluation and preference due to unique histories, cultures and traditions.