An Exploratory Study on Brand Personality : The Case of A Traditional Casual Brand in Korea

In order to build strong brand equity in the current market circumstances, it is essential to understand the core dimensions of brand image, which is brand personality. The objectives of this study were to identify the brand personality dimensions of a casual brand, "BeanPole," and to investigate the effects of the brand personality on BeanPole buyers' brand preference, satisfaction and loyalty. The data were collected via a web survey. The sample consists of 500 people between the ages of 18-45 who are familiar with Bean Pole casual clothing brand (male- 40%; female-60%). Sixty-six percent of the sample indicated that they had purchased the Bean Pole clothing during the last three years. A total of five factors were extracted from the brand personality index scale: They were excitement/sophistication, competence, sincerity, ruggedness, and smoothness. Compared to the B/P non-buyers, B/P buyers tended to rate excitement/sophistication, competence, sincerity, and the smoothness brand personality dimensions higher. Multiple regression analysis revealed that excitement/sophistication, competence, sincerity and ruggedness brand personality were significant predictors of respondents' casual clothing brand preference, satisfaction, and brand loyalty. Among these significant predictors, competence was the best predictor of casual clothing brand preference, satisfaction and brand loyalty. Based on these findings, strategic implications are discussed.