Question 6: Brand Personality Perception

The respondents classified the brands in different ways based on the overall perception, associations, knowledge of the brand, and further impressions.

Among the interviewees, Lacoste was seen as sophisticated, competent, and exciting; Johnnie Walker as competent and sophisticated; McDonald’s as exciting and sincere; Coca Cola as exciting, competent, and sincere; and Audi as competent, sophisticated, and exciting.

Lacoste

The majority of the interviewees see the brand as sophisticated. Interviewees 2, 3, 4, and 7 explained that this is due to the upper class style of the clothes, the posh, high-quality image of the brand, and the fact that Lacoste products are expensive. Respondent 6 considers it moderately sophisticated because the products are still affordable, even if more expensive.

Excitement and compentence were also high in the ranking. Respondent 5 considers Lacoste to be an exciting brand because it is up-to-date and daring. Respondent 6 added to that that it has a young and modern image. Respondent 4 also believes that it is somewhat exciting because it is an innovative and creative brand. Furthermore, interviewees 1, 3, 6, and 7 consider Lacoste to be a competent brand due to the products’ reliability and high quality.

Moreover, respondents 1 and 6 also believe that Lacoste is sincere. The former believes that this is because of the simplistic logo, the latter agrees with this and adds that it is a modest brand and not too playful. Finally, respondent 5 believes Lacoste also falls into the category ruggedness; respondent 4 consideres it also somewhat rugged. The reason for this is the

“sporty” and “outdoorsy” perception. No respondent categorized Lacoste as sustainable.

Johnnie Walker

The interviewees had strong feelings towards the brand and it was easy for them to categorize it, even though they were not as familiar with it as with Lacoste or McDonald’s. They considered Johnnie Walker as a very competent brand, which is reflected in the fact that every respondent of the sample chose the category competence for the brand. The reason for this is the old-school, premium look of the logo, in particular how the gentleman is dressed, the font of the brand, and the name itself. Respondents 1 and 3, who were both familiar with the product, explained that it is a competent brand because of the decades of experience and success of the brand. Sophistication was also chosen multiple times, in particular by interview subjects 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Interviewees 1, 5, and 6 argued that whiskey is often considered to be an upper class drink, often drank by successful and intelligent people. Respondents 3 and 4 also claimed that it is mainly the logo design that makes it look sophisticated. Finally, some respondents, consider Johnnie Walker as a sincere brand. Respondents 2, 6, and 7 believed it falls in that category because whiskey is a classical, traditional drink. Excitement, Ruggedness, and Sustainability were not mentioned by any interviewees.

McDonald’s

The majority of the respondents (1, 3, 5, and 6) considered McDonald’s exciting. Respondents 5 and 6 both mentioned that the brand tries to be up-to-date and creative by offering different specials every few weeks, and even more so when one considers McCafé addressing different customers’ preferences. Respondent 4 thinks of McDonald’s as moderately exciting, explaining that it is rather the food and the experience of eating it that is exciting, than the brand itself. The second biggest category is sincerity. This is mainly based on the use of domestic meat and vegetables in their products, which was mentioned by interview subjects 6 and 7. Respondent 4 also considers McDonald’s as sincere because it is down-to-earth.

Interviewee 3 believes that McDonald’s is somewhat sincere and said that this is based on the idea that “you get what you pay for”. Finally, McDonald’s is considered competent by respondent 3 and 7 because it is a successful company operating worldwide. Interestingly, respondent 2 could not categorize McDonald’s due to the belief that none of the categories fits. Sophistication, Ruggedness, and Sustainability were not mentioned by any respondents.

Coca Cola

The brand was perceived as exciting by all of the respondents. Interviewees 9, 10, 13, and 14 see it as a daring, imaginative, and up-do-date brand due to its advertisements, the various types and flavours of Coca Cola, and the overall brand image. Respondent 12 said “Coca Cola could be perceived as exciting, particularly by younger people. In its advertisements, it usually portrays young people celebrating life and having a good time, but for me, it is not an exciting brand. The image doesn’t speak to me as it does to them, it is just a drink.” Furthermore, the majority of respondents (8, 9, 10, 12, and 14) also mentioned competence. They highlighted that Coca Cola is an internationally successful brand that is consistent and reliable in its taste and quality. Some respondents also pointed out that it is a sincere brand. Interviewee 10 explained that it is down-to-earth in its way of communicating the brand message and what the product is about. Interview subjects 12 and 14 shared this opinion and explained that its long tradition and the accessibility of the product add to this sincerity. Respondent 13 perceives the brand as sincere because it is cheerful. This is based on the associations related to holidays, hot summer days and “enjoying life”. Finally, respondent 9 added that for him it is also sustainable. Coca Cola raises awareness and acts upon it for example by using recyclable bottle caps and launching in-store initiatives to return them.

Audi

The brand personality category that was most often chosen for Audi is competence.

Respondent 8, who is not knowledgeable about Audi, pointed out that it is a German brand, thus it will be of good quality. Interviewee 12, who also does not know much about the brand, perceived it competent due to it being a globally successful brand. Interviewee 14 agreed with both of the pervious points. He and respondents 9, 11, 13, and 14 pointed out that it meets all of the brand personality characteristics of competence: reliability, intelligence, and success.

Respondent 10 mentioned that for him it is intelligent and successful but not reliable due to limited possibilities to repair the car and other difficulties with it in the USA. In this context, respondent 13 also mentioned sincerity. She explained that because Audi is a German brand people trust it and believe it is honest in its communication. This is reflected by the purchasing behaviour. If people would not believe that it is of high quality and trust in the brand, they would not be willing to pay Audi’s high prices. Furthermore, sophistication was the second most mentioned category. Respondents 9, 10, 11, 13, and 14 indicated that they perceive it as a luxurious, upper class brand. Multiple interviewees also mentioned excitement. Particularly, the speed and performance (respondents 9 and 13), “experience-orientation” (respondent 10), and Audi’s constant innovations to stay up to date and respond to trends (respondents 9 and 14) excited them. Respondent 9 explained that Audi is also trying to become more sustainable with its electric cars, thus leaning into the sustainability category.