Brands as Humans: Positives and Negatives of Brand Anthropomorphism A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Drexel University by Marina Puzakova in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy April 2012 © Copyright 2012 Marina Puzakova. All Rights Reserved. i Acknowledgments I thank my parents for being there for me through the entire journey, especially my Mother, who encouraged and supported me in every respect. I am very grateful to my advisor, Dr. Hyokjin Kwak, for his entirely selfless effort to get me to where I am and to who I am, today. I thank him for seeing the potential in me and putting a great effort into making me a scholar. I am grateful for his encouragements when I felt disheartened, for giving me confidence when I felt unconfident, and, most importantly, for making me believe in myself and pursuing the opportunities when I did not even recognize that they existed. I also want to thank one of my dissertation committee members, Dr. Joseph F. Rocereto, for his great patience in discussing all the nuances of research and making me enlightened with new insights. He definitely has his special ability to sparkle me with enthusiasm. I cannot imagine this journey without him. Many thanks also go out to my committee members, Dr. Trina Larsen Andras, Dr. Rolph E. Anderson, and Dr. Charles R. Taylor for providing me with keen insight, direction, and guidance. Without their expertise, this dissertation certainly would not have been successfully completed. I am also grateful to my colleague, Brooke Reavey, who helped me to understand the practical implications of my research in greater depth and who was simply a great friend who supported me in all of my research and personal endeavors. Lastly, I would like to thank the Universe and the Lord as a part of it for being kind to me and giving me a lot of positive energy. It is absolutely true that the Universe ii has bestowed great Luck and encouraging Signs upon me that have guided me in the right direction. Большое спасибо моей маме за её понимание и постоянную поддержку в любых ситуйциях, за то, что она всегда была рядом, чтобы разделить радость всех достижений и побед и подбодрить, когда были трудности. Благодарю обоих моих родителей за то, что они научили меня критичеси мыслить и прочно укоренили во мне желание ставить высокие планки и всегда достигать желаемого. Также, я хотела бы поблагодарить моего профессора в Воронежском Государственном Техническом Университете, Ефанову Екатерину Владиславовну, за ее веру в меня и за вдохновляющие слова на начальных этапах моей академической карьеры. Огромное спасибо моим друзьям за их взаимопонимание и дружбу на протяжении этого нелегкого, но успешного пути. Vielen Dank an meine liebste Freundin, Ramona Stammermann, für deine Hilfe and Unterstützung während dieser schwierigen aber erfolgreichen akademischen Reise. Ich kann mir diesen Weg ohne dich nicht vorstellen. Marina Puzakova iii Table of Contents List of Tables............................................................................................................. vi List of Figures .......................................................................................................... vii Abstract ................................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER I ............................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1 Objectives of the Study ........................................................................................... 3 Overview of Research Design, Methods, and Questions Explored........................... 4 Justification for the Study ....................................................................................... 6 Anthropomorphism and Anthropomorphized Brands .......................................... 6 Negative Information in the Marketplace ............................................................ 9 Contribution to Knowledge ................................................................................... 11 General Organization of the Study ........................................................................ 14 CHAPTER II: STUDY 1—POSITIVES OF BRANDS AS HUMANS: THE PROCESS OF BRAND ANTHROPOMORPHIZATION ......................................... 15 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 15 Study Approach .................................................................................................... 18 A Four Stage Process Model of Brand Anthropomorphization .............................. 20 Anthropomorphization and Anthropomorphized Brands ....................................... 22 Primary Cognition Process.................................................................................... 26 Second-Order Cognition Process .......................................................................... 34 Consequences of AB............................................................................................. 50 General Discussion ............................................................................................... 55 iv Future Research on AB Theory ............................................................................. 57 Future Research on Measuring AB ....................................................................... 60 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 62 CHAPTER III: STUDY 2—NEGATIVES OF BRANDS AS HUMANS: THE DETRIMENTAL ROLE OF BRAND ANTHROPOMORPHIZATION AMIDST PRODUCT WRONGDOINGS ................................................................................. 63 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 63 Anthropomorphism and Anthropomorphized Brands ............................................ 66 The Impact of Anthropomorphism on Negative Brand Performance ..................... 69 Experiment 1A ..................................................................................................... 71 Research Design ............................................................................................... 71 Hypothesis test .................................................................................................. 73 Experiment 1B ...................................................................................................... 74 Research Design ............................................................................................... 74 Results .............................................................................................................. 75 Discussion ........................................................................................................ 76 The Moderating Effect of Implicit Theory of Personality ...................................... 77 Experiment 2 ........................................................................................................ 80 Research Design ............................................................................................... 80 Results .............................................................................................................. 82 Discussion ........................................................................................................ 84 Experiment 3 ........................................................................................................ 84 Research Design ............................................................................................... 87 Results .............................................................................................................. 89 Discussion ........................................................................................................ 90 v General Discussion and Conclusion ...................................................................... 92 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................... 97 Vita .........................................................................................................................122 vi List of Tables Table 1-1: Research Questions .................................................................................... 110 Table 2-1: Informants’ Details ..................................................................................... 111 vii List of Figures Figure 1: 2010 Crisis Categories .................................................................................. 112 Figure 2: A Four-Stage Process Model of Brand Anthropomorphization ..................... 113 Figure 3: Study 2--Examples of Manipulations of Anthropomorphized Brands ............ 114 Figure 4: Study 2—Manipulations of Negative Brand Information .............................. 117 Figure 5: Study 2 (Experiment 2)--Interaction Effect between Brand Anthropomorphization and Implicit Theory ................................................................. 119 Figure 6: Study 2(Experiment 3)—Interaction Effect between Brand Anthropomorphization and Implicit Theory ................................................................. 120 viii Abstract Brands as Humans: Positives and Negatives of Brand Anthropomorphism Marina Puzakova