Designing Brand Personality Using the Power of Archetypes ...

of the dimensions has its own facets drivers. The main objective was to identify brand
personality dimensions as perceived in consumer minds rather than the individual
differences among responses of people to the brands. framework and the scale are
generalizable across all product categories.
The model was based on the “Big Five” human personality dimensions
(Extraversion/introversion, Agreeableness, Consciousness, Emotional stability and
Culture). Whereas agreeableness and sincerity both innate part of warmth and
acceptance, extroversion and excitement capture the idea of social ability, energy and
activity and conscientiousness and competence both connote dependability,
responsibility and security. According to (Aaker and Biel 1993), her sincerity,
excitement and competence shape human personality, sophistication and ruggedness
indicates to the dimension that individuals want but not necessarily have. This
encapsulates a focus on the upper class, sexy and glamorous.
The model was developed for the American market. However, brands carry cultural
meaning - specific personality traits among cultures. To answer to the cross-cultural
differences (Aaker 1997) redefined her model for Japan and Spain. Further research
was conducted by other researchers, who explored Germany, Italy, the Netherlands,
and Korea. Although, the models all are culturally secific, they all show resemblance to
Aaker‟s five-factor model that is still the most widely used brand personality model on
worldwide scale.
2.2.3 Jung’s Behavioural Science
Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist studied dreams. He pioneered the theory of archetypes
in early 90s. Already at that time he found out that some themes recurring in the
dreams of people everywhere – they were universal themes and characters that are
found in myth and legend. His profound observations showed that this inward
experience was essentially the same in all human beings - sharing the same instincts,
the same impulses, conflicts or fears. These themes, in one word archetypes, are
short-cuts to eternal truths. 3
“Personality is the supreme realization of the innate idiosyncrasy of a living being. It is
an act of courage flung in the face of life, the absolute affirmation of all that
constitutes the individual, the most successful adaptation to the universal conditions of
existence, coupled with the greatest possible freedom of self-determination.”(Jung
1963)
3 For the definition of archetypes, see the section 3.
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