You are what you sell: The influence of brand personality on the relationship with clients of fast food companies

Abstract

Marketing literature indicates that brands need to find new ways to differentiate from competitors and win consumer loyalty. In this context, the development of relationships between brands and customers receives special attention once it constitutes a source of differentiation, in line with preference and consumption orientation generated by brand personality. Thus, the study of the relationship between brand personality and customer relationship becomes relevant, and the main reason of this article's development. Its main objective is to evaluate the relation between the personality of fast food brands and the perception of relationship that customers have with such brands. Therefore, a quantitative study was conducted with 367 customers of fast food companies, and the results were analyzed using multiple linear regression. The personality dimensions "credibility" and "Audacity" were the best predictors of dimensions relationship perception "Loyalty" and "Customer Service", respectively. Concerning the academic contribution of this research, there is the filling of a gap in the literature, the investigation of the relationship between the variables. Despite the practical contributions, once that marketing is part of the applied social sciences, this study offers an important tool to diagnose the relationship of consumers with the brands, assisting in decision making regarding the differentiation of the image and improve the experience with brands.