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Unlocking the potential of branding in social marketing services: utilising brand personality and brand personality appeal

Ross Gordon (Faculty of Business and Economics, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia)
Nadia Zainuddin (Faculty of Business, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia)
Christopher Magee (School of Psychology and Centre for Health Initiatives, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia)

Journal of Services Marketing

ISSN: 0887-6045

Article publication date: 8 February 2016

6588

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to demonstrate the utility of branding theory for social marketing services. Specifically, this is to our knowledge the first to investigate brand personality (BP) and brand personality appeal (BPA) in a single study as predictors for consumer attitudes and intentions to engage with a service.

Design/methodology/approach

The associations between BP and BPA and their subsequent associations with attitudes and intentions are tested in two service types, i.e. a commercial marketing service (banking) and a social marketing service (health screening). This involved a cross-sectional dual online survey administered to a sample of 395 women 50-69 years old in Queensland, Australia. This sampling criterion represented the primary target audience for the social marketing service, which was breastscreening and was maintained for the banking services sample. Multiple mediation analysis using a bootstrapping approach was conducted using Mplus 6.11.

Findings

BP and BPA perform similarly across the two service types. BP and BPA are related and have direct and indirect associations with consumer attitudes and behavioural intentions towards both commercial and social marketing services. Specifically, the BP traits of responsibility and activity were found to have significant direct and indirect relationships with attitudes and behavioural intentions towards both commercial and social marketing services. The relationships for the emotionality and simplicity traits were non-significant. The results also suggest that the attractiveness, favourability and clarity BPA traits had the strongest associations with consumer responses.

Originality/value

This study demonstrates the utility of using branding in social marketing services, which to date has been under-utilised. It also offers originality by combining BP and BPA in the same empirical inquiry, which to date has been examined separately. A new and alternative factor structure for BPA is provided, and future research is recommended to further examine BPA in this and other contexts.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr Shaun Powell from the Faculty of Business at the University of Wollongong for his input during the early stages of this research project, particularly at the survey development phase.

Citation

Gordon, R., Zainuddin, N. and Magee, C. (2016), "Unlocking the potential of branding in social marketing services: utilising brand personality and brand personality appeal", Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 30 No. 1, pp. 48-62. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-02-2015-0105

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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