Short answer
When developing new products or rebranding existing ones, prioritize cultivating a 'cool' brand personality over an 'innocent' one, especially if targeting consumers who value power and identity.
- Field
- Innovation & Markets
- Source
- Journal of Product & Brand Management (2023)
- Method
- Quantitative experimental research using surveys.
- Sample
- Not explicitly stated, but implied to be from university and supermarket settings in Wuhan, China.
- Evidence
- Strong effect
Consumers are more likely to prefer brands with a 'cool' personality over those with an 'innocent' one, a tendency amplified when individuals are highly motivated by power or have a strong sense of identity centrality. This innovation & markets research insight is drawn from a 2023 study published in Journal of Product & Brand Management. Using Quantitative experimental research using surveys. with Not explicitly stated, but implied to be from university and supermarket settings in Wuhan, China., researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: When developing new products or rebranding existing ones, prioritize cultivating a 'cool' brand personality over an 'innocent' one, especially if targeting consumers who value power and identity.
Cooler brands capture consumer preference over innocent ones, especially for identity-driven individuals.
Consumers are more likely to prefer brands with a 'cool' personality over those with an 'innocent' one, a tendency amplified when individuals are highly motivated by power or have a strong sense of identity centrality.
Journal of Product & Brand Management · 2023
Key Findings
- 01Brand personality, specifically coolness, positively influences consumer preferences.
- 02Brands with a 'cool' personality are preferred over those with an 'innocent' personality.
- 03The relationship between brand personality and consumer preference is moderated by power motivation and identity centrality.
Application
Design takeaway
When developing new products or rebranding existing ones, prioritize cultivating a 'cool' brand personality over an 'innocent' one, especially if targeting consumers who value power and identity.
How to apply
When defining a brand's voice, visual identity, and messaging, lean towards attributes associated with 'coolness' (e.g., trendiness, edginess, sophistication) rather than 'innocence' (e.g., simplicity, purity, naivety), and tailor this further for segments with high power motivation or identity centrality.
Project actions
- 01When defining your target audience, consider their psychological motivations like power and identity.
- 02Use mood boards and brand personality questionnaires to ensure your design choices reflect the desired personality.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Differentiates between 'innocence' and 'coolness' as distinct brand personality constructs.
- +Identifies brand psychological ownership as a mediating mechanism.
- +Examines moderating roles of power motivation and identity centrality.
Limitations
The specific cultural context of Wuhan might influence these preferences. The definition of 'cool' and 'innocent' can be subjective and vary across cultures and demographics.
Reliability & validity
The use of multiple experiments and statistical modeling (PLS-SEM) enhances the reliability and validity of the findings. However, the specific measures for brand personality, psychological ownership, and moderators would need to be examined for their psychometric properties.
Think critically
How might the definitions of 'innocence' and 'coolness' differ across various cultural contexts, and how would this impact brand preference?
Design Principles
"Brand personality should align with and amplify consumer motivations, particularly those related to social status and self-identity."
Understanding the psychological drivers behind brand preference is crucial for effective product development and marketing strategies. This insight highlights how brand personality, beyond functional attributes, can significantly influence consumer choice and market positioning.
What This Means for Your Design
If you want people to like your product's brand, make it seem 'cool' rather than 'innocent'. People who want to feel powerful or be part of a group will like 'cool' brands even more.
How to use in your project
- 1.Use this research to justify your choice of brand personality and how it aligns with your target user's motivations.
- 2.Incorporate findings on 'cool' vs. 'innocent' personality to inform your visual design and marketing strategy.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
This study by Feng et al. (2023) reveals that consumers exhibit a stronger preference for brands with a 'cool' personality over those with an 'innocent' one. This effect is further amplified for individuals with high power motivation or identity centrality, suggesting that brand personality significantly impacts consumer choice by tapping into psychological needs for status and belonging. This insight informs the strategic development of brand identity in design projects, guiding the selection of visual and verbal elements to resonate more effectively with target markets.
Source
Journal of Product & Brand Management
Innocence versus Coolness: the influence of brand personality on consumers’ preferences
journal · 2023
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about cooler brands capture consumer preference over innocent ones, especially for identity-driven individuals?
- When developing new products or rebranding existing ones, prioritize cultivating a 'cool' brand personality over an 'innocent' one, especially if targeting consumers who value power and identity. Evidence: Journal of Product & Brand Management (2023).
- Why does "Cooler brands capture consumer preference over innocent ones, especially for identity-driven individuals." matter for design?
- Understanding the psychological drivers behind brand preference is crucial for effective product development and marketing strategies. This insight highlights how brand personality, beyond functional attributes, can significantly influence consumer choice and market positioning.
- How can designers apply this research?
- When developing new products or rebranding existing ones, prioritize cultivating a 'cool' brand personality over an 'innocent' one, especially if targeting consumers who value power and identity.
- What were the main findings?
- Brand personality, specifically coolness, positively influences consumer preferences.. Brands with a 'cool' personality are preferred over those with an 'innocent' personality.. The relationship between brand personality and consumer preference is moderated by power motivation and identity centrality.
- What research method was used?
- Quantitative experimental research using surveys. with Not explicitly stated, but implied to be from university and supermarket settings in Wuhan, China..
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2023 journal from Journal of Product & Brand Management.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When defining a brand's voice, visual identity, and messaging, lean towards attributes associated with 'coolness' (e.g., trendiness, edginess, sophistication) rather than 'innocence' (e.g., simplicity, purity, naivety), and tailor this further for segments with high power motivation or identity centrality.
- What are the limitations?
- The study was conducted in a specific geographical location (Wuhan, China), and the findings might not be universally generalizable. The specific brands used in the experiments were not detailed.