The Role of Brand Personality in Brand Management: A

Qualitative Analysis.

Introduction & Rationale

Brand personality has developed into a crucial component of brand management as it aids in
the creation of a distinctive character and sets a business apart from its rivals. The purpose of
this research is to examine and assess the role of brand personality in brand management,
employing Maybelline as a case study.

The well-known cosmetic company Maybelline has been successful in forging its distinct
brand personality through its advertising, packaging, and general brand image. Maybelline's
tagline, "Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's Maybelline," embodies the brand's personality
by suggesting that its products can enhance one's inherent beauty. The brand's use of strong,
vivid colors in its packaging and marketing, which appeal to its target market of young
women, also reflects the personality of the brand.

Numerous studies have shown that brand personality can significantly impact consumer
behavior and brand loyalty. For instance, Aaker (1997) argued that brand personality is a
powerful tool in building a brand's identity, enhancing brand recall, and fostering consumer
loyalty. Like Fournier (1998), I believe that a brand's personality is crucial to developing an
affinity between the product and its target audience.

This research has scholarly value since it adds to our knowledge of how brand personality
factors into brand management. Furthermore, it contributes to the current cosmetics literature
by explaining how Maybelline has developed a distinct brand identity that appeals to its
consumers.

The study's findings have real-world application for the cosmetics industry by helping
companies create brand personality initiatives that connect with consumers. Cosmetic brands
may improve their packaging, advertising, and overall brand image by learning the
characteristics of their ideal consumers and using that information to craft messages that
resonate with them.

Research Aim:

The Maybelline brand of cosmetics will serve as a case study for this investigation of the
function of "brand personality" in brand management.

Objectives:
 1. The purpose of this research is to analyze Maybelline's cosmetics brand personality
and its influence on buyer decisions.

2. To identify the key components of Maybelline's brand personality and how it differs
from its competitors in the cosmetic industry.

3. To investigate the connection between Maybelline's brand personality and patrons'

steadfast brand preference.

4. To investigate the effectiveness of Maybelline's current brand personality in reaching

and resonating with its target audience.

5. To provide recommendations for Maybelline to enhance its brand personality and

improve its overall brand management strategy.

Literature Review:

Personality as it relates to brands has been researched extensively because of its importance
in brand management. The term refers to the intangible qualities of a brand's human
representatives that might affect how customers interact with and evaluate that brand. In this
article, we'll examine the literature on brand management and how brand personality plays a
part, specifically in the context of the cosmetics industry, with
Maybelline as a case study.

Maybelline's Brand Personality:

More than one empirical study has looked at Maybelline through the lens of Aaker's (1997)
brand personality qualities. Sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication, and roughness
are some of the criteria used to assess Maybelline's brand personality. The study's authors
conclude that Maybelline's sincerity, excitement, and sophistication as brand personality
attributes contribute to the brand's favorable impact on brand loyalty, brand equity, and
intention to purchase.

Brand Personality and Brand Loyalty:

It was Aaker (1997) who first used the term "brand personality" to describe "the set of human
characteristics associated with a brand." It has been found that when a company highlights its
individuality, customer loyalty rises. Brand identities, consumer loyalty, and brand value in
the cosmetics industry were studied by Alwi et al. (2012). The research found that
Maybelline's brand personality traits of honesty, excitement, and sophistication contributed
significantly to consumer preference for the brand.
Brand Identity and Brand Value:

What we call a brand's "brand equity" is its monetary value in the eyes of consumers. Aaker
(1991) argues that developing a distinct "brand personality" is crucial to doing so. Hossain et
al. (2015) investigated how brands' personas affect their value in the cosmetics industry. The
findings suggest that brand personalities have a significant role in determining brand value.
Maybelline's brand values of authenticity, energy, and expertise have been shown to
positively impact the company's value.

Brand Personality and Purchase Intention:

The term "purchase intention" describes a customer's propensity to make a purchase of a

given good or service. Research shows that a brand's personality can affect consumer
decision-making. For instance, Zehir et al. (2016) looked into how the character of a brand
influences consumers' desire to buy cosmetics. The findings demonstrated that brand persona
strongly impacted consumers' propensity to make a purchase. In particular, the genuineness,
excitement, and sophistication of the Maybelline brand were found to have a beneficial effect
on consumer intent to buy.

Maybelline's Brand Personality Dimensions:

The brand personality qualities proposed by Aaker (1997) have been adopted for usage in a
variety of contexts. Using these criteria, various scholars have assessed Maybelline's brand
personality. Maybelline's brand personality, for instance, was evaluated using Aaker's
characteristics of sincerity, enthusiasm, competence, sophistication, and ruggedness by Alwi
et al. (2012). Hossain et al. (2015) evaluated Maybelline along the same dimensions to
determine the brand's character. According to both sets of research, Maybelline's brand
loyalty and brand equity grew as a result of the company's focus on being authentic, exciting,
and sophisticated.

Brand Personality and Consumer Behavior:

There are a number of consumer actions that can be influenced by a brand's unique
personality. Brand personality, say Datta and Chowdhury (2018), can affect how customers
evaluate a product's quality and worth. Kim et al. (2013) looked into how cosmetics
companies' brand personalities affect shoppers' decisions. Brand personality was found to
have a beneficial effect on consumer attitudes about the brand, including loyalty, intent to
buy, and value perception.

Gap in Literature:
While there is a wealth of research on the link between brand personality and brand
management, there is surprisingly little on the impact of brand personality on social media
engagement in the cosmetics industry. Nowadays, cosmetics businesses can't afford to ignore
social media if they want to reach their target demographic and differentiate themselves.
However, there is a dearth of Maybelline-specific research on the impact of brand personality
on online activity. Future research should therefore investigate the link between Maybelline's
brand personality and engagement on social media to better comprehend the role of brand
personality in brand management.

Research Design

Overall Philosophy and Approach to Theory Development

This investigation makes use of an interpretivist stance and methodology for theory
formation. The interpretivist or social constructivist qualitative research paradigm places an
emphasis on people's own perceptions of their own lives and events (Bryman, 2016). The
overriding purpose of the research is to comprehend the way in which brand personality
influences brand administration in the eyes of Maybelline cosmetics consumers. Since the
interpretive approach facilitates a richer understanding of the participants' experiences and
perspectives, it is a good fit for this research.

Type of Investigation

A qualitative research strategy was selected for this study's examination. The case study
approach used here takes the Maybelline brand as its point of examination. Since a case study
permits an in-depth investigation of Maybelline's brand personality and its effect on brand
management (Yin, 2018), it is an acceptable research technique for this investigation. Data
will be collected using online focus groups and individual interviews, with the entire study
taking place in an online setting. Data will be collected at a single instant in time, using a
cross-sectional time horizon. Twenty people will make up the sample, all of whom will be
found via digital marketing and social media. People who have used Maybelline products at
least once in the past year will be prioritized during the selection process.

Information will be gathered using semi-structured interviews and online focus groups;
participants will be offered open-ended questions to encourage candid responses. Thematic
analysis will be used to dissect the data. This methodological void is well suited for
qualitative research as it requires extracting recurrent ideas from the data (Braun & Clarke,
2019). The data and previous research will provide the inspiration for the themes.

Quality Considerations

1. Bias.
Researchers that use reflexivity recognize that their personal worldviews and assumptions
might color their work and the results they find. Because of the potential for researchers'
preconceived notions and biases to color their work, Finlay and Gough (2003) argue that
reflexivity is crucial in qualitative research. The researcher will also take measures to
guarantee that the sample accurately reflects the population as a whole with respect to factors
like age, race, and gender.

2. Sample Recruitment

The small sample size casts doubt on the generalizability of the findings. However, the
researcher will guarantee that the sample is representative of Maybelline's clientele as a
whole. The sample size may be small because participants will be recruited through internet
ads and social media. However, the researcher will guarantee that all participant information
is kept private and secure during the recruitment process.

3. Reliability and Validity

Considerations of reliability and validity are crucial in qualitative research. Dependability and
believability are synonymous in qualitative research. The researcher will keep records of their
actions throughout the research process to confirm its veracity. By using this method, the
study process may be followed and its results can be more confidently accepted. The
researcher will employ member checking to confirm the results with the participants, adding
credibility to the study. Sharing the findings with the participants is called member checking,
and it is used to verify the reliability of the research (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). By taking these
measures, the researcher can establish the reliability of the results and lessen the possibility of
erroneous interpretation.

Ethical Considerations

Consenting participants' privacy and confidentiality will be protected, and data will be kept
anonymous. Before any data is gathered, participants will be asked for their informed
permission, which will include a detailed description of the study's purpose, methodology,
risks, and potential benefits. Participants will be informed of their right to privacy and
confidentiality, as well as the potential uses of the collected data. The researcher will also
take measures to ensure that the data is secure and not accessed by any unauthorised
individuals.

In addition, the researcher will follow General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) guidelines
to keep participants' information secure. Participants should have the right to view, rectify,
and remove their data, and informed consent should be obtained before any data is collected.
During participant recruiting and data collection, the researcher will be especially sensitive to
the possibility of a power imbalance. To address this, the researcher will take a participant-
led strategy, wherein the interviewees or group discussion members lead the discussion. The
interpretive process and findings will be reviewed, and audience members will be invited to
provide feedback.

Time Scale

Starting in May 2023 and wrapping up in August of that year, a four-month time frame has
been proposed for the study. The first two months will be dedicated to data collecting, while
the final two months will be spent on data analysis and report preparation. The first two
weeks of this study will be spent making research tools and planning ways to attract
participants. We will spend the next four weeks conducting online interviews and focus
groups to gather information. In the third month, we'll look at the data, and in the fourth, we'll
write the report.
References

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