Self-Brand Personality Differences and Attitudes towards Electric Cars

Ingrid Moons and Patrick De Pelsmacker
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Ingrid Moons: Department of Marketing, Faculty of Applied Economics, University of Antwerp, Prinsstraat 13, Antwerp 2000, Belgium
Patrick De Pelsmacker: Department of Marketing, Faculty of Applied Economics, University of Antwerp, Prinsstraat 13, Antwerp 2000, Belgium

Sustainability, 2015, vol. 7, issue 9, 1-18

Abstract: In two representative Belgian samples, by means of an online survey, we investigate the effect of self-brand personality differences on car brand evaluation, the evaluation of an eco-friendly branded electric car extension and the evaluation of car brands after electric extension. We show that self-brand personality differences influence the attitude towards car brands. The relative importance of personality dimensions that drive extension judgment and parent brand attitudes after electric extension is different from that of brand evaluation without extension. More particularly, perceptions of a brand being more responsible than one’s self is a much more important driver of brand evaluation after electric extension than without extension. Car personality characteristics, such as activity and sophistication, drive brand evaluations before, as well as after electric extension. These effects are moderated by brand ownership in that the relative importance of brand personality dimensions is different for brand owners than for consumers who do not own a specific brand. Car manufacturers can fine-tune their marketing approach when launching eco-friendly extensions, taking into account that, in this context, partly different self-brand personality fit considerations are used by consumers than for car brands without electric extension.

Keywords: self-brand personality differences; electric cars; line extension evaluation; parent brand feedback effects (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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