Advancing Antecedents of Brand Personality: A Meta-Analytical Review and Moderator Analysis

Product differentiation is essential to attract consumers. Besides functional brand characteristics, symbolic traits like brand personality are a value-adding differentiation tool for marketers. While extant research has examined the relationships between brand personality and its antecedents, an extended and contemporary review is lacking. Building on the seminal meta-analysis by Eisend and Stokburger-Sauer (2013a) and consumer-brand relationship theory, this study employs meta-analytical techniques to synthesize past findings on the antecedents of brand personality. A significant increase in relevant studies and the opportunity to test potential moderators demand an improved meta-analysis. The updated meta-analysis covers 95 papers spanning 28 years (1997–2024) and a total of 1441 effect sizes. The findings yield new empirical generalizations, comparisons across brand-personality dimensions, and insights into changes over time. The results of a moderator analysis indicate that consumer personality is a stronger antecedent in collectivist (vs. individualistic) cultures and for high-self-signaling products (i.e., products that permit consumers to build and express their self-image through brand choices). Branding effects are stronger for experience (vs. search) products and in collectivist (vs. individualistic) cultures. In addition, product design is a stronger antecedent for students and high-self-signaling products. The findings provide managers with insights for building brand personality and suggest important directions for further research.