The meaning of a brand? An archetypal approach

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Revista de Gestão
The meaning of a brand? An archetypal approach
Duarte Xara-Brasil, Kavita Miadaira Hamza, Percy Marquina,
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The meaning of a brand? An An archetypal
approach
archetypal approach
Duarte Xara-Brasil
Department of Marketing and Logistics, Instituto Politecnico de Setubal,
Setubal, Portugal
Kavita Miadaira Hamza
Received6February2018
Department of Business Administration, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Revised20February2018
Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Accepted21February2018
T)
P Percy Marquina
8 (
01 Centrum, Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru, Lima, Peru
2
y
a
M
8 Abstract
9 2 Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze customers’ perceptions about brand personality in
1:4 differentculturalenvironments,checkingifthearchetypalframeworkofMarkandPearson(2001)applies
0 todifferentbrandsacrosscountries.
At Design/methodology/approach – The authors measured consumers’ perceptions in different cultural
L contexts through a survey, and received 537 valid questionnaires from Portugal, Brazil, Colombia and
A
B Peru,countriesthathavesomesimilarindicatorsofculturalproximity.Theauthorswantedtoverifyifthe
U wordsandsentencesthatrespondentsrelatedtoeachbrandwerecoherentwiththearchetype/brand,andthe
T
E homogeneityoftheresultsindifferentculturalcontexts.
E S Findings – Empirical evidence shows that there is proximity between the literature review and the
D associations – words and sentences – that consumers from different countries make with those brands.
O Thisconsistencyofresultsissignificantlyhigherforwordassociations.
NIC Originality/value–Regardlessoftheresults,theperceptionsofconsumersexpressedthroughtheselected
C words were often diverse and heterogeneous among countries. This could possibly indicate insufficient
E efforts from global brands toward a coherent brand personality/global-archetypal approach. Therefore,
T
LI managingbrandpersonalitydeservesmoreattentionandmarketersmustunderstandconsumerbehavior
O patternsindifferentmarkets.
P
O KeywordsBrandpersonality,Brand,Brandidentity,Archetypes,Costumerperception
T
U PapertypeResearchpaper
T
TI
S
N Introduction
y I Consumersidentifythemselveswithspecificbrands,notfortheirpromises,butratherforthe
b
ed purposethatthebrandembodies(Adietal.,2015).Strongbrandsaremuchmorethanaproduct
ad or service, are a uniqueset of companies’ promises and customers’ perceptions, interactions
o
nl and experiences, which affect long-term relationships. Large corporations must focus on
w
Do brand reputation and the legitimacy of the purpose they serve (Crisan and Bortjun, 2017).
Andbrandmanagersmusttracktheimpactofincreasedbrandinteractionsandexperiences
acrossconsumers,culturesandcountriesoncustomers’brandperceptions,especiallythosethat
relate to brand identity and personality, since consumers may not necessarily notice brand
personalityasintended(Maläretal.,2012).
Astrongbrandidentitycomprisestheconceptualizationandoperationalizationofavery
sophisticatedbrandstrategythatmeetsthechallengesofthedifferentenvironmentswhere
©DuarteXara-Brasil,KavitaMiadairaHamzaandPercyMarquina.PublishedintheRevistadeGestão.
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Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative
worksofthisarticle(forbothcommercialandnon-commercialpurposes),subjecttofullattributionto
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2177-8736
commons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode DOI10.1108/REGE-02-2018-0029
REGE brandsarepresent,particularlyglobalbrands.Theapproachestodefineidentityconsider
the personality traits of a brand, similar to those of a “person,” as one of its components
(Aaker,1990),oras“BrandIdentityPrism”(Kapferer,1995).
Brand archetypes are part of brand personality. Marketing managers may use an
archetypalapproachtobrandpersonalityinordertodefinewhatabrandis,whatitstands
for,andtherelationshipwithitsconsumers,thusprovidingarealmeaningassociatedwith
theircustomers’desiresandmotivations(MirzaeeandGeorge,2016;MarkandPearson,2001).
In an archetypal approach, the focus is on the customer’s brand experience and brand
meaning, and the products are merely secondary means to achieve the expected
brand meaning (Högström et al., 2015). Consumers’ individual brand perceptions are
influencednotonlybytheirexposuretoamarketer’sbrandstories,andtothemediaandpop
T) culture,butalsobypersonalexperiencesandwordofmouth(Adietal.,2015).Theseexternal
P
8 ( influencesleadtodifferentconsumers’perceptionsacrosscultures.
01 Weconductedaquantitativeresearchtoexaminebrandarchetypeperceptionsofthree
2
y global brands – Facebook, Apple and Amazon – in four countries – Portugal, Brazil,
a
M Colombia and Peru. We analyzed: if consumers’ perceptions of the archetypes
8
2 of international brands are homogeneous in different countries; if the characterization of
9
4 brands through words and archetypes is homogeneous and accepted by consumers; and
1:
0 whethertheexistingbrand/archetypedesignationsintheliteraturearestillaccurate,given
At the degree of innovation and growth of these brands and consumers’ perceptions across
L
A countries.Toreachtheseobjectiveswecheckedthewordsandsentencesthatrespondents
B
U relatedtoeachbrand,aswellasthecoherenceoftheassociationswiththearchetype/brand
T
E andthehomogeneityoftheresultsindifferentculturalcontexts.Thisanalysishasaclear
S
E managerial and academic contribution, in the research areas of brand identity and brand
D
O personality, leading managers and researchers to a deeper understanding of consumer
C behaviorpatternsthroughbrandarchetypes,toamoreeffectivemarketingstrategyandto
CNI new research tools. The study of consumers’ perceptions of brand personality is a major
TE researchtopic(Lametal.,2013;SichtmannandDiamantopoulos,2013).
LI
O
P
O Literaturereview
T Abrandisnotjustaproductoracompanyname,butratheracomplexentitythatshowsthe
U
T organization’scommitmenttothecustomer.Itisthepromisethatacompanymakestothe
STI customer, regarding what the product will provide and how it will fit into the consumer’s
N
y I business(Campell,2002).Acompany’sproductsshouldhaveauniqueidentity.Intheeyesof
d b consumers,brandscommunicatetheirownidentitiestosociety,tospecificgroupsand/orto
de individuals(Strizhakovaetal.,2008).Consumersmayassociatethemwithdifferentmeanings
nloa – such as perceived quality, self-identity, group identity, values, family traditions, national
w traditions–,whichmayaffecttheirfunctional,experientialandsymbolicbenefits(Siamagka
o
D etal.,2015).Notallbrandsdevelopasymbolicapproachandtrytotellastory.Consumers
unconsciouslyprefertotellandtohearstories,astheygivelifetoothers’experienceortotheir
experiencewiththebrand(Woodside,2006).Compellingstoriesraiseexpectationsaboutthe
brand, which will likely increase the positive emotion when trying it, especially if the
relationshipbetweenthebrandandthestoriesseemsauthentic(Hwang,2017).
International firms may have a portfolio of local, international or global brands: local
brandsarepresentinjustonecountryorregion,internationalbrandshaveglobalelements
oftheirmarketingstrategyormix,andglobalbrandsusethesamemarketingstrategyor
mixinalltargetmarkets(SchuilingandKapferer,2004).Althoughaglobalbrandapproach
hasimportantpotentialadvantages–suchaseconomiesofscale,ofcommunicationcosts
andspeedofnewproducts’innovations–theuseofcentralizedmarketingstrategiesmay
lead to less intimate relationships with local markets, with the local competitive
environmentandwithspecificcustomers’needs(Schuiling,2001).
Brandscanbeasourceoforganizationaldifferentiationandvaluecreationforcompanies An archetypal
andcustomers.Regardingcompetitiveadvantage,acompanycandevelopaconsistentbrand approach
strategy,makingsurethatthebrandkeepsthepromise,duetotherelationshipestablished
withthecustomers.Asuccessfulbrandprovidesauniqueaddedvaluethatmeetscustomers’
needs,suchasfamiliarity,reliability,riskreductionandpersonality(Strizhakovaetal.,2008).
Added value provides intangible benefits, such as feelings, ideas and effects to the
brands (Rodrigues, 2008). Brands are an important attribute of consumers’ culture, not
only for the utility value of the commodity, but also for its symbolic strength. It helps
consumers to sustain their identity projects and symbolic meaning (Bengtsson, 2006;
ElliottandWattanasuwan,1998).
The consumer-brand relationship involves processes of brand identification and
T) product categorization, as well as sensorial, affective and cognitive experiences.
P
8 ( Theseinputswillintegratethebrandconceptthroughindividualandculturalsignaling,
01 anddevelopanattitudeandarelationship(Schmitt,2012).Inaddition,thecentralization
2
y of organizational efforts and marketing teams is also important to reach a greater
a
M consensus and create synergies within the organization (Ceballos and Juliana, 2014).
28 Therefore,archetypesmediatebetweenproductsandcustomers’motivation,providingan
9
4 intangiblemeaningfulexperience.
1:
0 A company develops its brand identity from different assets and competencies, which
At leadstothecreationofbrandvaluethroughcustomers’uniqueexperiences,andthecreation
L
A ofabrand-specificmeaning.Ideally,brandidentityisavaluableanduniqueexperiencethat
B
U competitorscannotimitate.Therefore,brandcanbecomeacompetitiveadvantageandthe
T
E expressionofanintention(Urde,1999).
S
E Brand identity is a central issue in marketing research, with two major approaches:
D
O Aaker (1991) proposed a preliminary approach that analyzes it under four different
C perspectives: the brand as a human, a product, a symbol and an organization. Kapferer
NI
C (1995) claimed that the essence of brand identity is the organizational answer to central
TE questions regarding brand’s individuality, consistence, values and signs. This allows
LI companiestospecifytheirbrands’meanings(LouisandLombart,2010).
O
P
O
T Brandpersonalityandbrandarchetypes
U
T Brand personality is one of the main components of brand identity frameworks, and it is
TI
S mandatory for brand managers to develop a systematic process to manage this central
N
y I brandidentitydimension.AlthoughAaker’sbrandpersonalityscalehasbeensuccessfully
d b used in many studies, it has some relevant limitations in an international context and in
de someindustries(Escobar-Farfánetal.,2016).InChile,Rojas-Méndezetal.(2004)couldnot
a
nlo validate this scale in the automobile industry, and Ahmad and Thyagaraj (2014) called
w attention to validation problems of certain dimensions, in some countries. This led to the
o
D developmentofbrandpersonalityscalesinlocalmarkets,suchasinFrance(Ferrandietal.,
2000),USA(Austinetal.,2003),Germany(Hieronimus,2003),andRussia(Supphellenand
Grønhaug,2003),amongothers.
AsanalternativetoAaker’s(1997)brandpersonalityscale,somebrandandmarketing
executives adopted the platform of archetypes to represent brands. In a marketing
perspective, we use archetypes to interact with consumers’ deepest motivations
and give meaning to the products and brands associated with their conscious and
unconscious desires (Mark and Pearson, 2001). The unconscious is divided in personal
unconscious – images and impulses from an individual’s life experiences –, and a
collectiveunconsciousthatincludesabigvarietyofsharedculturalimagesandimpulses,
known as archetypes (Zehnder and Calvert, 2004). Marketing will further advance by
understandingthecollectiveunconscious,andhowitaffectsconsumers’perceptionsand
actions(Dominicietal.,2016).
REGE Archetypes are universal topics of human existence, which are evident in the common
traitsofcharactersandstorylinesinmyths,fairytales,novelsandfilms(FaberandMayer,
2009;McPeek,2008).Societiesdonotexistwithoutcommunicationandrepresentationand,to
acertainextent,theysharetheirculturalarchetypalarticulations(ZehnderandCalvert,2004).
Many brands are representations of “modern myths,” containing cognitive elements,
emotional elements, and unconscious processes. Brand archetypes and myths are
considered allegories that support the construction of brand-consumer relationships
(Muniz and Woodside, 2015). In this context, specific brands may play a pivotal role in
enabling consumers to achieve the proper pleasures that facilitate an implicit brand
recognition and consumer-brand relationships and experiences (Woodside et al., 2008).
The growing interest in archetypes indicates a major transformation in the attitudes of
T) marketing professionals with respect to the unknown regions of the unconscious, and
P
8 ( thesearchforincreasinglysophisticatedwaystoattract,retainandremainrelevanttothe
01 brandcommunity.
2
y To access these patterns, we examined the verbal vehicles that consumers use to
a
M communicate this archetypal theme: their own stories. Brands can capture the essential
8
2 meaning ofthecategory to whichthey belong and communicatetheir messages insubtle
49 andrefinedmanners(MarkandPearson,2001).Thus,consumers’memoriesassociatedto
1:
0 brandsoftenmaterializeintostoriesthroughwhichpatternsofarchetypescanbeidentified.
At The use of archetypes allows creating a spiritual and mystical identity for brands,
L
A helping to establish a deeper and more significant connection with consumers regarding
B
U their unconscious aspirations (Siraj and Kumari, 2011). Archetypes mediate between
T
E productsandcustomermotivations,providinganintangibleexperienceofmeaning.
E S Mark and Pearson (2001) used Carl Jung’s archetypal model and proposed a business
D
O application (Figure 1) that is frequently used. In their model, 12 archetypes are classified
C intofourhumanmaindrivers:“belongingandenjoyment,”“independenceandfulfillment,”
CNI “stability and control” and “risk and mystery.” According to Bosley (2017), Mark and
TE Pearson’sresearchisthegroundbreakingworkthatlinksarchetypestobrands(TableI).
LI Although each archetype is autonomous in terms of personality traits, Mark and
O
P Pearson (2001) proposed a two-axis framework to group archetypes into clusters.
O
T The framework considers their common attributes, according to the four major human
U
T drivers(seeFigure1):thex-axislinkstheneedtobelongandenjoywithindependenceand
TI fulfillment; the y-axis links the need for stability and control with risk/mystery.
S
N Thesemotivationsaredeep,andpullcustomersindifferentdirections,sotheyshouldbe
by I includedinmarketingandbrandstrategies.
d
e
d
a
o
nl Stability and Control
w Creator, Caregiver, Ruler
o
D
Belonging and
Independence and
Enjoyment
Fulfillment
Lover
Innocent
Jester
Explorer
Everyman
Sage
Figure1.
Risk and Mastery
Majorhumandrives
Hero, Outlaw, Magician
andbrandarchetypes
Source: Adapted from Mark and Pearson (2001)
An archetypal
Examplesof
approach
Archetype Description Characteristic brands
Caregiver Theywanttoprotectothersfromharm, Caring,compassionandgenerosity. Nivea
tohelp,totakecare Protective,devoted,sacrificingand
maternal/parental.Benevolent,friendly,
helpingandtrusting
Regular Theyhavethebasicdesireofconnection Workingclassorcommonperson,the GAP,Visa
guy withothers;wanttobelong,tofitin neighbor,ordered,sometimesfatalistic
andself-depreciative,realistic,and
disappointedhumanist.Havingthe
basicdesireofconnectionwithothers,
T) wanttobelong,tofitin
18 (P Innocent Dhaepsiprienefosrs,sfiamitphleanpduroitpyt,imgoisomdness, Phuumreb,flea,itthrafunlq,uniali,vloe,ockhinilgd-fliokrehcahpapraincetessr; CDoisknee,y
0
2 andsimplicity
ay Explorer Desiretobefree,tofindoutwhothey Independent,adventurer.Seeks Amazon,
M
arebyexploringtheworld.Longto discoveryandfulfillment.Oftensolitary Starbucks
8
2 experienceabetter,moreauthenticand andindomitable.Theywanttodiscover
49 rewardinglife whotheyare,seekingtoexplorethe
01: worldandhaveanauthenticand
At fulfillinglife
L Sage Theywanttofindthetruth.Usetheir Valueenlighteningandknowledge,truth McKinsey,
A
B intelligenceandanalysistounderstand andunderstanding;abitpretentious. Harvard
U theworld Theyusetheirintelligencetounderstand
T
E theworld,todiscoverthetruth
S
E Hero Theywanttoprovetheirownworth Courageous,impetuous,rescuer,crusader. Nike
D throughcourageousanddifficultaction. Wantstoprovehis/herownvaluethrough
O Aimtoexercisemasterytoimprovethe courageousandtoughaction.Triumphs
C
NI world overadversities.Theirskillsare
C persistence,strength,determination,
E
T discipline,challengeandability
LI Outlaw Theirbasicdesireisrevengeor Representedbytherebelliousiconoclast, Harley
O
P revolution:Theywanttodestroywhat thesurvivorandarule-breaker. Davidson,
O doesnotworkforthemortosociety Canbewild,destructiveand Apple
T
U astruggler.Revolutionary
T
TI Magician Theywanttoknowthefundamental Thevisionary,thealchemist.Focused Vanish,
S lawsandfunctioningoftheworldorthe onnaturalforces,transformationsand Pantene
N
by I universeandrealizedreams mhoewtamthoerwphoorsldesw.Torhkesyawndanitnftloueknncoew
ed itstransformation
ad Lover Theywanttoachieveintimacyand Intimate,romantic,sensualand Victoria’s
o
nl experiencesensualpleasure.Aimto especiallypassionate.Seductive, Secret,
w
o maintainarelationshipwithpeople delighted,tempestuousandwhimsical. Godiva
D Warm,playful,eroticand
enthusiasticpartner
Creator Theywanttocreatesomethingvaluable Representedasinnovative,artistic, LEGO
andlasting,participateinforminga self-driven,inventive,adreamer.
vision Oftennon-social.Focusedonquality
Jester Theywanttoliveinthepresentwithfull Livingforfun.Usuallyironicand Pepsi,
joyandentertaintheworld mirthful.Sometimesirresponsible. BurgerKing
Liveinthemoment
Ruler Theywanttocontrol,raiseafamily, Representedbyastrongsenseofpower American
and/orbuildasuccessfulcompany andcontrol.Theleader,theboss,and Express,
orcommunity thejudge.Influentialandstubborn. Microsoft
TableI.
Highlevelofdominance MarkandPearson’s
Sources:AdaptedfromMarkandPearson(2001),FaberandMayer(2009) (2001)archetypes
REGE Thecreator,caregiverandrulerarchetypesareassociatedtothosewhointendtoorganize
the world, helping individuals to feel more secure. These people’s main concerns regard
financialaspects,healthandlossofcontrol.
Thelover,jesterandregularguyarchetypesrefertotheneedtoconnecttoothersandto
beaccepted,tobelong,butnottochangetheworld.Thesearchetypesfocusonpeoplewho
relatetoothersandonlove/community.Theirconcernsareexile,orphaning,abandonment,
andengulfment(submission/destruction).
The hero, outlaw and magician archetypes represent those who want to change and
improvetheworld,makedreamscometrue.Thesearebraveprotagonists,capableoffacing
challenges, taking risks, breaking the rules, and changing their realities. They fear
impotence,powerlessnessandineffectiveness(thedisinterestofothers).
T) The innocent, explorer and sage archetypes relate to the pursuit of happiness.
P
8 ( Theyfocusonindependenceandautonomy,ratherthanbelonging.Thesearchetypeshelp
01 people to pursuit happiness, mainly dealing with the fear of entrapment, conformity,
2
y andinneremptiness.
a
M A systematic and strong management of all the components and related items for
8
2 different stakeholders ismandatory, in order to build astrong brand identity. Companies
49 must monitor stakeholders’ insights on how the brand is sensed in their perspective,
1:
0 whetherornottheyarecustomers(Urde,2016).
At The perceived brand archetype, and how it relates to the desired brand identity, is a
L
A relevanttopictostudyacrossmarketsegments andcountries:individualperceptions and
B
U purchasingpatternsarepartlydeterminedbythecollectivevaluesofthelocalcommunity,
ET includingHofstede’sindicatorsofculturalproximity(HofstedeCentre,2017).Furthermore,
E S usage patterns and motivations may vary across countries and affect customer’s
D
O perceptions(Pentinaetal.,2016).AccordingtoChauetal.(2002),wemayexpectthatpeople
C withdifferentculturalbackgroundswillresponddifferentlytoaglobalgenericwebsite.
NI
C
E
T Methodologyandfieldresearch
OLI The empirical research focused on the analysis of customers’ perceptions regarding three
O P leading global brands – Facebook, Apple and Amazon –, which are among the largest
T brands, withhighgrowth rates(Interbrand, 2015)inthefourcountries. Wemeasuredthe
U
T intensity of the brand-archetype associations by identifying the sentence and number of
TI
S wordsthattherespondentsmentioned,amongthethreethatdescribeeacharchetype,andto
N
y I whichtheyassociatedthebrand.WeusedthesoftwareSPSS21toanalyzedata.
d b Thereistheoreticalsupportforassociatingthethreebrandstospecificarchetypesand
de clusters.Apple isincluded inthe creator archetype and the“stability and control” cluster
nloa (Haddadetal.,2015;MunizandWoodside,2015);Facebookcanbeincludedinthe“Regular
w Guy“archetypeandinthe“belongingandenjoyment”cluster(Roberts,2010);andAmazon
o
D can be included in the explorer archetype and the “independence and fulfillment” cluster
(Mark and Pearson, 2001; Hwang, 2017). For each archetype, it is possible to associate
specific sentences and words. We did not assign words to the “risk and mastery” cluster
becausewedidnotuseanybrandpreviouslyincludedinthatcluster.Nevertheless,wekept
thecorrespondingsentences,asdetailedinTableII.
Inrelationtoeacharchetypespecifications,MarkandPearson(2001)proposedamajor
sentence, as detailed in Table II. They also highlighted a list of major attributes, closely
relatedtoeacharchetype.Inthisstudy,wechosetousemultipleitems(threewordsforeach
archetype)torepresentthesetheoreticalconcepts,asameanstoreducemeasurementerrors
andgetabetterconceptestimation(Hairetal.,2009).Basedonanextensivebibliographical
research, including a detailed analysis of Mark and Pearson’s (2001) framework, three
academicresearcherswithmulti-culturalbackgroundscarriedoutautonomousanalysesof
thedifferentarchetypes,andproposedalistofwords/personalitytraitstocharacterizeeach
An archetypal
Archetype Sentence Word Cluster
approach
Sage “Thetruthwillsetyoufree” Learning,Expert,Credibility Independence
andFulfillment
Innocent “Freetobeyouandme” Optimism,Simplicity,Goodness
Explorer “Don’tfencemein” Freedom,Adventure,Independence
Ruler “Powerisn’teverything.It’sthe Power,Control,Authority Stabilityand
onlything” Control
Creator “Ifitcanbeimagined,itcanbecreated” Creativity,Innovation,Vision
Caregiver “Welivetoserve” Friend,Care,Protection
Regular “Lovetheyneighborasyourself” Democracy,Regular,Empathy Belongingand
Guy enjoyment
T) Lover “Ionlyhaveeyesforyou” Sensuality,Pleasure,Intimacy
18 (P JHeesrtoer ““AWhlieferewtihtehroeu’stafuwniilsl,athleifree’shaalfw-liavye”d” ENnotjocyomnsenidte,rHedumour,Relaxation RiskandMastery
May 20 MOuatglaicwian ““IRtuclaensabreedmoneaen!”ttobebroken” ArchetypTesa-rbelleatIeId.
8 Source:AdaptedfromMarkandPearson(2001) sentencesandwords
2
9
4
1:
0
At archetype.Theselistsweresharedanddebated,inordertoachieveafinal27-itemscaleto
L applyinamulti-culturalsurvey,whereparticipantswereaskedtomakealinkbetweenthe
A
B brand and each word. For each personality trait, respondents had to say if it was related
U
T (YesorNo)toeachbrand:weusedthreebrands,eachoneincludedinadifferentclusterof
SE threearchetypes:3brands×3clusters×3archetypes ¼ 27words.
DE We measured consumers’ perceptions in the different cultural contexts through a
O survey conducted in two Spanish-speaking countries, namely, Colombia (CO) and
C
NI Peru (PE), and two Portuguese-speaking countries, Brazil (BR) and Portugal (PT).
C According to the Hofstede Centre (2017), these countries have very similar indicators of
E
T cultural proximityin termsofpowerdistanceanduncertaintyavoidance,butindicators
LI
O such as individualism and indulgence show very different results (see Figure 2).
P
O It seemed relevant to study how three brands with a global approach behave in this
UT diverseculturalcontexts.
TIT WeconductedanonlinesurveybetweenMarchandMay2016,withayoungpopulation,
S mostly undergraduates. There were 537 valid questionnaires, from participants between
N
y I
b
d
de 100
a
nlo 90
w
o 80
D
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Power Individualism Masculinity Uncertainty Long Term Indulgence
Figure2.
Distance avoidance Orientation
Culturalproximity
PT BR PE CO indexes
Source: Adapted from Hofstede (2017)
REGE 17 and 40 years old, with an average value of 27.2 years, and 41 percent were women.
Thedistribution amongcountrieswas116validquestionnairesinPortugal,130inBrazil,
190inPeruand101inColombia.
Resultsfromapple
Apple was founded in 1976 and its predominant archetype nowadays is the “Creator.”
Accordingtotheircorporativestatement“Appledesignsthebestpersonalcomputersinthe
world […] leads the digital music revolution […] reinvented the mobile phone and is
definingthefutureofmobilemediaandcomputingdevices”(Apple,2013).Forthisbrand,
we observed a significant coherence regarding the archetype mentioned in the literature
(creator)andconsumers’perceptions,throughwordsandsentences.AsshowninTableIII,
T)
P themostcommonlywordsusedinallcountrieswereassociatedwiththecreatorarchetype.
8 ( ThewordInnovationisthemostcited(between85and95percentalongthecountries),
1
20 followedbycreativityandvision.Byanalyzingthewordsthatrespondentsassociatedwith
y
a theApplebrand,thedominantarchetypewascreator(22percentofallwordsmentioned),
M
8 followed by Sage (15 percent) and Ruler (13 percent). On average, respondents associated
2
9 2.58(outof3)ofthesewordswiththeApplebrand;amongthecountries,weconfirmedthat
4
1: BrazilistheonewheretheassociationofthebrandwiththeCreator archetypewasmore
0
At evident:80percentoftherespondentsmentionedthethreewords.
L Answers regarding the sentences associated with the Apple brand were also very
BA consistent:61percentoftherespondentsassociatedittothesentence“Ifitcanbeimagined,
TU it can be created.” The second most mentioned sentence was associated with the Ruler
E
S archetype,whichbelongstothesameclusterandreceivedonly8percentoftheanswers.
DE We conducted a χ2 test to analyze the independence of the observation of archetypes
O (sentences and words), with respect to the countries of origin. We concluded that in
C
NI thecaseofthemostpresentarchetypesforthisbrand–Creator(p-value¼0.000)andSage
C (p-value¼0.000) –, consumers’ perceptions were not independent of the country of data
E
T collection, with a significance level of 0.05. However, considering only South American
OLI countries, the most present archetype for this brand (Creator) reached a p-value¼0.025.
O P Thatis,inthesethreecountries,individuals’perceptionstowardAppleareindependentof
UT theirplaceoforigin,asobservedinTableIV.
TIT Theanalysisofthechosenwordsshowedthatthemostrelevantclustersofarchetypes
S are Stability and Control (44 percent), Independence and Fulfillment (30 percent) and
N
y I BelongingandEnjoyment(26percent),asshowninTableV.
d b By analyzing the results from the literature review and respondents’ associations,
e
d expressedthroughwordsandsentences,weconcludedthatallassociationsareveryclearly
a
nlo relatedtothereferencecluster(StabilityandControl),whichisconsistentwiththeliterature.
w
o
D
Portugal Brazil Peru Colombia Total
No. Word (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) Archetype Cluster
1 Innovation 95 95 85 93 91 Creator Stabilityandcontrol
2 Creativity 85 90 82 92 87 Creator Stabilityandcontrol
3 Vision 64 85 75 73 75 Creator Stabilityandcontrol
4 Expert 72 70 63 71 68 Sage IndependenceandFulfillment
5 Power 76 72 58 56 65 Ruler Stabilityandcontrol
6 Credibility 49 76 57 68 62 Sage IndependenceandFulfillment
7 Enjoyment 53 44 44 49 47 Jester Belongingandenjoyment
TableIII. 8 Optimism 50 53 47 34 47 Innocent IndependenceandFulfillment
Apple‒thetenmost 9 Pleasure 40 55 40 51 46 Lover Belongingandenjoyment
mentionedwords 10 Independence 37 43 43 36 40 Explorer IndependenceandFulfillment
As shown in Figure 3, most of the sentences are associated with the Stability and Control An archetypal
cluster(72percent).Thesamehappenswiththewords(46percent),although,inthiscase,the approach
dispersionislarger,especiallyintheclusterofIndependenceandFulfillment(33percent).
ResultsfromFacebook
FacebookwasassociatedtothewordsEnjoyment,FriendandHumor,whichbelongtothe
JesterandCaregiverarchetypes(seeTableVI).
TheanalysisofthewordsthatrespondentsassociatedwiththeFacebookbrandshows
thattheJesterarchetypeisthemostrelevant:64percentoftherespondents associatedat
least two of the words, and 34 percent associated all three words with this archetype.
T) Then,theRegularGuy(41percent)andRuler(38percent)archetypeswereassociatedwith
P
8 (
1
0
2
y PTBRCOPE BRCOPE PTBR Wordsglobalarchetypeshare
Ma Archetype 4countries 3countries 2countries
8
9 2 Creator 0.000 0.025 0.000 22
1:4 Sage 0.001 0.001 0.651 15
0 Ruler 0.013 0.013 0.725 13
At Caregiver 0.000 0.001 0.960 9
AL Lover 0.004 0.079 0.107 9
B Innocent 0.013 0.324 0.001 9
U
T Explorer 0.342 0.173 0.878 8 TableIV.
SE Jester 0.046 0.026 0.905 8 Appleχ2testin
DE Regularguy 0.013 0.187 0.107 5 thecountries–
O Note:Thesignificancelevelusedforitalicvalueswas0.05 threewords
C
NI
C
E
T
LI
O
P
O Portugal(%) Brazil(%) Peru(%) Colombia(%) Total(%)
T TableV.
U
T Stabilityandcontrol 45 47 45 46 46 Apple‒association
TI Independenceandfulfillment 35 32 33 31 33 ofwordstothecluster
S
N Belongingandenjoyment 20 21 22 24 22 ofarchetypes
y I
b
d
e
d
a
o
wnl Stability and control
o
D
Belonging and Independence
enjoyment and fulfillment
Sentences
Words Figure3.
Scatterdiagram:
Apple
Risk and Mastery