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Instituto Politécnico de Leiria III Congresso Internacional de Turismo de Leiria e Oeste – 2009 Towards an understanding of epistemology of the brand concept and its use in tourism Rosária Pereira Universidade do Algarve Abstract As branding is considered to be one of the most powerful tool in marketing, destination branding is increasingly becoming an extremely appealing field of research. Academics and practitioners believe that a destination can be branded like a consumer product or a service. The concepts of brand, brand image and brand personality are well documented in marketing literature, but applying them to tourism and tourism destinations is relatively new. Destinations need to create a brand to help its positioning and emphasizing the uniqueness of the place. This paper presents a chronological theoretical framework around the concept of brand. It further examines the concepts of brand image and brand personality and how they interrelate in order to provide a deeper understanding of these constructs and its applications in the field of tourism. This framework will support the development of a taxonomy for tourism destination brand personality. Keywords: brand image, brand personality, destination branding, destination marketing, tourism 1 Instituto Politécnico de Leiria III Congresso Internacional de Turismo de Leiria e Oeste – 2009 1. INTRODUCTION Destinations offer an amalgam of tourism products and services, which are consumed under the brand name of the destination, providing an integrated experience to tourists. Leiper (1995, p.87) explains that destinations are “places towards which people travel and where they choose to stay for a while in order to experience certain features or characteristics - a perceived attraction of some sort”, but a destination can also be a perceptual concept, which can be interpreted subjectively by consumers, depending on their travel experience, cultural background, purpose of visit, and psychographic and demographic characteristics (Buhalis, 2000). Before visiting, tourists develop an image about destinations as well as a set of expectations based on previous experience, word of mouth, press reports, advertising, and common beliefs (Chon, 1991 and Baloglu & Brinberg, 1997), which differentiate one destination from another, within the tourist imagery. The complex process of brand destination formation appears to be correlated with the desirable image of the destination, the experience of the destination, and consequent differentiation between destinations. Ekinci & Hosany (2006) argue that destination personality moderate the relationship between destination image (cognitive) and the intention to recommend. Although there has been a proliferation of ‘branding’ and ‘destination image’ studies during the past three decades, ‘destination brand personality’ has been largely unexplored. The term ‘brand’ has been, over time, used for different meanings and in different contexts. Since ‘brand’ entered marketing in the early 1920’ it has been associated with several other terms to denominate different concepts. When ‘brand’ is associated with ‘image’ it relates to the set of feelings, ideas and attitudes that consumers have about a brand. When ‘brand’ is associated with ‘personality’ it refers to the human characteristics of brand which differentiate it from its competitors. “Brands are perceived to possess a ‘personality’ that consumers use to self-express or to experience the emotional benefits of the brand” (Phau & Lau, 2000, p. 52). Similarly, while destination image is a multidimensional construct comprising of two primary dimensions: cognitive (beliefs and knowledge about the physical attributes of a destination) and affective (appraisal of the affective quality and feelings towards the attributes and the surroundings environments) (Baloglu & McClearly, 1999), destination personality is viewed as a multidimensional construct and is defined as the “set of human characteristics associated with a tourism destination” (Hosany, Ekincy & Uysal, 2006, p. 639). 2 Instituto Politécnico de Leiria III Congresso Internacional de Turismo de Leiria e Oeste – 2009 A clear distinction between brand image and brand personality has been the subject of many studies but not fully accomplished yet (Patterson, 1999), as a result, the two concepts have been used interchangeably in the literature. In some studies brand image has been defined in terms of brand personality (Hendon & Williams, 1985; Patterson, 1999; Plummer, 1985; and Upshaw, 1995). Other authors advocate that brand personality and brand identity are antecedents of brand image (Heylen et.al., 1995). Kapferer (1997) conceptualizes personality and self-image as antecedents of brand identity, along with physical relationships, reflection and culture. Therefore, the lack of theory development has resulted in some confusion. This paper will focus on clarifying the concepts of ‘brand image’ and ‘brand personality’ and its applications in the tourism arena by analysing the evolution of the use of the term brand, the definitions and key elements of ‘brand image’ and ‘brand personality’, as well as its applications in the field of tourism. Constructs such as destination branding, destination brand image and destination brand personality will also be explored in order to provide a deeper understanding of the importance of those concepts to tourism marketing strategies. Some avenues for future research are suggested. 2. BRAND – CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AND BACKGROUND “In the world a brand denotes a name or a mark that is associated with a product; in the mind, it denotes a mental representation, an idea or a consumer’s perception of psychological meanings[…]” (Stern, 2006, p. 219). Stern (2006) argues that the survival of ‘brand’ is a signal of its vitality as it is one of the more ancient words in English. It was first found in the Germanic languages that evolved to Old English [Anglo-Saxon] in which the word ‘brand’ appears as a noun [e.g. in the epic poem Beowulf], and as verb [in Wycliffe’s religious tract An Apology for Lollard Doctrines (Todd, 1842)]. In fact, the word is even older, dating from the late fifth century A.D. when the events of Beowulf took place (Kleaber, 1950). Thus, the word ‘brand’ was used for at least 15 centuries before it entered Marketing in 1922 when it was used in the compound ‘brand name’ defined as a trade or proprietary name (Oxford English Dictionary, 2004, p. II.9, cited by Stern, 2006). The classification of ‘brand’ as either an entity or a process is based on the fact that it can be used as either a noun or a verb. As a noun, it refers to entities such as people, places, things and ideas; as a verb it refers to processes included in a firm’s effort to make products and services meaningful (Calder & Reagan, 2001). Such efforts include naming 3 Instituto Politécnico de Leiria III Congresso Internacional de Turismo de Leiria e Oeste – 2009 the product, targeting, positioning, and communicating the benefits. Another common use of the word ‘brand is combined in multiword noun phrases such as ‘brand reputation’, ‘brand identity’, ‘brand image’, ‘brand commitment’ and ‘brand personality’ as well as in verbal phrases using the participial ‘ing’ or ‘ed’ form such as ‘branding’, ‘branding power’, ‘branded product’, amongst others. The earliest use of the word ‘brand’ was as a synonym for ‘sword’ which associates it with war and weapons vocabulary, reproduced in modern connotative marketing metaphors such as ‘marketing warfare’, ‘battle of brands’ and ‘killer brand’. Thus, in addition to the literal meaning of the term as a real world identity, there is also a connotative meaning on metal associations in metaphors such as ‘brand image’. In fact, that is one of the older metaphor used in branding, dating from 1958 (Mayer, 1958) defined as the impression of a product in the mind of potential users and consumers. The various definitions currently found in the literature reveal that ‘brand’ is an ambivalent construct, having a positive as well as a negative meaning, which contribute to its multidimensional applicability (Stern, 2006). The negative associations came from its origins, in the Old Germanic, ‘brinn-an’ meaning ‘to burn’. It was than used as a sign that communicates the idea of disgrace or to stigmatize. The negative meaning entered marketing by the hand of Rorty, in 1976, “to compare the Old Gold cigarette brand to an anonymous, unbranded, and presumably inferior product” (Stern, 2006, p. 219). When analyzing the literature about ‘brand’, it can be argued that this term, being mainly used in mass marketing and consumer relationship, has became over defined and that its meaning assumes different perspectives. Some researchers claim that ‘brands’ consist of the visual and verbal representations associated with firms and services while others describe ‘brands’ as images in consumer’s minds of functional and psychological attributes (Martineau, 1959). The positive meaning is the association with burning as a mark of identification, which first appeared in the fifteenth century, when ‘brand’ signified a burn mark or a mark of ownership impressed for instance on cattle and on horses. By the nineteenth century the meaning of ‘brand’ as a physical burn mark expanded to include that of a visual-verbal mark as a sign of quality that refers to a trademark affixed by burning or other means. Examples of current metaphor used in marketing include ‘brand personality’ which compares brands and people in terms of their unique traits, ‘brand identity’ which makes a similar comparison on the basis of the central enduring and distinctive traits common to 4 Instituto Politécnico de Leiria III Congresso Internacional de Turismo de Leiria e Oeste – 2009 both (Brown et al., 2006) and ‘brand reputation’ which compares “a person’s character – the condition, quality or fact of being highly regarded or esteemed – with that of the brand” (Stern, 2006, p 220). When the American Marketing Association (1960) suggested that ‘brand’ can be defined as “a name, term, sign, symbol, design or combination of them which is intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors” (cited by Kotler, 1991, p. 442), stressed the idea that brand’s logo and visual features were the basis for 1958 1960 the ‘brand of Introduction metaphor personality’ 1976 1980’ negative 1950 Logos and visual features when the basis for differentiation Used as a noun in the epic poem Beowulf 1922 a Over the 19th century Assumed meaning 1842 Introduction of the metaphor ‘brand image’ 15th century Used as a verb in An Apology for Lollard Doctrines Synonym of ‘Sword’ Late 5th century Entered marketing used in the compound ‘brand name’. Meaning burn mark or mark of ownership Burn mark expanded to include visual-verbal. Sign of quality – trademark differentiation. Figure 1 represents chronologically the various meanings and uses of the term ‘brand’ over time. Figure 1 - Evolution of the concept of ‘brand’ 3. BRAND IMAGE (BI) Brand image is one of the central constructs in marketing and consumer behavior research, dating from 1950’ and has been used widely and with various applications. Garner & Levy (1955) were the first to draw a definition of ‘brand image’, they considered that products had a social, a psychological and a physical nature, and that the feelings, ideas and attitudes that consumers had about brands were their ‘image’ of the brand. Thus, it was crucial to the purchase choice. It has been demonstrated that products are often purchased or avoided not for their functional attributes but because of how, as symbols, they impact on buyer’s status of self-esteem (Levy, 1959). 5 Instituto Politécnico de Leiria III Congresso Internacional de Turismo de Leiria e Oeste – 2009 Dobni & Zinkhan (1990) argued that there are numerous definitions of brand image in the literature, which initially may cause confusion. The authors suggested that to analyze thoroughly the concept of ‘brand image’ researchers should consider aspects such as: a) the names given to the concept; b) the definitions that have been developed; c) the components of the concept of brand image; d) the instruments that have been used to measure it and e) the perspectives on the origin, creation, formulation and manipulation of the concept. However, as the purpose of this paper is to understand the epistemology of the constructs brand image and brand personality, establish some boundaries and find some common ground between the two concepts, the focus will be on the emphasis given and new elements in formal definitions. 3.1 Formal definitions of BI Dobni & Zikhan (1990) provide a cross section of definitions of BI resulting from a collection for over three decades (1955 – 1987). The authors grouped the definitions into categories on the basis of their principal emphasis. The five categories found are: blanket definitions [broad definitions], definitions with emphasis on symbolism [relate commercial objects to symbols/imagery of the user], definitions with emphasis on meanings and messages [the underlining (psychological) meaning that consumers ascribe to a product], definitions with emphasis on personification [attributing human characteristics to the brand] and definitions with emphasis on cognitive or psychological elements [concentrate on mental effects, feelings, ideas and attitudes that consumers have about brands]. In addition, it is also possible to find in the literature definitions with emphasis on perceptions [of reality or brand associations (information which contains meaning: attributes, benefits and attitudes)], self concepts [self-image] and relationship/communication [between the brand and the consumer]. Table 1 presents a chronological set of definitions of BI. Table 1 – Critical review of the definitions of BI Author Definitions of BI Emphasis given/ new elements Gartner & Levy ‘the social and psychological (1955) nature of products’ Cognitive or psychological Martineau (1957) ‘BI is a symbol of the buyers elements personality’ Newman (1957) “everything people associate Perception with a brand” Mayer (1958) ‘the impression of a product in the mind of potential users and Cognitive or psychological consumers’. elements Levy (1959) ‘the symbols by which we buy’ Symbolism 6 Instituto Politécnico de Leiria III Congresso Internacional de Turismo de Leiria e Oeste – 2009 Herzog (1963) “the sum of the total Perception impressions” Sommers (1963) ‘perceived product symbolism’ Symbolism Pohlman & Mudd ‘symbolic utility’ (1973) Swartz (1983) ‘the messages communicated Meanings by products’ Sirgy (1985) Hendon & Williams (1985) Park, Jaworski & MacInnis ( 1986 ) ‘personality image’ ‘brand personality’ or ‘brand Personification character’ ‘the understanding consumers derive from the total set of Relationship/ brand-related activities communication engaged by the brand’. Stuart, ‘brand meaning’ Durgee & (1987) Friedmann & Lessig (1987) Runyon & Stewart (1987) Kotler (1991) Meanings ‘the psychological meaning of products’ “ the product perception” Perception ‘the set of beliefs held about a particular brand’ Biel (1992) ‘the imagery of the user’ Keller (1993) ‘BI is a perception about a brand as reflected by the brand associations held in consumer memory’ Upshaw (1995) Upshaw (1995); Aaker (1996) ‘set of associations, usually organized in some meaningful way’ Aaker (1996) ‘Brand Image is significantly related to customers’ self-concepts’ Aaker (1996) and ‘brand as a person’ Aaker (1997) de Chernatony & ‘Brand Image is significantly Dall’Olmo Riley related to customers’ (1998); Solomon self-concepts’ (1999) Patterson, (1999) ‘brand image as an element of and Hosany, Ekinci, brand personality’ & Uysal (2006) Cognitive or psychological elements Symbolism Perception Personification Meanings Self concepts (self-image) Personification Self concepts Personification Adapted and extended from Dobni & Zaihan, 1990 The conclusion that can be drawn from the definitions above are that ‘brand image’ is: 1) held by the consumer; 2) a perceptual process resulting from interpretation that can be reasoned as well as emotional; 3) affected and influenced by marketing, context variables 7 Instituto Politécnico de Leiria III Congresso Internacional de Turismo de Leiria e Oeste – 2009 and characteristics of the receiver and finally 4) strongly based on perception of reality rather than reality itself. Regarding the categories suggested by Dobni & Zinkhan (1990), some of these are deeply interrelated, for instance, meanings can be found in most image definitions seeing that meanings is particularly related to symbolism and personification, Moreover, cognitive and psychological elements are implicit in all definitions since the first conceptualizations. Moreover, the chronological analysis of the definitions shows that symbolism, perception and cognitive and psychological elements had been base for BI definitions, while personification, relationships/communication and self-concepts (namely self-image) have been more recently introduced. However, those elements should not be ignored since, from a psychological perspective, consumers can develop relations dyads with brands that are “humanized” by advertisers (Fournier, 1998). That idea had been suggested by Sirgy (1985) when arguing that a product is more likely to be enjoyed if there is congruity between its image and the actual ideal self-image of the user. From that humanization or personification of brands emerged the concept of brand personality. 4. BRAND PERSONALITY (BP) 4.1. Conceptualization The term personality is used differently in the context of brands (attributes, benefits, price, and user imagery) and in the context of persons (appearance, traits and behaviour). BP is not being used here in a strict literal sense, but as a metaphor. Although brands are not people, they can be personified (Aaker & Fournier, 1995). That is, brands can be characterized by personality descriptors such as ‘youthful’, ‘colourful’ and ‘gentle’ resulting from the firm’s communication (Plummer, 1985). Reinforcing this idea, De Chernatony (2001) argued that personality features are the most fruitful ingredient in designing an appealing brand positioning and are readily translatable into appealing communication imagery. As consumers tend to associate brands with celebrity characters or famous historical figures (Aaker, 1997; McCracken, 1989; Plummer, 2000), a brand can be characterized by endowing unique personality traits and dimensions. The perceived personality of a brand also provides consumers with the means to express him or herself (Belk, 1988), ideal self (Malhotra, 1988) or specific dimensions of the self (Kleine et al., 1993). This is consistent with the symbolic meaning of consumption, where consumers exploit brands to construct and maintain their identity (Fiske, 1989; Kassarjian, 1971) and to experience emotional gratification (O’Donohoe, 1994). In order to establish a parallel with the definitions of ‘brand image’, the same analysis was done to the concept of ‘brand 8 Instituto Politécnico de Leiria III Congresso Internacional de Turismo de Leiria e Oeste – 2009 personality’. Table 2 chronologically summarizes the main definitions of BP according to the emphasis given/new elements found. Table 2 – Critical review of the definition of BP Author Definition Emphasis given / new elements Biel (1992) ‘brand personality’ is a component of ‘brand image’. Brand image Keller (1993) ‘brand personality’ is a component of ‘brand image’. Aaker (1995) ‘a set of human characteristics associated with a brand which tend to serve a symbolic or self expressive Personification / Self-concept function rather then and utilitarian function’. Allen & Olson ‘specific set of meanings which (1995) describe the inner characteristics of a Meanings (attributed to brand’ brands) Aaker (1996) ‘brand personality’ is a component of ‘brand image’. Brand image (Aaker, 1997) ‘the set of human characteristics associated with a brand’. Personification Kapferer ‘brand personality’ is only one (1997) component of brand identity’ Brand identity Keller (1998) ‘a set of human characteristics associated with a brand which tend to serve a symbolic or self expressive Personification / self-concept function rather than and utilitarian function’. Azoulay & ‘the unique set of human personality Kapferer, traits both applicable and relevant to Personification (2003) brands’. ‘brand personality’ is only one Blythe (2007) component of brand identity’ Brand identity Firstly, BP has been conceptualized in terms of ‘brand image’ or a component of ‘brand image’ (Biel 1992 and Keller, 1993). Only since the mid 1990’ the concept suffered significant developments such as considering BP as the personification of the brand (Aaker, 1995; Aaker, 1997; Azoulay & Kepferer, 2003 and Keller, 1998). Attributing human personality traits to a brand requires that the brand performs intentional behaviours. 9 Instituto Politécnico de Leiria III Congresso Internacional de Turismo de Leiria e Oeste – 2009 4.2. The five key dimensions of BP “Although ambiguously, the dimensions of BP resemble the big five dimensions of human personality (…). BP researchers can profit from the development of a BP taxonomy, just as human personality taxonomists do” (Milas & Mlacic, 2007, p. 626). According to Hosany, Ekinci & Uysal (2006), BP constructs achieved validity through Aaker’s brand personality scale (BPS). The five basic BP dimensions identified by Aaker (1997) were sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication and ruggedness. These are derived from 15 personality facets of brands, as shown in table 3. These facets can be further deconstructed into 42 personality traits. The study was carried out on brands from 39 product categories and these brands have been identified as consistently possessing these five major dimensions in personality. It is also suggested that the personality dimensions of sincerity, excitement and competence cover an innate part of the human personality, while sophistication and ruggedness relates to dimensions that an individual desires but does not necessarily have (Aaker, 1997). Studies have also shown that the development of a brand’s personality can be influenced by consumers’ personality, (Aaker, 1994) self-congruity (Kassarjian, 1971 and Sirgy, 1982), culture (Aaker, 1998) and demographics (Aaker, 1996). Table 3 – Aaker’s (1997) brand personality dimensions and traits Sincerity Excitement Competence Sophistication Ruggedness Down to earth Daring Reliable Upper class Outdoorsy Honest Spirited Intelligent Charming Tough Wholesome Imaginative Successful Cheerful Up-to-date Family-oriented Trendy Hard-working Glamorous Masculine Small-town Exciting Secure Good-looking Western Sincere Cool Technical Feminine Rugged Real Young Corporate Smooth Original Unique Leader Sentimental Independent Confident Friendly Contemporary Aaker, 1997 In subsequent studies, the concept of brand personality has proven to be helpful in explaining the relationships between people and their brands. For instance, Aaker (1999) reveals that people tend to select and use brands with different salient personality 10 Instituto Politécnico de Leiria III Congresso Internacional de Turismo de Leiria e Oeste – 2009 dimensions to emphasise certain aspects of their own personality in various situational contexts. Aaker, Martínez & Garolera (2001) stated that “as in human personality, brand appears to be consistently organized around five dimensions” (2001, p. 506), when studying brand personality in Spain and Japan. In contrast, Caprara, Barbaranelli & Guido (2001) found that the big five do not replicate when describing brands. They also found that human personality descriptors have different meaning when applied to different brands. In addition, more recent studies on the relationship between brands and people (Aaker et al., 2004) show that brand personality traits can have a direct influence on the way the relationship between brand and owner is formed and maintained. That is, Aaker et al. (2004) find that in line with implications of the brand personality concept, relationships with sincere brands deepen over time, whereas consumer–brand relationships for exciting brands show a more short development over time. This relationship allows consumers to establish a reflexive evaluation with a product (Solomon, 1983). As a result, consumers exhibit a strong desire to build relationships with brands that project personality that they are comfortable with as though they are interacting with someone they like (Aaker, 1996; Phau & Lau, 2001). Azoulay & Kapferer (2003) also agree that consumers perceive brands as having personality traits. They demonstrate that brand scales do not measure BP, but instead merge a number of dimensions of BI. Most of the research papers on BP are based on Aaker’s scale, merging all human characteristics applicable to brands underneath one word – personality - thereby losing the distinctiveness of the facets of BI (personality is just one of them). As stated before those authors suggest that the concept of BP should be seen as “the unique set of human personality traits both applicable and relevant to brands” (2003, p. 153). 5. DESTINATION BRANDING (DB) Although branding has been a concept used by marketeers since the late 80s, tourism DB is a relatively new development. It combines marketing products and services and the commoditization of people’s culture and environment. Lack of research regarding destination brand measurement indicates that conceptualizing how tourists evaluate a destination brand is complex (Boo, Busser & Baloglu, 2009). The complexity of this issue requires a particular focused effort by tourism researchers since it comprehends “a multiplicity of concerns needing a multidisciplinay response” (Gnoth, 1998, p. 759). 11 Instituto Politécnico de Leiria III Congresso Internacional de Turismo de Leiria e Oeste – 2009 The development of DB is one example of tourism practitioners who borrow and use ideas with little regard to academic debates (Murphy, Morscado & Benckendorff, 2007). Several authors have suggested specific DB processes, making a number of statements about the value of the branding concept for improving tourism destination marketing (Morgan & Pritchard 2002; Morgan, Pritchard, & Piggott 2003). Their arguments are based on the assumption that a strong brand can have a positive differential marketing effect because: 1) it attracts more favourable attribute and benefit perceptions and overall preference, 2) it can attract greater price premiums and 3) it can result in consumers paying greater attention to communications, retaining more information from them and reacting in a more positive way (Hoeffler & Keller 2003). DB can be defined as “perceptions about a place as reflected by the associations held in tourist memory” (Cai, 2002, p. 273). Such a concept serves to enhance destination marketing by providing potential tourists with information that allows them to identify a destination, differentiate it from its competitors and build expectations about the likely holiday experience offered by the destination. Furthermore, a destination brand can assist tourists in consolidating and reinforcing their perceptions of the destination after their travel experience (Ritchie & Ritchie, 1998). Cai (2002) further conceptualized DB as “selecting a consistent element mix to identify and distinguish [a destination] through positive image building” (2002, p. 722). DB has also been considered synonymous with (re)positioning (Gilmore, 2002), image-building (Curtis, 2001), image-reconstruction (Hall, 2002) of a destination and analogous to corporate or umbrella branding, whereby a destination functions like a company that produces various product/service brands (Gnoth, 2002; Papadopoulos & Heslop, 2002). Furthermore, the key for DB is to develop an emotional link with tourists (Morgan, Pitchard & Pride, 2004). Another definition of this concept comes from Morrisson & Aderson (2002) who argue that DB is “[the] process used to develop a unique identity and personality that is different from all competitive destinations” (2002, p. 17). Tourism literature is consistent when illustrating the process of branding a destination as a collective effort (Kaplanidou & Vogt, 2003; Morgan et al, 2002; 2003; 2004 and Morrison & Anderson, 2002). However, some consider the concept of DB a myth and a misleading notion due to the lack of clear ownership and control (Mundt, 2002). The process of destination branding can only be successful if all the destination stakeholders are involved. A synergetic interaction, unity and collaboration among stakeholders is a essential feature for a positive outcome as far as destination brand is concerned, making this process a “highly complex and politicised activity” (Morgan et. al, 2003, p. 2869) 12 Instituto Politécnico de Leiria III Congresso Internacional de Turismo de Leiria e Oeste – 2009 6. THE APPLICATION OF BI AND BP CONCEPTS IN TOURISM 6.1 Destination image (DI) Several statements emerge in tourism literature about DI. For instance Blain, Levy & Ritchie (2005) suggested that DI should be included in the definition of destination brands; Cai (2002) considered brand image building to be an important component in the formation of a DB model. Building a destination brand image essentially means identifying the most relevant associations for the destination and strengthening their linkages to the destination brand (Keller, 1993). When establishing a parallel between the concepts of BI and DI, it is noticeable that ‘brand image’ include elements such as symbolism, personification and meaning whereas destination image definitions tend to emphasize mainly perception and cognitive and psychological elements. The cognitive component can be interpreted, according to Baloglu & McClearly (1999) as beliefs and knowledge about the physical attributes of a destination. Those elements are common ground to definitions of ´’brand image’ and ‘destination image’. Table 3 chronologically summarises DI definitions. Table 4 – Critical review of the definitions of DI Author Definition of DI Emphasis Given / New Elements Hunt (1971) ‘Impressions that a person or persons hold about a state in which they do not live’. Perception Hunt (1975) ‘Perceptions held by potential visitors about an area’. Crompton (1977) ‘Organized representations of a destination in a cognitive system’. and Lawson and ‘An expression of knowledge, impressions, Cognitive Bond-Bovy prejudice, imaginations and emotional thoughts psychological (1977) an individual has of a specific object or place’. elements Crompton ‘Sum of beliefs, ideas and impressions that a (1979) person has of a destination’. Phelps (1986) ‘Perceptions or impressions of a place’ Tourism Canada (1986-1989) ‘How a country is perceived relative to others’. Gartner (1989) ‘A complex combination of various products and associated attributes’. Meanings Perception 13 Instituto Politécnico de Leiria III Congresso Internacional de Turismo de Leiria e Oeste – 2009 Calantone, et al. ‘Perceptions of potential tourist destinations’. (1989) Perception Fakeye Crompton (1991): Kotler and ‘Image is the mental construct developed by a potential tourist on the basis of a few selected impressions among impressions’. et the flood of total Cognitive and psychological a.l ‘The image of a place is the sum of beliefs, elements (1994): ideas, and impressions that a person holds of it’. Parenteau (1995): ‘Is a favourable or unfavourable prejudice that the audience and distributors have of the product or destination’. Cognitive and psychological elements Gartner (1993), ‘Destination images are developed by three Cognitive (1996): psychological elements hierarchically interrelated components: cognitive, affective, and conative’. and Adapted from Gallarza et.al., 2002 and Echtner & Ritchie, 2003 Ekinci (2003) provides a model or framework for DB that incorporates many of these arguments. In this model the DI is made up of three components: the overall image, the destination brand and, within the destination brand, brand personality. The destination image is then linked to the tourist’s self-image. This connection between self-image and destination image is consistent with arguments that lifestyle and value systems are key elements in destination choice processes (Ekinci, 2003). It has been proposed that consumer decisions are often based on whether or not a product fits into their lifestyle and/or whether it offers a desirable experience (Morgan et. al., 2002). Such arguments have also been made with respect to destination marketing. In particular, it is suggested that travel is increasingly about experiences, fulfilment, and rejuvenation rather than about “places and things” (King, 2002). The author states that travel and tourism marketers need to focus on and confirm more of what the customer would like to see in themselves and their lifestyles, rather than on the tangible properties of the product or service being promoted. This means that destination marketing organizations need to place more emphasis on the creation and promotion of holiday experiences that link key brand values and assets to the holiday aspirations and needs of customers as set out in the Ekinci’s model (King, 2002). In spite of the growing importance of destination brands, most conceptual and empirical research has focused on destination images (Cai, 2002; Hall, 2002; Hankinson, 2005; Papadopoulos & Heslop, 2002; Prebensen, 2007; Pritchard & Morgan, 2001; Tasci et al., 2007), for instance, it has been suggested that, despite the pivotal role of visual 14 Instituto Politécnico de Leiria III Congresso Internacional de Turismo de Leiria e Oeste – 2009 image in brand evaluations, other brand assessment dimensions should be considered (Hankinson, 2004; Konecnik & Gartner, 2007). 6.2. Destination Brand Personality (DBP) Despite the growing body of literature on DB, there is little empirical evidence that visitors can and do associate brand personality characteristics with destinations and that they can differentiate destinations on the basis of perceived personality and brand identity. Tourists receive and interpret the various messages sent by destinations and build a representation of the ‘behaviour’ of the destination. Personality traits can be associated with a destination in a direct way through citizens of the country, hotel employees, restaurants and tourist attractions, or simply through the tourist’s imagery, defined as the set of human characteristics associated with the typical visitor of a destination (Aaker, 1997). In an indirect manner, personality traits can be attributed to destinations through marketing programs such as cooperative advertising, value pricing, celebrities of the country and media construction of destinations (Cai, 2002). Accordingly, Ekinci & Hosany (2006) argue that, similar to consumer goods/brands, tourism destinations are rich in terms of symbolic values and personality traits, given that they consist of a bundle of tangible and intangible components (e.g., visitor attractions, hotels and people) associated with particular values, histories, events and feelings. Adopting Aaker’s (1997) research, Hosany, Ekinci & Uysal (2006, p. 639) view destination brand personality as a multidimensional constructs defined as “the set of human characteristics associated to a tourism destination”. The authors also argue that destination image and destination personality are related concepts: “Brand image seems to be an encompassing concept and brand personality is more related to affective components of brand image” (2006, p. 641). The lack of research regarding destination brand measurement may be an indication of the complexity involved in understanding how tourists evaluate a destination brand. DBP has been measured using the brand personality scale originally developed for consumer goods. Consequently, personality traits found so far for tourism destination may not fully reflect all the personality characteristics of a destination. It is also hoped that continued work will lead towards both the development of a BP conceptual framework more suitable for tourism destinations and a better understanding of the influence brand perceptions have on destination choice when compared to other factors influencing perceptions and visitation. Similarly, there is a need for a destination brand 15 Instituto Politécnico de Leiria III Congresso Internacional de Turismo de Leiria e Oeste – 2009 measure (Blain et al., 2005; Deslandes, 2003; Kaplanidou &Vogt, 2003; Ooi, 2004; and Ritchie & Ritchie, 1998). Research has suffered from the lack of a common theory and of a consensual taxonomy of personality traits used to describe products. The validity of the early product personality scales, based on human personality, was questioned because human and product personalities might have different antecedents. As a result, some dimensions of human personality might be mirrored in brands, whereas others might not (Kassarjian, 1971, Pereira et. al. 2009). 6.3 The convergence of the concepts Figure 2 show the interaction between the concepts of BI and BP. It is noticeable that a significant number of elements are present in both concepts and that is why it is so difficult to make a clear distinction between them. Perception Imagery Messages Reputation Impressions Brand-related activities Brand Image Meanings Symbols Self-concepts (Self image) Associations Personality trais A compoment of Human Characteristics Personification Psychological values Brand Personality Figure 2 –The common ground between BI and BP and its specific elements However, while BI is centred on perception, impressions meanings and messages, BP is centred on personification, being “the soft, emotional side of brand image” (Biel, 1993 cited by Ekinci & Hosany, 2006, p. 131) which implies consumer experience. Only after establishing a relationship with the brand, the consumer can assess its personality, in other words, BP is the confirmation or not of the ‘brand image’ held about a brand. As “consumers establish relationships with brands based on their symbolic value” (2006, p. 128). 16 Instituto Politécnico de Leiria III Congresso Internacional de Turismo de Leiria e Oeste – 2009 Brand Psotioning Communication strategies Perceptions Meanings Symbolism Cognitive or psychological elements Self-concepts Brand Image Personification Brand Personality Figure 3 – Brand image and brand personality constructs Furthermore, characteristics are projected from the self-images of consumers in an attempt to reinforce their own personalities. Figure 3 is illustrates how the elements presented in both concepts relate and the boundaries between brand image and brand personality. 7. CONCLUSION AND FUTURE RESEARCH At the theoretical level the concept of brand, brand image and brand personality were identified. However, some definitional inconsistencies and the interchangeable use of the term are easily found. By analysing the definitions and names given to the concept, it is often difficult to make a clear distinction between thee concepts of BI and BP. BI is generally conceptualized as a more encapsulating concept, therefore it includes a number of inherent characteristics or dimensions, such as BP. Agreement is not achieved because while some authors consider BP antecedent to BI; others suggest that personality and image are seen as antecedents of brand identity. In fact, BI and BP concepts are related, especially in what concerns to affective components as showed in figure 2. Elements such as perception and cognitive and psychological were found in the majority of definitions of both concepts, however BP relates to a sound presence of human characteristics associated with brands – personification. These statements lead to the conclusion that BP is a consequence of BI when establishing a relationship between the consumer and the brand as illustrated in figure 3. Thus, it is necessary to integrate existing knowledge of brand/product personality in the consumer goods settings with theories of anthropomorphism to identify dimensions of DBP. As a tourist destination consists of a set of tangible and intangible components, it can be potentially be perceived as a brand. Furthermore, the holiday experience has an 17 Instituto Politécnico de Leiria III Congresso Internacional de Turismo de Leiria e Oeste – 2009 hedonic nature and given that tourism destinations are rich in terms of symbolic values, it is believed that the concept of brand personality can be applied to tourism destinations. Given that ‘branding’, in its true sense, entails more than logos and slogans, and must, as alluded to earlier, address the notions of values, personality, and emotive links, the debate on DB can only advance if further analysis of these key concepts and their applicability to ‘places’ occurs. 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