Title: Effects of Twitter communication styles on consumers' brand personality perceptions, attitudes and purchase intentions

Authors: Xiaochen Angela Zhang

Addresses: A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications, 105 Kedzie Hall, 828 Mid Campus Drive South, Manhattan, KS, USA

Abstract: This study examined, through an experiment, different communication styles' (assertive and responsive) and product types' (hedonic and utilitarian) influence on consumers' brand personality perceptions, brand attitudes, eWOM intentions and purchase intentions on Twitter. Findings revealed both main effects and interaction effects on specific brand personality perceptions. Specifically, assertive communication style may accentuate perceptions of excitement in the brand personality. Hedonic products using assertive communication styles were perceived to be more sophisticated than utilitarian products using responsive communication styles. In addition, results from regression analyses suggested that communication styles indirectly influence consumers' attitude towards the brand and consumers' behavioural intentions (i.e., purchase intention) through brand personality perceptions. Results of this study indicated that brands could apply different communication styles on social media such as Twitter to convey desired brand personality perceptions. Theoretical and practical implications of the study are also discussed.

Keywords: brand personality; communication styles; product types; utilitarian and hedonic products; brand attitudes; purchase intention; Twitter.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIMA.2017.084082

International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, 2017 Vol.11 No.2, pp.158 - 182

Accepted: 30 Dec 2016
Published online: 09 May 2017 *

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