Abstract:

The new media has now become the topic of the day. It has revealed new possibilities for the firms to market their brands. One of the most interesting ways of brand promotion is brand personification, which refers to a multi-dimensional firm effort to make their brands perceived by the consumers as human-being rather than business entity. Up till now, the concept of brand personification is contested. The goal of this paper is two-fold: what is brand personification, and what should the firms do. This study adopts grounded theory, which is ideal for determining new concepts. The researcher conducted 57 in-depth interviews, combined with a pre-study using data from online forums and official brand websites to form the conceptual framework of brand personification. The result of the study coincides with social presence theory. This paper also provides guideline for firms to conduct brand personification.

Key words: Brand, Personification, Social Communication, Grounded theory, Social Presence