Anthropomorphisation and brand complexities

This paper examines the effects of anthropomorphisation on three consumer response outcomes:\nLiking, Purchase Intention, and Perceived Value. Results from a quantitative survey show\nevidence of a direct effect of anthropomorphisation on Liking. Moreover, complexities of brands\nwere tested as a moderating factor. The findings reveal a strong indication that less complex\nbrands are more favourable when they are not humanised and complex brands are more\nfavourable when they are humanised. This identifies opportunities, but also underlines the threat\nof potentially detrimental effects of anthropomorphisation, depending on the brand and type of\nproduct.\nThe brands’ Facebook presence was manipulated in order to test the effects in a social media\ncontext. It has been concluded that using social media is a cost-efficient and effective means to\nanthropomorphise a brand. The authors encourage future researchers to further these findings.