IMPACT OF THE CONGRUENCE BETWEEN BRAND PERSONALITY AAND CONSUMER PERSONALITY ON EMOTIONAL LOYALTY: WHAT MAKES APPLE AND SAMSUNG DIFFERENT

Purpose - This study aims to explore how brand personality (BP) traits and the congruence between consumer personality (CP) and BP affect emotional loyalty to two types of brands. Design/Methodology/Approach - The research was conducted using an online questionnaire on a sample of 287 respondents from Lithuania. The questionnaire included Aaker's Brand Personality Scale and the Big Five personality traits to assess the congruence between the matching pairs. Apple and Samsung brands were used as examples of the brands with a prevailing emotional and rational content. The empirical check was based on regression analysis. Findings and Implementations - The findings revealed the impact of BP traits and their congruence with CP on emotional loyalty. Different sets of BP traits were found to impact loyalty to Apple and Samsung brands. The emotional loyalty appeared to be higher for the brand with a prevailing emotional content (Apple). Limitations - The limitations may be linked to the selection of brands since the companies implement different branding strategies. The convenience sampling method and the disproportion in terms of gender in the sample may also be seen as limitations. Originality - The study addresses the research gap of the impact of BP traits and their congruence with consumer personality on emotional loyalty to brands that emphasize emotional versus rational aspects. Differences in the sets of BP traits affecting emotional loyalty were discovered regarding the two types of brands. This constitutes new scientific knowledge within the scope of studies on emotional loyalty to brands.