| Summary: | Research investigated the symbolic meaning of consumer behavior. The study relied on the premise that brand is a partner in a dyadic relationship with the consumer and was aimed at investigating the relationship between Brand Personality and Consumer-Brand Relationships in a Portuguese market context. The study of J. Aaker et al. (2004) was inspirational in the development of a conceptual model. The model s premise was that Brand Personality plays an important role in the establishment of ties with the consumer. The Consumer-Brand Relationships were approached according to the interpersonal relationship theory. Two instruments were imported: a Spanish framework to assess Brand Personality in the Portuguese market context, and a scale from intimate interpersonal relationships to approach Consumer-Brand Relationships. Specifically, two main hypotheses were formulated: (1) The personality of Sincerity predicts patterns of Intimacy-Loyalty relationship and (2) the personality of Excitement predicts patterns of Passion relationship. A quantitative study was conducted through a multivariate analysis design. The empirical study involved a sample of nine well-known brands in the Portuguese market within different product categories, brand personality and functional versus symbolic usage. Findings indicated that brand personalities of Sincerity and Sophistication are associated with relationships of Intimacy-Loyalty, and the personalities of Excitement and Passion are associated with relationships of Passion. Moreover, results gave support to the general hypothesis of study that Brand Personality may nurture specific Consumer-Brand Relationships and those Consumer-Brand Relationships may influence the quality, or the strength of the ties that consumers develop with brands.
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