Overview of brand personality research with bibliometric indicators

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a global view of the research that has been conducted regarding brand personality by using the Core Collection of the Web of Science (WoS) as a reference. The main bibliometric indicators considered are number of articles, number of citations, main authors, principal journals, institutions, countries and keywords. Design/methodology/approach Through a bibliometric investigation, this paper performs an analysis of investigations of brand personality that have been conducted to date. In particular, the analysis focuses on the papers that have generated the greatest impact in the scientific community, the journals that have given the most attention to this concept and the authors who have most strongly influenced the academic world in this field. The analysis reveals a series of relationships between the bases of knowledge considered for different authors and journals and the structure of those relationships based on the keywords considered in each contribution. Findings This analysis allows to obtain a general and impartial view of brand personality research, and it reveals the most relevant contributions to the academic world in terms of authors, journals, institutions, countries and keywords. The analysis shows that the concept under study seems to still be in an early stage of development and there may well be an important amount of development ahead. Although there have been important contributions to this field, work is still required to consolidate this knowledge. Research limitations/implications The information provided pertains to a relatively specific subject but is still general when considered within the context of this topic and thus leaves aside elements that could greatly enrich the analysis. However, this work presents some important guidelines for conducting in-depth academic research and publication. Practical implications This work identifies the most productive and influential authors, journals, institutions and countries regarding this important topic, as well as the leading trends in this field. Applying those concepts would be helpful to improve the effectiveness of the promotion of brands and products. Originality/value The work developed in this article provides an overview of the academic research on brand personality that has been conducted as of April 2018. Another differential characteristic is that this research deeply investigates this concept, considering all the articles published in WoS worldwide.

DOI: 10.1108/K-02-2018-0051