Recapitulation of brand anthropomorphism: An innovating marketing strategy

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explain anthropomorphic marketing by illustrating the factors associated with the sociality motivation , effectance motivation, and elicited agent knowledge model (SEEK). This model was designed to explain anthropomorphic tendencies of a brand, as we do not know much about why people view non-human entities as human-like. In addition, this paper also focuses on how anthropomorphic representation strategies are used by marketers in the present scenario to build strong consumer-brand relationships and how these anthropomorphic marketing strategies affect the consumer-brand evaluation process. This paper examines the anthropomorphism of the brand by examining in depth the factors related to the SEEK model and explaining the anthropomorphic patterns of the market. It shows how consumers or advertisers view, imagine, interpret and exploit a non-human entity. Consumers can evaluate an anthropomorphic marketing strategy either positively or negatively. Therefore, marketers should use this tendency to anthropomorphise any brand or a product carefully. This literature review has important implications and it provides direction for researchers, as well as advanced investigation of brand anthropomorphism.