Abstract

This study aims to investigate the influence of consumers’ anthropomorphic tendency and age group on their brand impression perception and examine the sequential effects of warmth and competence in their brand perception on their brand attitude and brand purchase intention. To obtain the goal, an online experiment using warmth and competence advertising appeals of hypothetical corporate brand was conducted with men and women in their 20s (n = 222) and 65 years of age or older (n = 221). The results are as follows. First, participants’ age group (20s vs. 65 years of age or older) positively influenced their perceived warmth impression about the brand in warmth advertising appeal exposure condition. Second, participants’anthropomorphic tendency and age group had a positive effect on their perceived competence impression about the brand separately in competence advertising appeal exposure condition. Third, participants’ perceived warmth impression about the brand had a direct positive influence on their brand attitude and an indirect positive effect on their brand purchase intention via their brand attitude in warmth advertising appeal exposure condition (full mediation effect of brand attitude). Lastly, participants’ perceived competence impression about the brand had a direct positive impact on both their brand attitude and brand purchase intention and an indirect positive effect on their brand purchase intention via their brand attitude in competence advertising appeal exposure condition (partial mediation effect of brand attitude). These findings are expected to help expand our understanding about psychological mechanism underlying consumers’ perception of brand impression.