How Generation Z perceive brand personality on TikTok

Abstract: Background: Since its publication in 1997, Jennifer Aaker’s brand personality model has been challenged but none of the publications have had the same seminal effect. Additionally, differences in perceptions of Aaker’s personalities have been found which suggests a gap of knowledge to research. With the development of social media, customers begin to be more engaged with the brands. Purpose: The goal of this study is to explore European airlines’ brand personalities and Gen Z’s perception of the personalities through brands’ TikTok content by using Jennifer Aaker’s (1997) brand personality dimensions. Additionally, social media engagement is used as a tool to investigate the significance of social media for brands. Method: An exploratory qualitative deductive study, with an exploratory nature and an experimental design, applying semi-structured interview methods with a sample size of 25 participants. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that Aaker’s personality traits are somewhat still relevant to Gen Z’s perception of them but there are traits that could be added which have been argued for by other scholars as well before. These additional traits should include negative traits and traits that show extroversion and introversion, for instance.