The BPA scale measures a consumer's perception of a brand's ability to appeal through the combination of human characteristics associated with it. Distinct from the Aaker (1997) Brand Personality Scale, which diagnoses the nature of a brand's personality traits, the BPA scale assesses the evaluative and affective appeal of that personality to consumers. Three dimensions capture different aspects of appeal: Favorability reflects the extent to which consumers positively regard the brand's personality; Originality reflects perceived novelty and distinctiveness relative to other brands in the same product category; and Clarity reflects how apparent and recognisable the personality is to consumers. All three dimensions positively influence purchase intentions, with Favorability exerting the strongest and most consistent effect. The scale was developed through MBA focus groups, in-depth consumer interviews, expert content validity panels, and five validation studies across multiple brands and product categories.
7-point semantic differential scale. Each item uses the stem 'This brand's personality is...' followed by opposing word pairs. Some items require reverse scoring so that higher scores consistently indicate greater appeal.
Favorability (7 items). Stem: 'This brand's personality is...'. Higher scores indicate more favorable brand personality. Reverse-score items where the unfavorable pole appears first.
Originality (4 items). Stem: 'This brand's personality is...'. Higher scores indicate more original brand personality. All items have the less original pole on the left; reverse-score before summing.
Clarity (5 items). Stem: 'This brand's personality is...'. Higher scores indicate greater clarity. Item 2 (distinct/indistinct) is reverse-scored per the original paper.
Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.
Originality reliability fell below threshold in Study 3 (alpha = .79, CR = .80 approx.) when using Crest toothpaste as the single stimulus brand. In Study 5 (real brand owners, n = 171), Originality alpha = .91. All other dimensions exceed threshold across all studies. The three dimensions interact: purchase intentions are highest when all three are elevated, and a clearly perceived but unfavorable and unoriginal personality can actively depress purchase intentions relative to a less clear one. Scale uses a semantic differential response format, which differs from standard Likert items; researchers should ensure appropriate instructions and response anchors are provided.
Freling, T. H., Crosno, J. L., & Henard, D. H. (2011). Brand personality appeal: Conceptualization and empirical validation. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 39(3), 392-406. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-010-0208-3
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