The perceptual antecedents of brand anthropomorphism in the name-brand voice assistant context

The widespread use of voice assistants (VAs) is leading consumers to attribute social presence (i.e. human characteristics) to these interfaces. Considering name-brand VAs (NBVAs), the medium through which users interact with the brand name and brand voice, the emergence of perceptions of brands as human entities may also be hypothesised. Consequently, this study aims to test a model of perceptual antecedents of brand anthropomorphism outlining the direct and indirect effects exerted by human-like brand voice and NBVA social presence, as well as the moderating role of gender and expertise. PLS-SEM was used for data analysis. A survey involving young adults reveals that the relationship between human-like brand voice and brand anthropomorphism is fully mediated by NBVA social presence. However, the direct positive impact of human-like brand voice on brand anthropomorphism is significant only for novices, while the mediating role of social presence is stronger for experts. Finally, the influence of social presence on brand anthropomorphism is significantly stronger among men than women. This study contributes to jointly advancing knowledge in both the VA and brand anthropomorphism fields by focusing on under-researched branding perceptions in the context of NBVAs and by identifying the vocal antecedents of brand anthropomorphism.