| Summary |
Person brands have increased continuously due to self-media development. Moreover, the effects of Covid-19 and the popularization of Bluetooth earphones have boosted the podcast market in Taiwan and, as a result, the number of podcast users has grown significantly in 2020. Thus, this study aims to understand how vocal characteristics (e.g., pitch, speech rate) affect the stereotype of a podcaster (e.g., warmth, competence); also, what is going to influence brand attachment as well as brand trust; eventually, what effects cause an audience of the continuous usage intention and brand advocacy.
In this study, there are 8 variables going to be explored through survey method, which are pitch, speech speed, warmth, competence, brand attachment, brand trust, continuous usage intention, and brand advocacy. A total of 351 valid samples were collected in mid-April 2022, and SEM was used for data analysis. Additionally, there is also an exploration of 4 variables through experimentation method. The 4 variables are pitch, speech speed, warmth, and competence. The experiment of 37 subjects was completed in mid-April 2022, and the ANOVA was used as the analysis method.
Firstly, the result shows that speech speed has a negative correlation on one’s warmth and a positive correlation on one’s competence. The audiences rate the podcasters’ abilities higher if a male possess a lower pitch or a female with a higher pitch. Secondly, both competence and warmth of a podcaster has a positive correlation on brand trust as well as brand attachment. Among them, male podcasters and listeners over 25 years old are more affected by competence; while female podcasters or listeners aged 13-24 are more affected by warmth. Finally, brand attachment and brand trust both have a positive correlation on continuous usage intention and brand advocacy. Brand attachment is a more essential factor for female podcasters or listeners aged 13-24, while brand trust is more important for male podcasters or listeners over 25 years old.
Based on the results of this study which suggest that podcasters can improve the assessment of warmth and competence by adjusting pitch and speech rate, then according to the gender of the podcaster and the age of the audience, set up the strategies of warmth and ability. It can be applied to strengthen brand attachment and trust, thereby enhancing brand advocacy. At the end of this study, limitations and recommendations for future research are proposed. |
