Unveiling the digital persona image: the influence of social media on political candidates’ brand personality and voter behaviour in Kuwait

Kuwait’s political context—an hereditary emirate with evolving democratic norms—has been reshaped by the rise of social media, which now plays a central role in campaigning and voter engagement. Guided by Aaker’s (1997) brand personality framework, the study investigates how candidates act as brands and how their social media personas (e.g., sincerity, competence) affect voter perceptions and choices. The introduction identifies gaps in empirical understanding of how social media-crafted brand personalities influence voter behaviour in Kuwait, where tribal and religious affiliations shape self-concept and electoral dynamics. Noting extensive candidate use of Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat during recent elections, the paper formulates objectives to: examine social media’s role in shaping candidates’ brand personality; assess voter perceptions of these traits; evaluate the effects on voter behaviour; explore the influence of tribal and religious affiliations; and derive implications for campaign strategies in Kuwait.

The review covers three pillars: social media in political campaigns, Aaker’s brand personality model, and voter behaviour in Kuwait. Studies show social media enables direct voter communication, message control, and image-building, altering engagement and participation dynamics. Aaker’s five dimensions—Sincerity, Excitement, Competence, Sophistication, Ruggedness—offer a lens for translating consumer brand traits to political candidates, though cultural adaptation is needed for Kuwait’s tribal and religious context. Kuwaiti voter behaviour has historically reflected tribal/religious factors, but digital platforms have transformed campaign dynamics, necessitating examination of how online brand personality shapes preferences. The review underscores both opportunities and challenges of social media (e.g., echo chambers, misinformation) and motivates applying/adjusting Aaker’s model to Kuwait’s socio-cultural milieu.

The study used a quantitative design with a structured questionnaire administered to 363 Kuwaiti voters. A simple random sampling technique was employed to enhance representativeness and reduce bias. Data were cleaned for missing or inconsistent entries, coded, and analysed using SPSS. Descriptive statistics (measures of central tendency, dispersion, and frequency distributions) profiled respondents and summarized platform usage and perceived candidate attributes. Inferential analyses included multiple regression, modelling voter choice as the dependent variable and Aaker-based brand personality dimensions as independent variables, to examine the strength and direction of relationships and predictive power. Exploratory factor analysis identified underlying constructs among numerous candidate attributes presented on social media, clarifying factor structure related to brand personality.

- Demographics: 71.9% male, 18.2% female; majority aged 25–44 (64.46%). Education levels were relatively high (53.17% bachelor’s, 29.29% postgraduate). Fifth Electoral District had the highest representation (35.26%), Second the lowest (9.73%). - Media use: 63.64% primarily used social media for political content; traditional sources (newspapers/news sites) accounted for 8.03%. Twitter was identified as the leading platform for political engagement across demographics. - Preferred candidate traits (selected): - High agreement: My daily living interests (86.5%), Economics/finance expertise (85.4%), Specialist—professional/academic (82%), Respectful and professional-looking (80.4%), Social challenges (80.1%), Intelligent (76.5%), Political questions (76.1%), Demonstrates knowledgeability (73%), Lively (73%), Reliable (70.5%), Successful (71.6%), Charming (71.1%). - Mixed/moderate: Down-to-earth (64.7%), Competence (69.4%), Honest (63.1%), Daring (62.3%), Adventurous (68.3%), Religious and trustworthy (60.3%), A candidate from my religious denomination (30.3% agree; 47.3% disagree). - Low agreement/negative cues: A candidate from my tribe/clan/family (14.4% agree; 58.4% disagree), Tough (29.2% agree), Stylish and modern (22% agree; 43.7% disagree), Enthusiastic and has a sense of humour (22.3% agree; 47.1% disagree), Luxurious (46.2% agree), Shown in high-end brands (5.8% agree; 69.4% disagree), Socially different and appears in strange clothes (83.5% disagree). - Aaker alignment: Strong resonance with Sincerity and Competence (e.g., honesty, reliability, intelligence, professionalism) and elements of Sophistication (e.g., success, charm). Traits aligned with Ruggedness (e.g., toughness) were less preferred. Excitement showed selective appeal (e.g., lively, adventurous) but less than sincerity/competence in salience. - Platform preference patterns suggest Twitter’s concise, informational format appeals especially to older and highly educated voters, with implications for targeted campaign strategies.

Findings indicate social media—especially Twitter—significantly shapes voter engagement and perceptions of candidate brand personality in Kuwait. Attributes mapping to Aaker’s Sincerity and Competence (e.g., respectful, professional-looking, reliable, intelligent, knowledgeable) are especially influential, while conspicuous luxury signals and nonconformist appearance cues harm perceived brand personality. Sophistication (e.g., success, charm) contributes positively when balanced with sincerity/competence. Ruggedness-associated traits (e.g., toughness) have limited appeal, highlighting cultural specificity in applying Aaker’s model. Demographically, younger voters gravitate more to excitement-oriented cues, while older voters value sincerity and competence; men engage more on Twitter, whereas women emphasize sincerity/professionalism. Strategically, results support multi-platform, demographically tailored messaging, with Twitter as a central channel for substantive, policy-focused communication. The study underscores the need for culturally sensitive adaptation of Aaker’s model to Kuwait’s socio-political context, where tribal/religious factors coexist with modern digital campaigning dynamics.

The study shows that social media—most notably Twitter—is a crucial arena for political communication in Kuwait and substantially influences voter behaviour. Applying Aaker’s brand personality model to political candidates proved useful in explaining voter preferences, with Sincerity and Competence (and selected Sophistication traits) most strongly associated with favourable evaluations. Voters prefer candidates who appear respectful, professional, reliable, knowledgeable, and intelligent, and they disapprove of displays of ostentation or unconventional presentation. Demographic patterns link age and education to platform and trait preferences, offering actionable insights for campaign micro-targeting and message design. The research contributes by extending Aaker’s model into a non-Western political context and by detailing how socio-cultural factors intersect with digital branding. It suggests that future work further adapts and validates brand personality constructs for political contexts like Kuwait and continues to study evolving online political communication and its effects on voting behaviour.