The Effect of Characterization on Narrative Enjoyment: An Empirical Investigation of Personality Rating Dispersion in Movie Characters
Prof. Qiang ZHANG
Assistant Professor of Marketing
School of Management and Economics
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen
Date: 12 December 2025 (Friday)
Time: 14:00-16:00
Venue: E22-G013
Host: Prof. Fangyuan CHEN, Associate Professor in Marketing
Abstract
Fictional characters are pivotal to entertainment products such as movies and TV shows, where audiences engage with them as if they were real-life acquaintances. This engagement has spurred the growth of websites where viewers can rate the personalities of these fictional entities. This research argues that these ratings, reflecting audience perceptions, can be leveraged by producers and marketers to assess the success or failure of characterization. The authors explore this idea by analyzing two large-scale datasets on audience-provided personality ratings for fictional characters. They discovered a compelling pattern: dispersion in personality ratings correlates negatively with audience appreciation of the characters and the films. Drawing from narrative and personality theories, the authors propose that personality incoherence—the extent to which a character’s personality traits are presented inconsistently and incoherently within the narrative—can explain the observed correlation. Further experimental studies showed that incoherent personality in fictional characters could indeed lead to both personality rating dispersion and negative audience responses toward the character and the narrative. Additionally, the authors pinpoint character identification as the underlying mechanism and identify three theory-based, managerially relevant boundary conditions. Overall, this research offers actionable insights for creative decisions on the design of fictional characters.
Speaker
Prof. Qiang ZHANG is currently an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the School of Management and Economics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. He received his Ph.D. in marketing from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and his bachelor’s degree in management science from Nanjing University. His current research focuses on analyzing data on digital footprints of consumers when they search for products and consume content online. His research aims to provide quantitative managerial insights for video streaming platforms and online retailers. In terms of research methods, he has broad interests in analyzing unstructured data (image, text, and sound data), structural econometric models, and Bayesian methods. When not busy with research, Qiang enjoys swimming, coding, and traditional Chinese hand-writing.
All are welcome!
