Disruptive but costly: how upside-down logos backfire in consumer responses to brands

Abstract

Marketers are increasingly using unconventional design tactics to visually disrupt consumer expectations, like turning brand logos upside down. Across four experiments, this research examined how inverted logos influence consumer brand responses. In two binary choice tasks (Studies 1A and 1B), participants exhibited a lower preference for an inverted logo than a standard logo for branded products. Study 2 determined the psychological mechanism underlying this effect: inverted logos increase perceived unexpectedness, which increases perceptions of brand rebelliousness and, ultimately, reduces purchase intentions. Study 3 demonstrated that political ideology moderates this effect: more conservative, but not liberal, consumers respond negatively to inverted logos. Finally, we discussed the theoretical and practical implications for logo design and visual branding strategies