How Are Brand Names of Chinese Companies Perceived by Americans?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to conduct an experimental design of Americans’ preferences for the English version of Chinese brand names by drawing from prior research in psychology, linguistics and marketing. The impact of string length and semantic relevance to English on meaningfulness, memorability and likeability of brand names from Chinese companies was assessed. Design/methodology/approach – A 2 × 2 experimental design was used, whereby brand names are categorized by string length (short vs long) and semantic relevance to English (with vs without). Respondents’ perception of the Chinese language in terms of pronounceability, language familiarity and language attitude is used as covariate. Findings – Results reveal shorter brand names, and those with semantic relevance to English are perceived as more memorable. It was also found that pronounceability of the brand name does influence brand name preference in terms of their meaningfulness, memorability and likeability. Research limitations/implications – This exploratory paper is limited to Americans’ perceptions of the English version of Chinese automobile brand names. Practical implications – Chinese companies should therefore carefully consider the brand name characteristics in terms of string length and semantic relevance, as well as their ease of pronunciation when choosing and introducing their brand name in the USA. Originality/value – This is the first paper which assesses Western consumers’ perception of brand names from Chinese automobile companies in terms of their brand meaningfulness, brand memorability and brand likeability

Sounds of consumption : the influence of nonmusical sounds on services and retail settings

Previous literature shows that sensory stimulation, such as pictures and scents, can affect consumers’ choices in a retail setting. Visual stimulation (i.e., pictures of fruit), for example, make people choose more healthy foods, especially when they are hungry (Forwood, Ahern, Hollands, Ng, & Marteau, 2015). Following the same logic, sound might also trigger consumers’ choices and perceptions, meaning that specific products are expected to be chosen more frequently when congruent sounds are played. However, the extant literature has paid little attention to this role of sound. This work therefore focuses on auxiliary sounds (nonmusical) in the shopping environment, especially those intentionally set using audio systems to improve and compose the experiential shopping environment. More specifically, this research investigates whether auxiliary sounds influence people’s choice, decisions, and perceptions through the semantic properties (meanings) of sounds. Five studies were conducted to investigate these effects of auxiliary sounds; the first is a field experiment and the other four are lab studies. The field study showed exploratory results on the effect of auxiliary sounds on people’s choice behavior The first lab study (Study 1) considered a service context choice, where sounds were set in the “soundscape” of a fictitious travel agency. When city sounds were played as the background sound in the environment, the city destination was chosen more than the beach destination. Study 2 showed that congruence between sounds and options increase the choice of those options, even when more options are available. Study 3 found that when sound is strongly associated with product appeal or positioning, and this association is perceived by the consumer, it increases people’s intention to buy the product. The last study showed that, for an experiential positioning, congruent sounds can improve people’s intentions to visit the store by improving people’s attitudes toward the store. These results shed light on the study of auxiliary sounds in retail and services environments, bringing to surface some effects that serve as an initial parameter on the study of this phenomenon. It also has managerial contributions as sounds can be strategically used by marketers in order to promote a richer consumption experience.Estímulos sensoriais como imagens e aromas, podem afetar a escolha dos consumidores no varejo. Pistas visuais (ex.: imagens de frutas), por exemplo, fazem com que as pessoas escolham mais comidas saudáveis, especialmente quando estão com fome (Forwood et al., 2015). Seguindo esta lógica, o som também pode ativar escolhas e percepções dos consumidores. No entanto, a literatura existente tem dado pouca atenção ao papel do som. O presente trabalho trata dos sons auxiliares (não musicais) no ambiente de compra, especificamente aqueles colocados intencionalmente no ambiente de compra. Mais especificamente, o trabalho busca investigar se os sons auxiliares influenciam as escolhas, decisões e percepções das pessoas por meio das propriedades semânticas (significados) dos sons. Cinco estudos foram realizados no sentido de investigar estes efeitos dos sons auxiliares, onde o primeiro estudo foi um experimento de campo, enquanto que os demais foram estudos de laboratório. O estudo de campo, com caráter mais exploratório, demonstrou que os sons auxiliares podem ter um efeito sobre o comportamento de escolha dos clientes. O primeiro estudo de laboratório (Study 1) considerou o processo de escolha no contexto de serviços de agência de viagem, onde os sons influenciaram a escolha dos consumidores (ex.: sons de cidade fizeram com que os destinos turísticos de cidade fossem mais escolhidos, comparado com os destinos de praia). O estudo 2 (Study 2) verificou a influência dos sons auxiliares em um ambiente com mais opções disponíveis para escolha O estudo evidenciou que a congruência entre os sons e as opções disponíveis podem influenciar a escolha dos consumidores, mesmo com uma maior gama de opções. No estudo 3 (Study 3) a associação feita pelo consumidor entre som e o apelo/posicionamento do produto aumenta a intenção de compra dos consumidores em relação ao produto. O último estudo (Study 4) demonstrou que o uso dos sons auxiliares congruentes com o posicionamento de uma loja, fazem com que o consumidor tenha atitudes mais positivas em relação à loja, e consequentemente aumenta a intenção de visitar a loja. No entanto, este resultado foi significativo apenas para lojas com posicionamento experiencial. Estes resultados são um primeiro passo no estudo dos sons auxiliares nos ambientes de varejo e serviço, trazendo à tona alguns efeitos que servem como um parâmetro inicial no do estudo deste fenômeno. Isto reflete também em aplicações estratégicas dos sons musicais no ambiente de compra de modo a enriquecer a experiência de compra do cliente

The “ins” and “outs” of product and services marketing: The influence of consonant wanderings in consumer decision-making

The established preference for words featuring consonants ordered inward in the oral cavity—the in–out effect, may assist marketeers when naming new products and services. To investigate the conditions under which this effect may affect consumer preference we conducted four experiments (N = 818) examining the influence of consonant wanderings in the evaluation of different professionals and food products. While inward articulation direction selectively biased warmth judgments about workers who are perceived as relatively neutral on both warmth and competence, for professionals traditionally associated with either a warmth or a competence dimension inward-wandering usernames systematically presented a competitive advantage. In the same way, hypothetical food products with inward-wandering names were judged as more hedonic and more utilitarian. The present evidence supports the potential of the in–out effect to market products and services and highlights the relevance of exploiting this and other oral kinematics phenomena as an asset for managerial practice.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Consumer attitudes, perceptions and motivations on innovative non-alcoholic drinks in Italy and Turkey

openL'obiettivo principale della tesi è stato quello di ideare una strategia di marketing per il posizionamento di una bevanda innovativa - succo d'uva frizzante biologico - in Italia ed in Turchia, basata sullo studio del packaging e del nome del brand. Per raggiungere questo obiettivo, la tesi è stata sviluppata in quattro studi indipendenti ma correlati tra di loro: (i) una panoramica generale del settore delle bevande in Turchia, (ii) il ruolo della morfologia della bottiglia nella percezione del consumatore; (ii) lo studio di marche, forme di bottiglia e di etichette appropriate per i mercati italiani e turchi; (iv) l'impatto di specifici imballaggi sul comportamento visivo dei consumatori e delle loro risposte emotive all’assaggio del prodotto. Il primo studio suggerisce che, il consumo occasionale di bevande alcoliche, il crescente interesse nei confronti di bevande sane sono le principali preoccupazioni dei consumatori, mentre le elevate imposte, le restrizioni e le leggi sulla vendita di prodotti alcolici rappresentano le problematiche attuali del settore, di conseguenza nuove bevande analcoliche potrebbero avere una possibilità nel mercato turco. I risultati complessivi delle seguenti tre studi sul packaging suggeriscono che le varie parti che compongono la morfologia di bottiglia non sono ugualmente rilevanti, e sia nella etichettatura e che nell'imballo di una bevanda, molta più attenzione dovrebbe essere data alla spalla della bottiglia che che rappresenta la parte centrale. Forme rotonde per bottiglia ed etichetta sono le più adatte per il succo d'uva spumantizzato biologico secondo sia per i consumatori italiani che per quelli turchi però diversi approcci di due popolazioni verso i nomi di marca deve essere considerata durante l'inserimento in questi mercati. Per quanto riguarda l’analisi delle espressioni emotive dei partecipanti, si rileva un impatto maggiore verso le caratteristiche sgradite del prodotto piuttosto che per quelle gradite.The main aim of the thesis was to help designing a marketing strategy to position an innovative drink – organic sparkling grape juice – in Italy and Turkey by focusing on packaging designs and branding. To achieve this goal, the thesis is constructed upon four independent but interrelated studies: (i) a general overview of the beverages sector in Turkey, (ii) the role of morphology in the bottle perception of the consumer; (iii) appropriate brand name, bottle and label shapes for Italian and Turkish markets; (iv) impact of packaging features on visual behaviour of consumers and their emotional responses to product tasting. The first study suggests that occasional alcoholic drinks consumption, increasing awareness about healthy drinks as the main concerns of consumers and high taxes and restrictions with laws on the sale of alcoholic products as current sector issues, innovative non-alcoholic drinks might have a chance in the Turkish market. Overall results of the following three packaging studies suggest that the different parts that make up the bottle morphology are not equally relevant, and in the labelling and packaging of a drink, much more attention should be given to the shoulder which represents the middle part. Round shaped bottle and label are more adapted for organic sparkling grape juice according to both Italian and Turkish consumers. However, different approaches of two populations towards brand names should be considered while entering into these markets. The bottle shape has a strong impact on capturing the attention of the consumer but its interaction with label shape and the product name is more significant. With reference to emotional expressions of the consumers, product disliking has more impact than liking. Considering these results of packaging studies, optimisation of the packaging features might allow to better capture the attention of the consumer as it is the overall first impression that a consumer has about a drink exposed on a shelf.SCIENZE AGRARIE, ALIMENTARI ED AMBIENTALIembargoed_20181001Ozturk, EmelOzturk, Eme

Non-musical sound branding – a conceptualization and research overview

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to advance the understanding of sound branding by developing a new conceptual framework and providing an overview of the research literature on non-musical sound. Design/methodology/approach Using four mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive types of non-musical sound, the paper assesses and synthesizes 99 significant studies across various scholarly fields. Findings The overview reveals two areas in which more research may be warranted, that is, non-musical atmospherics and non-musical sonic logos. Moreover, future sound-branding research should examine in further detail the potentials of developed versus annexed object sounds, and mediated versus unmediated brand sounds. Research limitations/implications The paper provides important insights into critical issues that suggest directions for further research on non-musical sound branding. Practical implications The paper identifies an unexploited terrain of possibilities for the use of sound in marketing and branding. Originality/value The paper identifies a subfield within sound-branding research that has received little attention despite its inevitability and potential significance. </jats:sec

Sonic branding: a narrative review at the intersection of art and science

The field of sonic branding/marketing has grown rapidly in recent years, as has commercial interest in more science-based approaches to the practice, particularly as more brands and agencies look for qualitative and quantitative evidence to support the efficacy of sonic branding. In this research note, we explore the ways in which the design and execution (i.e., the “art”) of sonic branding initiatives can be informed by overlapping approaches and techniques drawn from the sciences, namely psychoacoustics, semiotics, music/auditory cognition, and crossmodal research. We explore whether the rapid growth of generative AI may represent the next major evolution in the design, creation, and assessment of sonic assets, where science and art are used to train AI tools that could one day augment (and potentially disrupt) the work of human sound designers and composers. These developments notwithstanding, it is argued that sonic branding will likely remain as much an art as a science, though basing one's approach on the emerging scientific literature ought to at least tilt the odds of success in the creative's favor

Branding Public Universities through Advertising: A Study of Two Public Universities in Ghana

Higher education marketing has become a major avenue for institutions to deliver marketing communication activities. Consequently, research that provides insights into branding has been of importance to academic and management practitioners. The objective of this study was to appraise how UEW and UCC utilise branding and advertising to enhance their brand identities and images. The study adopted a qualitative approach to gather data from respondents at UEW and UCC. Primary data (interviews) and secondary data (letters, reports, newspapers, among others) were relied upon in testing the propositions developed through literature review. The outcome of the study provides support for a service brand identity comprising six facets: physique, personality, relationship, reflection, culture and self-image. The discussion outlines how the findings lend credence to these elements to create a brand identity implied by existing brand identity framework. The data points to positive results for higher institutions which desire to invest and maintain strong brand identity and image given that these facets influence competition. For branding and advertising to effectively promote the image of institutions, a strategically planned branding programme is recommended to attract more constituents. Keywords: branding, advertising, brand, corporate identity systems, Kapferer’s identity prism mode

The sound of branding:An analysis of the initial phonemes of popular brand names

In the marketing literature, the ‘K effect’ refers to the claim that the letter K is overrepresented as the initial letter of brand names. To date, however, most findings have only considered the frequency of the written letters incorporated into brand names. Here, we argue that since letters sometimes sound different when pronounced in different words (e.g., ‘C’ in Cartier vs. Cisco), a phonemic analysis of the initial phonemes is likely to be more insightful than merely a comparison of the written form (as reported by previous researchers). With this in mind, the initial phonemes of top brand names were analyzed and compared with: (1) words in the dictionary; (2) a corpus of contemporary American English; and (3) the most popular current children’s names in the USA. We also analyzed a different list of top brands, including both corporate brand names (e.g., Procter & Gamble) as well as the product-related brand names (e.g., Pantene). We conclude by reporting the most underrepresented [vowels (/aʊ/, /ɜː/, /ɔɪ/, /ɔː/) and consonants (/r/, /ʒ/, /l/, /θ/)] and overrepresented [vowels (/iː/, /əʊ/) and consonants (/j/, /z/, /f/, /dʒ/, /p/, /j/, /t/)] initial phonemes in the brand names vis-à-vis the current linguistic naming conventions