Sound Symbolism Essay

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2.2. Sound Symbolism in Brand Names As the literature of sound symbolism grew, the potential of employing sound symbolic tactics in brand naming has been gaining attention from marketers. A brand name comprises of one or more phonemes and previous literature has shown that through sound symbolism, it is possible for individuals to infer meaning from unfamiliar brand names. In other words, individuals are able to form expectations of the properties of products through exposure to their brand names. Abel & Glinert (2008) reported that brand names of chemotherapy drugs usually have higher frequency of voiceless consonants (/p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, /s/) which are commonly associated with attributes such as lightness, smallness and fastness. This …show more content…

The meaning that individuals’ form in turn affects their judgments and perceptions of the brand or product. Early studies on sound symbolism provided evidence for cross-modal correspondence between brand names and product attributes. Gradually, later studies began to focus also on the effects that sound symbolism has on the perception and judgment of individuals. Klink (2001) found that brand names formed using a combination of sound symbolism and semantics (embedding existing words or parts of the word into the brand name) significantly improves product liking and positioning. Yorkston & Menon (2004) reported the effect of brand preference and purchase intentions; they observed that participants preferred purchasing the ice cream brand name Frosh compared to Frish because the back vowel [ä] is perceived to be smoother, richer, and creamier than the front vowel [I]. These findings have supported the idea that sound symbolic cross-modal associations influence the judgments and perceptions of individuals. However, the range of perceptions that can be potentially affected by sound symbolism seems to be studied in limited scope. At least one study extended the possible range of the effects caused by sound symbolic brand names. Fenko, Lotterman, & Galetzka (2016) reported that brand names and product packaging shape influenced …show more content…

A study by Larson, Aronoff, & Stearns (2007) found that downward and upward-pointing triangles were rated as more aversive compared to circles, showing that individuals’ perception of angular shapes is less positive compared to rounder shapes. One possible reason proposed for the greater aversive reaction towards angular shapes is that humans possess a primitive perception that angular shapes convey a sense of threat. Bar & Neta (2007) further supports this explanation by showing that the amygdala (a structure in the brain associated with fear processing) becomes significantly more active when exposed to sharp rather than curved

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