Sounds good: Phonetic sound patterns in top brand names

• Published in: Marketing letters Vol. 26; no. 4; pp. 549 - 563
• Main Authors: Pogacar, Ruth, Plant, Emily, Rosulek, Laura Felton, Kouril, Michal
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer Science + Business Media 01-12-2015; Springer US; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Brand names; Business and Management; Consumer behavior; Consumers; Correlation analysis; Dictionaries; Linguistics; Marketing; Phonetics; Sound; Studies; Trademarks; Brand names; Linguistics; Phonetics; Brand performance; Sound symbolism
• ISSN: 0923-0645; 1573-059X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11002-014-9288-z

Recent research has demonstrated that brand name sounds can influence consumer behavior. Sound symbolism, the link between sound and meaning, can convey product information, enhance affinity, and increase purchase intentions. This study examines sound patterns of Interbrand top 100 brand names, including three previously unexamined sound categories. Results show that top brand names have different sound patterns than general brand names. The pattern of differences suggests that sound symbolism may be one factor contributing to brand performance. Sounds more frequent among top brand names have potentially brand enhancing properties, while sounds less frequent may have the opposite effect. These findings should inform best naming practices and strategies.