Enhancing Brand Names with Phonesthemes for Deeper Meaning
Explore the innovative use of phonesthemes to imbue non-word brand names with meaning and significance. Discover how letter clusters can influence the identity, create differentiation, and communicate brand attributes effectively. Examples and studies elucidate the impact and potential of phonesthemes in brand naming strategies.
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Snyre for your nasal congestion Using phonesthemes to imbue non-word brand names with meaning Dr Stacey Brennan, University of Sydney Dr Jasmina Ilicic, Monash University Professor Shai Danziger, Tel Aviv University Page 1 The University of Sydney
The Problem Brand names are a fundamental brand element (Keller, 1993) Influence identity (Kaferer, 2012) Create points of difference (Aaker, 1991) Communicate meaning (Carnevale, Luna, and Lerman, 2017) 72% of brand names are pseudo words or acronyms (Kimbarovsky, 2017) How can we imbue non-word brand names with meaning? Page 2 The University of Sydney
Introducing Phonesthemes Letter clusters that have a predictable effect on the meaning of a word (Otis and Sagi 2008) Documented across a range of languages: English (Blake 2017), Indonesian (McCune 1985), Japanese (Hamano 1998), Austronesian (Blust 1988) Over 140 Phonesthemes identified in the English language (Hutchins, 1998) Relies on recurrent pairing of form (spelling and sound) and semantic (meaning) properties of words (Bergen, 2004) Page 3 The University of Sydney
Examples of Phonesthemes Phonestheme Meaning Example sn- Nose Sneeze, snout, sniff, snort, sniffle gl- Light Gleam, glimmer, glisten, glow, glint st- Firm, upright, linear Stand, stiff, statue, stiffen, stood -ash Violent action Bash, crash, slash, mash, whiplash sp- Radiate out Spread, span, sparse, spreading, sprawl squ- Soft, compressed Squish, squeeze, squash, squelch, squeezing fl- Motion Fly, float, flow, flutter, fling -ick Sudden, abrupt, sharp Prick, flick, kick, stick, nutpick -olt Energetic force Bolt, volt, jolt, megavolt, kilovolt bl- Swell, inflate Blow, bloat, blew, blob, blister Page 4 The University of Sydney
Overview of Studies Testing Semantic Associations Study 1 Phonesthemic brand name priming effect (-olt) Study 2 Examining the moderating role of semantic congruence (gl-) Study 3 Eliminate orthography (spelling) as alternative explanation (sn-) Study 4 Eliminate phonology (sound) as alternative explanation (squ-) Study 5 Examine the mediating role of processing fluency (fl-) Study 6 Less contrived environment (squ-) Page 5 The University of Sydney
Key Findings Brand names containing phonesthemes influence consumer responses For example: The brand name Zamolt is preferred over Zamolf for an Energy Drink Effects are dependent upon semantic congruence Is the meaning of the phonestheme associated with your brand offering? Semantic congruence enhances processing fluency and subsequent consumer responses Results are not driven by the sound or spelling of the brand name alone Page 6 The University of Sydney
Take-Aways Non-word brand names can be meaningful! Strategically select their linguistic attributes. Phonesthemes allow marketers to attach clear and consistent meaning: olt = energy squ = soft Prior work on phonetic symbolism demonstrates broad associations tied to sounds in brand names Semantically congruent brand names are easily processed Page 7 The University of Sydney
Contact Information Dr Stacey Brennan stacey.brennan@sydney.edu.au Page 8 The University of Sydney
