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

Author

Listed:
  • Abhishek Pathak

    (University of Dundee)

  • Carlos Velasco

    (BI Norwegian Business School)

  • Charles Spence

    (University of Oxford)

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Abhishek Pathak & Carlos Velasco & Charles Spence, 2020. "The sound of branding: An analysis of the initial phonemes of popular brand names," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 27(3), pages 339-354, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:jobman:v:27:y:2020:i:3:d:10.1057_s41262-019-00183-5
    DOI: 10.1057/s41262-019-00183-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Abel, Gregory A. & Glinert, Lewis H., 2008. "Chemotherapy as language: Sound symbolism in cancer medication names," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(8), pages 1863-1869, April.
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    5. Abhishek Pathak & Gemma Calvert & Carlos Velasco, 2017. "Evaluating the impact of early- and late-acquired phonemes on the luxury appeal of brand names," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 24(6), pages 522-545, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Shaun M. Powell, 2020. "Journal of Brand Management: year end review 2020," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 27(6), pages 623-628, November.
    2. Xiongkai Tan & Sha Zhang & Hong Zhao, 2023. "Does the impact of corporate brand name changes differ between online and offline channels? The case of McDonald’s China," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 30(6), pages 479-489, November.

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