Eric Yorkston

A Sound Idea: Phonetic Effects of Brand Names on Consumer Judgments

In this article we examine a phenomenon known as sound symbolism, where the sound of a word conveys meanings. Specifically, brand names are composed of individual sounds called phonemes and we investigate how this phonetic structure of brand names affects a consumers evaluation of products and their underlying attributes. We demonstrate that consumers use information they gather from phonemes in brand names to infer product attributes and to evaluate brands. We also demonstrate that the manner in which phonetic effects of brand names manifest is automatic in as much as it is uncontrollable, outside awareness and effortless.

The Malleable Brand: The Role of Implicit Theories in Evaluating Brand Extensions.

This research documents how implicit theories regarding personality traits (whether they are deemed to be fixed or malleable) affect consumer inferences about the malleability of a brands personality traits and, thus, its ability to extend into new categories. Study 1 documents that consumers who believe that traits are malleable (incremental theorists) are more accepting of brand extensions than consumers who believe that traits are fixed (entity theorists). These results hold whether implicit theories are measured or manipulated. Study 2 reveals how implicit theories affect consumers’ perceptions regarding the flexibility of a brands personality traits and not its physical traits. Study 3 demonstrates that consumers primed with different implicit theory orientations respond differently to varying degrees of change within a single trait. This study tests the limits of the effect and demonstrates the impact of using primes embedded within standard marketing communication.

Linguistic Gender Marking and Categorization

Gender markers provide syntactic structure and a categorization schema to language. Brand name gender is a function of both formal, structural aspects of the brand name and semantic properties of the brands product class. In the formal gender system of Spanish, consistent formal gender marking enhances brand recall, whereas semantic product associations drive brand evaluation. In the semantic gender system of English, formal cues determine initial brand name gender, but congruent semantic associations between brand name and product category drive improved brand evaluations and brand recall. Three studies across two languages demonstrate that genders role as a categorization tool underlies these effects. (c) 2005 by JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH, Inc..

Multiple Reference Points in Sequential Hedonic Evaluation: An Empirical Analysis

Marketers frequently offer a variety of communications, brands, and service encounters that customers evaluate sequentially. When customers make these evaluations, their previous experiences in the sequence influence their current evaluation. The authors propose that these prior experiences serve as multiple reference points against which the target stimulus is judged, creating rival co-occurring comparison effects. Using real-world and experimental data, they find that assimilation and contrast effects occur simultaneously: there is assimilation to the first score within a sequence and contrast with the immediate predecessor as well as with extremes experienced earlier in the sequence. The authors document the moderating effects of extreme first stimuli, domain similarity, and individual factors of mood and expertise. They provide different recommendations for sequence construction on the basis of whether the marketers goal is fairness, accuracy, or influencing choice. This research is unique in (1) showing how several preceding evaluations can each have an impact on a subsequent evaluation at the same time and (2) using real-world data to do so.