The influence of sound logo instruments on brand personality perceptions: An investigation of brand ruggedness and sophistication

Sanjay Puligadda and Noah VanBergen

Journal of Business Research, 2023, vol. 156, issue C

Abstract: Marketing relies heavily on auditory information—from background music in commercials to jingles and sound logos. One attribute of auditory information is timbre, which describes the identity of a sound source (an instrument, voices, etc.). Extensive literature investigating effects of timbre outside of marketing contexts shows that different instruments convey different emotions, personalities, and identities, yet marketing literature is silent on consumers’ responses to different instruments in marketing communications. We close this gap by studying the effect of a sound logo’s instrumentation on perceptions of brand personality. Through four studies and three pretests we show that a) the instrument used in a brand’s sound logo influences the brand’s personality perceptions (specifically perceived sophistication and ruggedness); b) these influences are due to visceral and conceptual effects of instrumentation; and c) a sound logo’s instrument is just as influential as a visual logo’s design on brand personality perceptions.

Keywords: Sound logos; Brand personality; Timbre (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:156:y:2023:i:c:s0148296322009961

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113531

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