Brand preference in the face of control loss and service failure: The role of the sound of brands

Jamel Khenfer and Caroline Cuny

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 2020, vol. 55, issue C

Abstract: This research shows that consumers compensate for a loss of perceived control inherent to service failure by extracting sensory information from brand names, and specifically from plosive consonants. Across three experimental studies, we show that in contexts of reduced control, which characterizes service failure, consumers prefer brand names containing plosives (versus fricatives) as a way of reasserting personal control because plosive sounds elicit a disposition to act. In doing so, we highlight the use of brand name innovation to anticipate low control state, and thus, the psychological discomfort experienced by customers following service failure.

Keywords: Control loss; Service failure; Sensory marketing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:joreco:v:55:y:2020:i:c:s0969698919308367

DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102132

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