The magic of ‘great’ linked to product names

Jose A Martínez ()
Additional contact information
Jose A Martínez: Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena

Journal of Brand Management, 2016, vol. 23, issue 2, No 4, 179-196

Abstract: Abstract ‘Great’ is an adjective that is differently employed by organizations for naming products, as a kind of magical word that adds value to products. However, little is known about this supposed effect. This research analyses the power of ‘great’ when linked to product names under different settings. The aim of this research was to determine whether the word ‘great’ and some of its synonyms, such as ‘grand’, are magical words that add value to a product. A series of empirical studies were carried out, employing both random and convenience samples, and using face-to-face interviews, web and telephone surveys. Results show that when consumers know that ‘great’ means truly superior, they overestimate some of the main attributes of ‘great’ products. In this sense, ‘great’ serves as a powerful tool to increase expectations about a specific product. There is also weak evidence that, for new or unknown products, ‘great’ provides small added value. However, when there is no way to know if ‘great’ truly means superior but the evaluated product is well-known, consumers generally react with indifference. Finally, if ‘great’ is artificially added to the name of a product, there is no effect on consumer perceptions with respect to the product. This research clarifies the conditions where ‘great’ has a positive impact on the bottom line for some companies. Consequently, it is a term that marketers should consider when seeking to persuade consumers.

Keywords: great; brand names; product evaluations; consumer research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1057/bm.2016.2 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:jobman:v:23:y:2016:i:2:d:10.1057_bm.2016.2

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.palgrave.com/gp/journal/41262

DOI: 10.1057/bm.2016.2

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Brand Management is currently edited by Joachim Kernstock, Shaun M. Powell, Mark Davies and Ur a Golob

More articles in Journal of Brand Management from Palgrave Macmillan
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().