Feminine brand names are often more successful
Brands with feminine-sounding names often enjoy greater commercial success than competitors with masculine names. According to a study by the University of Calgary, most of the biggest brands have female-sounding names, such as «Coca-Cola,» «Nestlé,» «Nike,» and «Disney.» Such names make a brand appear «warmer,» the study found.
According to researchers, people often perceive a name as feminine if it ends with a vowel, has at least two syllables, and the stress is not on the first syllable. An analysis of Interbrand's list of the world's biggest brands from the past 20 years has shown that a large proportion of them have such names.
"The higher a brand is on the list, the more likely it is to have a linguistically feminine name," explains study leader Ruth Pogacar. In several experiments, the scientists examined how brands with different names affect consumers. The test subjects associated brands with "warmth", i.e. with friendliness, honesty and tolerance. This made the products more likeable for them.
Functional products masculine
Masculine names also have advantages. Brands with masculine names are more popular, especially for purely functional products such as bathroom scales. Feminine names, on the other hand, are better received by luxury products such as chocolate. Only in the case of goods aimed specifically at men does the brand name not make much difference. (pte)
