Brand Management: Why Blind Taste Tests Mislead
How names, sounds, associations and portfolios turn a product into a brand, and why a brand changes what people actually experience.
Try 3 questions
1. Why do companies often pick invented brand names, like 'Kodak,' instead of ordinary descriptive words?
- They are easier for anyone to spell
- They are much easier to protect legally
- They describe the product more clearly
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Answer: They are much easier to protect legally
Coined names are inherently distinctive, so they qualify for strong trademark protection, while descriptive words are hard to own exclusively.
2. In a study, an ice cream called 'Frosh' was expected to be creamier than one called 'Frish.' Why?
- Back vowels like 'o' suggest richness
- Frosh resembled a famous existing brand
- Shorter names suggest more fat content
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Answer: Back vowels like 'o' suggest richness
Sound symbolism: vowels pronounced at the back of the mouth are linked with big, heavy, smooth qualities, while front vowels suggest small and light.
3. Can a single color, like a jeweler's signature robin's-egg blue, work as a legally protected brand element?
- No, nobody can ever own a color
- Only when printed beside the company name
- Yes, once it clearly signals one source
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Answer: Yes, once it clearly signals one source
In many jurisdictions a color can be registered as a trademark if consumers have come to associate it with one specific company.
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