Linking research in sound symbolism and metaphor cognition, the current research suggests that silent consonants in brand names (e.g. Sekato), compared to voiced consonants (e.g. Jobeza), are more effective in conveying environmental attributes of brands. A series of studies conducted in laboratory and natural setting show that brands with silent brand names are perceived more environmentally friendly than voiced brand names. This effect of sounds on perception of brand’s environmentally friendliness is mediated through metaphorical human characteristics (e.g. good-heartedness, kindness etc.) associated with environmentally friendly products and silent sounds. In addition to testing this primary hypothesis, I also test boundary conditions for the effect of brand names sounds on perception of environmental friendliness. I show that the effect of brand name sounds persists in low involvement product purchase conditions but weakens in high involvement purchase situations. In four empirical studies conducted with different demographic groups, different brand name formations, and different experimental setting show results consistent with the hypothesis. The results are also supported in a field experiment. This work offers a very innovative approach to marketers, advances theory of sound symbolism, as well as provides new directions for future research.
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