Free Association Profiling on sound logos - an exploratory study

Jesper Ramsgaard, Julie Winther, Suzanne Beckmann, Guillaume Le Ray

DELTA SenseLab, Copenhagen Business School

Introducing Delta SenseLab

SenseLab offer basic and advanced perceptual evaluation services

1) End-user perception 2) Applied mostly to sound 3) Also for visual and

haptic/tactile quality

Motivation for the current study

Challenge two common assumptions about sound logos:

1. Sound logos can successfully communicate specific attributes

2. Sound logos are perceived as a representative for the brand

1. Which associations do sound logos elicit 2. Does the amount mean anything 3. How are sound logo recognised ?

!

Association network theory

Collins & Loftus, 1975:

Associations are nodes linked together

Nodes represents anything which can be perceived, felt or thought.

The links between the nodes are activated when you retrieve stored information in your mind

Krishnan, 1996

Seconday brand associations

Brand equity is increased when

the consumer has a high level of awareness and familiarity with the brand and holds some strong, favourable, and

unique brand associations in memory (Keller 2008)

The experiment

Setup 1. Association elicitation

2. Valence rating

3. Self-categorization

Stimuli 10 sound logos No specific information of context and brands

Subjects 45 participants (mainly students)

49% female, on average 24 years old (SD = 3.92, range = 18-35).

Valence and number of associations

Analysis of variance (ANOVA)

Grouping associations

Windows Click sound

Simple

Fresh

Vacation

Happy people

Beach

TV-show Mobile

commercial

Quiz

Short

Calm

Sad Wrong button

SMS- jingle

Spring Water

Computer Starting

The news

winning

Lotto

Fun

Principal Component Analyse

Associative space - Sound 6

Annoying

Jingle

Commercial

Computer error sound

Computer starting

Mobile commercial

Text message

Next in line

Light

Mobile

Ringtone

Piano

Warning

Correct answer

Associative space - Sound 6

Annoying

Jingle

Commercial

Computer error sound

Computer starting

Mobile commercial

Text message

Next in line

Light

Mobile

Ringtone

Piano

Warning

Correct answer

com

p 1

com

p 2

com

p 3

Repartition of the Varia

Per

cent

age

of V

aria

nce

0

5

10

15

20

25

19.4

12.6

6.33

Associative space - Sound 5

Burning paper

Coffee beans

Yoga

Knife

Fresh

Grill

Soft Drink

Dragon Fly

Asia

Slaughter house

Adventure game

Kill Bill

Melancholy

Rain

Kitchen

Associative space - Sound 5

com

p 1

com

p 2

com

p 3

Repartition of the Varia

Per

cent

age

of V

aria

nce

0

5

10

15

20

25

10.4 10

7.36

Burning paper

Coffee beans

Yoga

Knife

Fresh

Grill

Soft Drink

Dragon Fly

Asia

Slaughter house

Adventure game

Kill Bill

Melancholy

Rain

Kitchen

Do consumers see sound logos as logos?

Implications for designers

Complex sounds may elicit more associations

Association spaces gives designers an idea of the referential meaning

Heavy marketing efforts are necessary to establish a brand-sound link

Free Association Profiling shows how associations of the sound logo without direct reference to the brand match the companys secondary brand associations

Questions?

Julie Winther: Julie.winther@gmail.com

www.juliewinther.blogspot.com

Twitter: @JulieWinther

Jesper Ramsgaard:

jra@delta.dk

www.madebydelta.dk

References Aaker, Jennifer L. (1997): Dimensions of Brand Personality. Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 34/3

August, p.347-356

Collins, Allan & Loftus, Elizabeth (1975): A Spreading-Activation Theory of Semantic Processing, Psychological Review, Vol.82, No.6, 407-428

Keller, Kevin L. (2008): Strategic brand management. Building, Measuring, and Managing Brand Equity. Pearson International Edition, 3rd edition

Krishnan, H.S (1996): Characteristics of memory associations: A consumer-based brand equity perspective. International Journal of Research in Marketing, Vol.13, p.389-405

Graakjr, Nicolai J (2008): Musik i tv-reklamer - En tekstanalytisk undersgelse. Institut for Kommunikation, Aalborg Universitet.

Martens, W. & Zacharov, N. (2000). Multidimensional perceptual unfolding or spatially processed speech I: Deriving stimulus space using INDSCAL, AES 109th Convention, Los Angeles.

Leonard B. Meyer (1956). Emotion and meaning in music. The University of Chicago Press. Meyers-Levy, Joan (1989): The Influence of a Brand Names Association Set Size and Word Frequency

on Brand Memory. Journal of Consumer Research, Vol.16 (sept).

Russell, J. A. (2003). Core affect and the psychological construction of emotion. Psychological Review, 110(1), 145-172.

Zentner, Marcel, Didier Grandjean, and Klaus R Scherer (2008).. "Emotions Evoked by the Sound of Music: Characterization, Classification, and Measurement." Emotion 8, no. 4

Roedder John, Deborah, Loken, Barbara, Kim, Kyengheui & Basu Monga, Alokparna (2006): Brand Concept maps: A Methodology for identifying Brand Association Networks. Journal of Marketing Research, Vol.XLIII (Nov.), p.549-563

Schubert, Emery (1996): Enjoyment of negative Emotions in Music: An Associative Network Explanation. Psychology of Music, vol.24, p.18-24

Free Association Profiling on sound logos- an exploratory studyIntroducing Delta SenseLabMotivation for the current studyAssociation network theorySeconday brand associationsThe experimentValence and number of associationsGrouping associationsPrincipal Component AnalyseAssociative space - Sound 6Associative space - Sound 6Associative space - Sound 5Associative space - Sound 5 Do consumers see sound logos as logos?Implications for designersQuestions?References