Executive summary of “Effects of pronoun brand name perspective and positioning on brand attitude”
Article Type: Executive summary and implications for managers and executives From: Journal of Product & Brand Management, Volume 24, Issue 2
This summary has been provided to allow managers and executives a rapid appreciation of the content of this article. Those with a particular interest in the topic covered may then read the article in toto to take advantage of the more comprehensive description of the research undertaken and its results to get the full benefits of the material present.
Brand names are important in that they communicate meaning. They signal benefits to the consumer in addition to those associate with the core function of the product or service involved.
Some studies note that most productive responses to communication occur when consumer “sense of self” is evoked. The deployment of pronouns is particularly effective in this respect. How consumers signify a particular focus through the use of pronouns further illustrates their influence. An example of how difference is captured can be perceived by comparing the respective indications of I and we. The first-person singular of the former suggests that an individual is focusing on either him or her. In contrast, the group is the point of emphasis where use of the latter pronoun is concerned.
A connection between I and narcissism has also been identified, while another work notes that recall of words is stronger when first-person rather than third-person pronouns are used. Evidence suggests that people respond more favorably to such advertising and other stimuli when they are viewed in relation to their own self-concepts. Similarly, the use of pronouns integrated within brand names has also begun to attract considerable academic interest. One suggestion to emerge is that consumer preference for a brand increases when I or my are embedded within the brand name. This is attributed in part to the perceptions of similarity to oneself that such pronouns effect. Reading the brand name helps create a “sense of subjective ownership” due to the fact that my implies possession. Similar impact on brand perception emerges when the subjective I is present. The speaker imagines himself or herself performing an action or, in this context, using a particular product or brand. Ultimately, these different processes positively impact on partiality toward “I brands” and “my brands”, depending on which pronoun is incorporated into the name.
Researchers point out connections between I and you. Both involve a “conversational participant” in speaker and addressee. That this enables more precise meaning than third-person pronouns is noted in the literature. Ambiguity is more likely with the third-person form, whereas the explicit meanings associated with you and I give greater insight of what the speaker or writer is thinking or feeling.
However, I and you do differ in being first- and second-person perspectives, respectively. Frequent use of I indicates that someone is thinking primarily about themselves. On the other hand, it is said that people are more socially oriented when second-person pronouns are conspicuous. Work has generally noted that “social integration” is revealed through reference to other people when speaking or writing.
Such inclination illustrates how the construction of a brand name should take into account its intended positioning. Elements of the name need to be consistent with how the brand is positioned; otherwise, the outcome is invariably negative. The same principle applies as to the need for “fit” between a brand extension and its parent brand. Communicating different and conflicting messages can damage consumer belief in the brand and their attitude toward it.
Care must be taken that pronoun use within brand names accurately reflects a brand’s position. For instance, consumer response to the inclusion of I would usually be more encouraging when the brand in question is marketed on the personal benefits it offers the consumer. With brands intended to provide social benefits, embedding the pronoun you into brand names should generate a similarly positive reaction.
Pronoun use is assumed to essentially influence brand attitude, which scholars widely purport includes cognitive, affective and conative dimensions. The emotional aspect inherent in the summoning of self-concept intimates that the affective component is most influenced by the relationship between pronoun use and brand positioning.
In the first of two studies, the impact of pronoun and product positioning was examined using a sample of 375 subjects recruited from a panel of US consumers. Males and females were almost equally represented. The online survey involved evaluation of a product concept for a new portable electronic video device. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions based on use of you or I pronouns in the brand name and description of the product being positioned on either its personal or social benefits. The brand names iView and youView were used, with the word “view” being included because of its ability to function as a verb when paired with either of the pronouns. Respondents then indicated their attitude toward the brand and provided demographic information.
Analysis confirmed expectations that an I brand name would be more effective when the brand was positioned on personal benefits and a you brand name would be more effective when positioning was socially oriented.
Kachersky and Carnevale speculate that feelings toward a brand as reflected in the affective component of brand attitude are subject to further variation depending on individual sensitivity to cues used. It is proposed that self-esteem might be particularly significant given that it is associated with superior awareness and perception of one’s emotions when at high levels. Increases in self-esteem might, therefore, strengthen the relationship between “pronoun perspective” and positioning.
The second study was designed to investigate the role of self-esteem as an important individual difference. Measurement of the factor was, thus, added to an approach that closely mirrored the first study. A sample of 253 was recruited and subjects performed a similar task, this time in relation to a cross-platform tablet branded as either iGame or youGame. Completion of tasks which were apparently unconnected was used to measure self-esteem. Demographic information was again provided by participants, 57 per cent of which were female.
Results here further indicated the impact on consumer attitude of pronoun type and positioning. This study also confirmed that the link between pronoun and positioning strengthens as self-esteem grows. In common with earlier research, these findings suggest that any influence of pronouns on their own is minimal at best. The authors instead point out that their impact depends on context, whether that be the syntax identified in previous research or positioning here.
Thus, brand managers should use these findings to determine how the use of pronouns best correlates with the intended position of their brand. They are advised to be especially aware of this relationship when targeting consumers with high self-esteem, given their tendency toward a heightened affective reaction. Kachersky and Carnevale also recommend using a “verb root word” with I and you as the pronouns function as subjects.
Future research could extend this work by investigating relations between the first-person possessive pronoun my and the second-person possessive pronoun your. Another suggestion is to examine the reaction of different market segments to pronoun use. The authors acknowledge the connection of you with finger pointing and put forward the idea that individuals with low self-esteem might become self-conscious and react negatively. Scope also exists for cultural differences to impact on interpretation. One possibility is a more positive reaction to I in individualistic societies and to you where a more collectivist mentality prevails. Analyzing what role pronouns have played in establishing major brand names like YouTube and iPod provides further study opportunities.
To read the full article enter 10.1108/JPBM-02-2014-0495 into your search engine.
(A précis of the article “Effects of pronoun brand name perspective and positioning on brand attitude”. Supplied by Marketing Consultants for Emerald.)
