Shaping Consumer Behavior: An Evolutionary Study on How the Study of a Brand Logo Influences Preferences and Brand Personality Perceptions

Abstrakt

Brand logos are an ever-present part of people’s everyday lives. In today’s constant brand clutter, a distinct brand logo is essential in order to differentiate from competitors and build a strong brand in consumers’ minds. The shape is an essential part of the brand logo. The shape itself has been found across interdisciplinary research to signal certain characteristics and influence preferences (e.g., Bar & Neta, 2006; Schmitt & Simonson, 1997). Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether the brand logo shape influences preferences and brand personality perceptions; and if the context of a luxury brand would amplify these theoretical assumptions. An evolutionary perspective was adopted to help unravel how the logo shape triggers humans’ ultimate behaviors. Analyzing the experimental data collected through a 2x2 survey experiment, we suggest that brand logo shapes influence aesthetical preferences and brand personality perceptions. Specifically, we find that a round logo is preferred and is more aligned with attributes constituting a Sincere and Sophisticated brand personality. The brand with an angular logo was instead perceived as masculine and tough, relating to a Rugged brand personality. Females disfavored the angular logo compared to the round logo, while males were more indifferent. The study provides a fresh perspective by combining concepts of marketing, psychology, biology, branding, and design in a creative manner, which further contributes to interdisciplinary academia on how to build strong brands through logo design. Thus, this research contributes a novel, evolutionary perspective on logo shape and brand personality perceptions with implications for future research