Comparative values of variables related to brand logos

Abstract

Purpose

This research aims to provide data and insights about the perception of commercial logos and to offer practical benchmark data useful to business organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

The first study uses a pencil-and-paper survey to gather perceptual data about familiarity, subjective and objective visual complexity, aesthetic attraction, emotionality, number of colors and symbolic-social-status function of 142 brand logos. The second study uses a response time methodology to measure variables related to memory (i.e., cued recall and types of non-response).

Findings

The paper offers insights into the relationship of relevant symbol-related variables. Emotional arousal correlates positively to aesthetic attraction and cued recall, and negatively to symbol knowledge. Emotional arousal and social reputation correlate weakly. Business organizations should be interested in knowing how users rate the emotions of their own and other organizations’ isotypes. Familiarity correlates negatively to response times, and positively to proper cued recall, aesthetic attraction and self-assessment manikin emotional scale. The subjective measure of complexity and the measures related to emotions correlate. Surprisingly, no correlation exists for the objective measure of complexity with emotion. The results could indicate that an unknown effect of mere exposure of complexity exists. The study found no correlation between visual complexity and variables related to memory.

Practical implications

Values of performance are needed to interpret business excellence. Data presented as supplementary file can be used for benchmark brand-logo relevant aspects. Also, the study suggests measuring the emotional value of logos, especially strength, as it is a predictor of recall. Moreover, companies with a socially reputed logo should try to create an emotional link to it. Repetition and likeness are two ways to improve emotional ratings. Therefore, the study suggests organizations to assure that their target likes their logo. As more complex logos are considered more attractive, the authors would recommend organizations to test logos with different degrees of complexity.

Originality/value

This study is the first that offers normative logo data that can be used by practitioners as a benchmark of logo performance. Moreover, it promotes future research as it confirms and disconfirms previous findings and offers some new insight on brand research.

Citation

De Marchis, G.P., Reales-Avilés, J.M. and Rivero, M.d.P. (2018), "Comparative values of variables related to brand logos", Measuring Business Excellence, Vol. 22 No. 1, pp. 75-87. https://doi.org/10.1108/MBE-12-2016-0062