The Effect of Brand Names and Logos’ Figurativeness on Memory an Experimental Approach

This paper explores the opposition between abstract and figurative names and logos, considered together in a single stimulus. We created three experimental scenarios of fictitious names and logos, ranging from very abstract to very figurative stimuli. Findings show that figurativeness, and organicity as its extreme form, are key determinants of cognitive responses to names and logos. However, our most relevant finding is the crucial importance of the interaction between the figurativeness of the name and the logo. Results show that semantic repetition is beneficial for creating recall and generating associations, and semantic dispersion is advantageous for ensuring recognition. Nevertheless, there are exceptions. The originality of this paper lies in the fact that it allows to say that figurativeness is not a sacrosanct solution to good name and logo performance, it largely depends on the type of interaction between these two central brand identity signs