Same design, same response? Investigating natural designs in international logos
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-10-2017-1632 |
| Date | 13 May 2019 |
| Published date | 13 May 2019 |
| Pages | 317-329 |
| Author | Anna Torres,Joana César Machado,Leonor Vacas de Carvalho,Michel van de Velden,Patrício Costa |
| Subject Matter | Marketing |
Same design, same response? Investigating
natural designs in international logos
Anna Torres
Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
Joana César Machado
Universidade Cat
olica Portuguesa, Cat
olica Porto Business School and CEGE, Porto, Portugal
Leonor Vacas de Carvalho
Department of Management and CEFAGE, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
Michel van de Velden
Econometric Institute, Erasmus School of Economics, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands, and
Patrício Costa
School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
Abstract
Purpose –This paper aims to investigate the commonalities and asymmetries between consumer responses to different types of natural designs
across countries.
Design/methodology/approach –Data were gathered through a survey in three European countries ranking differently in what concerns
Hofstede’s (1981) uncertainty avoidance dimension (UAD). Respondents can vary strongly in the way they interpret and use rating scales, exhibiting
a variety of response styles. In the analysis of consumers’preferences for logo design, this article apply constrained dual scaling (CDS) to account for
response styles in categorical data.
Findings –Results demonstrate the broad appeal of natural logo designs, suggesting that design preferences are similar within countries with
different cultural orientations. However, findings indicate that cultural dimensions influence how consumers respon d to different types of natural
logo designs. Indeed, the positive effects of organic designs are even more salient in countries with higher UAD. Thus, when managers prepare to
launch their brands in countries that exhibit more discomfort with uncertainty, they should consider incorporating organic visual identity elements
into their logos to achieve the maximum positive affect.
Originality/value –Companies invest extensive time, research and money in generating, promoting and modifying their logos. This paper provides
important implications for international brand managers aiming to build a consistent and favorable brand image. From a methodological
perspective, the results come from the analysis of clean data –that is, data after applying CDS, which increases the validity of the cross-country
comparison.
Keywords Design, Consumer behaviour, Brand logo, Cross-countries research, Response style
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
For managers, the global branding paradigm has become
increasingly important as firms need to use global approaches to
communicate their offerings across countries to build brand value
(Jun and Lee, 2007;Steenkamp et al., 2003;Townsend et al.,
2009). It is, therefore, critical for multi-national companies to
consider cultural differences when developing single brand
strategies with an international appeal (Madden et al.,2000).
Previous research indicates that companies position their brands
as global by using relevant communication cues, such as brand
identity signs and advertising themes (Alden et al.,1999;Solberg,
2002).
One brand element that managers tend to use globally is
the logo (Schmitt and Simonson, 1997;Van der Lans et al.,
2009). Logos communicate visually and thus help brands
transcend language barriers (Kohli and Suri, 2002). Logos
are critical communication cues present in a wide range of
brand communications, from advertising and sponsorship to
business cards and letterheads, packaging and point-of-
purchase communications. Companies invest extensive
time, research and money in generating, promoting and
modifying their logos (Colman et al., 1995;Henderson and
Cote, 1998;Spaeth, 1999). With respect to logo outputs,
they can generate strong, positive emotions and convey the
meaningofthebrand(Van der Lans et al., 2009), ensuring
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on
Emerald Insight at: www.emeraldinsight.com/1061-0421.htm
Journal of Product & Brand Management
28/3 (2019) 317–329
© Emerald Publishing Limited [ISSN 1061-0421]
[DOI 10.1108/JPBM-10-2017-1632]
Received 27 October 2017
Revised 20 April 2018
11 July 2018
Accepted 22 July 2018
317
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