Beyond Words: A Cross-Cultural Comparative Study on Brand Naming Strategies and Sound Symbolism

This study examines how sound symbolism, when integrated with traditional brand naming strategies, shapes consumer perceptions across two closely related yet phonetically distinct cultures—Türkiye and Azerbaijan. By combining insights from branding literature and linguistic theory, we address a critical gap in understanding how phonetic features interact with semantic naming strategies to enhance brand effectiveness. Three pretests identified suitable product categories and name types, revealing that suggestive names were most appropriate for convenience products, while descriptive names aligned with shopping products. Building on these insights, a 3 × 2 factorial design with 446 participants tested how brand naming strategies interact with sound symbolism. MANOVA results demonstrated that voiceless consonants (e.g., “f”) conveyed softness more effectively than voiced consonants (e.g., “z”), while combining sound symbolism with suggesting naming amplified effectiveness for convenience products. Turkish participants showed greater sensitivity to sound symbolism compared to Azerbaijanis, underscoring the role of cultural and linguistic contexts. This study contributes to branding literature by extending sound symbolism theory to a cross-cultural setting, offering both theoretical insights into the interplay between phonetics and naming strategies, and practical implications for managers seeking to develop resonant global brand names.