A Research on the Impact of Alpha-Numeric Brand Name on Brand Image

The importance of marketing activities is being emphasized because of the sharp competition of innumerable products to reach the limited consumers and markets in modern society. Even one company produces various brands strategically, and in this situation of cutthroat competition, it should be elucidate what are the main factors that determine the success or failure of a brand. One of the factors is the brand name. Consumers form a brand image by the brand name, the most basic and powerful factor even before they examine or recognize the qualities of a product. Moreover, the brand image formed once can hardly be changed since then.

An issue, regarding to brand name, that saw the light too late compared to its importance is so-called alpha-numeric brand name, which means a brand name that include number(s) in any configuration. It is not a fad to make use of number(s) in brand name: simply few study has been carried out.

In this research the effect of alpha-numeric brand name is examined. That is, I divide products into two categories, functional and non-functional products, and then analyze the impact of alpha-numeric brand name on brand image and the fitness between alpha-numeric brand name and product in the viewpoint cognition of consumers.

The framework of this research can be conceptualized as below.

Alpha-numeric brand name was found out to be more effective in fitness with functional product type than non-functional product type. And in the light of brand image, though there are some differences according to the variables such as existence of number(s), magnitude of number(s), way of writing number(s), whether character part is abbreviated or not, alpha-numeric brand seems to be able to make brand image recognized as more delicate and powerful in functional product type.

This research is worthwhile in expanding the field of study on alpha-numeric brand name by involving relation with brand image. And to marketing practitioners, gives some implications about how to create a brand name using number(s) according to product type.