A rose by any other name …: Color-naming influences on decision making

✍ Scribed by Jeanine L. Skorinko; Suzanne Kemmer; Michelle R. Hebl; David M. Lane

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 183 KB
• Volume: 23
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0742-6046
• DOI: 10.1002/mar.20142

✦ Synopsis

Companies dealing in colors (e.g., paint companies, the cosmetic industry) spend enormous amounts of time and money selecting names to accompany their various product lines in an attempt to maximally appeal to and lure in consumers. In two experiments, the current research examines the extent to which such naming strategies have an impact on consumer behavior. Across both experiments, participants rated either color swatches (Experiment 1) or products (Experiment 2) that had either generic names (e.g., brown) or fancy names (e.g., mocha) attached to them. The results of each experiment revealed that names significantly influence how colors are perceived, and that fancy names result in significantly more favorable ratings than do generic names. Both theoretical and applied implications of this phenomenon are discussed.