商標是被很多人採用的促進即時識別的符號。這項研究的目的是討論抽象和形象化的商標如何影響產品聯想的效果。本論文的實驗比較了8個抽象化商標和8個形象化商標的產品類別的聯想，以個人代理作為干擾變數。74個參與者寫下他們認為符合公司商標所提供的服務或產品。抽象的商標比形象化的商標有顯著的產品聯想。然後參與者被分為高或低級別個人代理來填寫BIF問卷。高級個人代理比低級個人代理顯著於可以聯繫起來更多的抽象化商標的產品種類，但沒有體現在形象化商標。研究結果還顯示，抽象化商標可以把上位產品類別和想了性產品類別聯繫起來，然而形象化商標可以把下位產品類別和功能性產品類別聯繫起來。研究還發現抽象商標比形象商標在若聯想強度上有更顯著的影響。這些結果表明，抽象和形象的商標在消費者如何關聯產品類別方面有著顯著的不同。

Logos are visual symbols used by many to promote instant recognition. The aim of this research was to investigate how abstract and figurative logos affect product representation. The experiment in this thesis compared product category associations of 8 abstract logos and 8 figurative logos, with level of personal agency as moderator. Seventy-four participants associated assigned logos with as many product categories as they see fit. Abstract logos had significantly more associations than figurative logos. The participants were then classified into high or low-level agents using the Behavioral Identification Form questionnaire . High-level agents significantly associated more product categories with abstract logos than low-level agents, but not with figurative logos. The results also show that abstract logos were associated with superordinate and imagery product categories, whereas subordinate and functional categories were associated with figurative logos. It was also found that abstract logos have significantly weaker association strengths than figurative logos. These findings indicate that abstract and figurative logos significantly differ in how consumers associate product categories with them.

References

Aaker, D. A., & Equity, M. B. (1991). Capitalizing on the Value of a Brand Name.
New York.
Aaker, D. A. (1996). Measuring brand equity across products and markets.California
management review, 38(3), 103.
Bhat, S., & Reddy, S. K. (1998). Symbolic and functional positioning of brands.
Journal of consumer marketing, 15(1), 32-43.
Block, C. E. (1969). Symbolic branding: The problem of mistaken identity with
design marks. Trademark Rep., 59, 399.
Bottomley, P. A., & Doyle, J. R. (2006). The interactive effects of colors and products
on perceptions of brand logo appropriateness. Marketing Theory,6(1), 63-83.
Brown, R. (1958). How shall a thing be called?. Psychological review, 65(1), 14.
Buttle, H., & Westoby, N. (2006). Brand logo and name association: It's all in the
name. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 20(9), 1181-1194.
Cesar-Machado, J., Vacas-de-Carvalho, L., Torres, A., & Costa, P. (2013). Brand logo
design: Examining consumer response to figurativeness.
Clark, V. (1988). Strategies: Identify Yourself. Canadian Business, 61, 21-22.
Dondis, D. A. (1974). A primer of visual literacy. Mit Press.
Durgee, J. F., & Stuart, R. W. (1987). Advertising symbols and brand names that best
represent key product meanings. Journal of Consumer Marketing,4(3), 15-24.
Förster, J., Friedman, R. S., & Liberman, N. (2004). Temporal construal effects on
abstract and concrete thinking: consequences for insight and creative cognition. Journal of personality and social psychology, 87(2), 177.
Freitas, A. L., Gollwitzer, P., & Trope, Y. (2004). The influence of abstract and
concrete mindsets on anticipating and guiding others' self-regulatory efforts. Journal of experimental social psychology, 40(6), 739-752.
French, A., & Smith, G. (2013). Measuring brand association strength: a consumer
based brand equity approach. European Journal of Marketing,47(8),
Greimas A.J. and Courtés, J. (1993). Sémiotique – dictionnaire raisonné de la théorie
de langage. Paris: Hachette Supérieur.
Heilbrunn, B. (1997). Representation and legitimacy: A semiotic approach to the
logo. APPROACHES TO SEMIOTICS, 127, 175-190.
Henderson, P. W., & Cote, J. A. (1998). Guidelines for selecting or modifying logos.
The Journal of Marketing, 14-30.
Hoeffler, S., & Keller, K. L. (2002). Building brand equity through corporate societal
marketing. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 21(1), 78-89.
Janiszewski, C., & Meyvis, T. (2001). Effects of brand logo complexity, repetition,
and spacing on processing fluency and judgment. Journal of consumer
research, 28(1), 18-32.
Kapferer, Jean-Noel (2004), The New Strategic Brand Management: Creating and
Sustaining Brand Equity Long Term, Kogan-Page, London.
Katja Wiemer‐Hastings, K., & Xu, X. (2005). Content differences for abstract and
concrete concepts. Cognitive Science, 29(5), 719-736.
Keller, K. L. (1993). Conceptualizing, measuring, and managing customer-based
brand equity. the Journal of Marketing, 1-22.
Keller, K. L., Heckler, S. E., & Houston, M. J. (1998). The effects of brand name
suggestiveness on advertising recall. The Journal of Marketing, 48-57.
Keller, K. L. (2003). Strategic brand management: building, measuring, and managing
brand equity.
Koen, F. (1969). Verbal and Nonverbal Mediators in Recognition Memory for
Complex Visual Stimuli.
Kohli, C., & Suri, R. (2002). Creating effective logos: Insights from theory and
practice. Business Horizons, 45(3), 58-64.
Kropp, H. R., French, W. A., & Hilliard, J. E. (1990). Trademark management–Not
brand management. Business, 4, 17-24.
Langer, S. K. (1955). Feeling and Form; a Theory of Art Developed from Philosophy
in a New Key.
Lewis, C. and Walker, P. (1989) ‘Typographic Influences on Reading’, British Journal
of Psychology 80(3): 241–57.
Liberman, N., & Trope, Y. (1998). The role of feasibility and desirability
considerations in near and distant future decisions: a test of temporal construal theory. Journal of personality and social psychology, 75(1), 5.
Low, G. S., & Lamb Jr, C. W. (2000). The measurement and dimensionality of brand
associations. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 9(6), 350-370.
Machado, J. C., de Carvalho, L. V., Torres, A., & Costa, P. (2015). Brand logo design:
examining consumer response to naturalness. Journal of Product & Brand
Management, 24(1), 78-87.
Masten, D. L. (1988). Logo's power depends on how well it communicates with target
market. Marketing News, 22(2).
Mininni, T. (2005). Marketing metrics and package design.
Nelson, K. E. (1971). Memory development in children: Evidence from nonverbal
tasks. Psychonomic Science, 25(6), 346-348.
Park, C. W., Jaworski, B. J., & Maclnnis, D. J. (1986). Strategic brand concept-image
management. The Journal of Marketing, 135-145.
Peter, J. (1989). Designing logos. Folio, 18(July), 139-41.
Poffenberger, A. T., & Franken, R. B. (1923). A study of the appropriateness of type
faces. Journal of applied psychology, 7(4), 312.
Rangaswamy, A., Burke, R. R., & Oliva, T. A. (1993). Brand equity and the
extendibility of brand names. International Journal of Research in marketing,10(1), 61-75.
Roth, M.S. and Romeo, J.B. (1992) ‘Matching Product Category and Country Image
Perceptions: A Framework for Managing Country-of-Origin Effects’, Journal of International Business Studies 23(3): 477–97.
Ruth, J.A. (2001) ‘Promoting a Brand’s Emotion Benefits: The Influence of Emotion
Categorization Processes on Consumer Evaluations’, Journal of Consumer
Psychology 11(2): 99–113.
Schechter, A. H. (1993). Measuring the value of corporate and brand logos.Design
Management Journal (Former Series), 4(1), 33-39.
Seifert, L. S. (1992). Pictures as a means of conveying information. The Journal of
general psychology, 119(3), 279-287.
Siegel, L. B. (1989). Planning for a long-life logo. Marketing Communications,
14(March), 44-49.
Trope, Y., & Liberman, N. (2010). Construal-level theory of psychological distance.
Psychological review, 117(2), 440.
Vallacher, R. R., & Wegner, D. M. (1987). What do people think they're doing?
Action identification and human behavior. Psychological review,94(1), 3.
Vallacher, R. R., & Wegner, D. M. (1989). Levels of personal agency: Individual
variation in action identification. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(4), 660.
Van Riel, C. B., & Van den BAN, A. (2001). The added value of corporate logos-An
empirical study. European Journal of Marketing, 35(3/4), 428-440.
Vartorella, W. (1990). Doing the bright thing with your company logo.Advertising
Age, 61(2), 31.
Veryzer, R. W. (1999). A nonconscious processing explanation of consumer response
to product design. Psychology & Marketing, 16(6), 497-522.
Walsh, M. F., Page Winterich, K., & Mittal, V. (2010). Do logo redesigns help or hurt
your brand? The role of brand commitment. Journal of Product & Brand
Management, 19(2), 76-84.
Yeung, M. (1988). Corporate fashion. Adweek’s Marketing Week, 29, 28-29.
Zaichkowsky, J. L., & Vipat, P. (1994). Inference from Brand Names. Simon Fraser
University.
Zaichkowsky, J. L. (2010). Strategies for distinctive brands. Journal of Brand
Management, 17(8), 548-560.