1. Free Association Profiling on sound logos
- an exploratory study
Jesper Ramsgaard, Julie Winther, Suzanne Beckmann, Guillaume Le Ray
DELTA SenseLab, Copenhagen Business School

2. Introducing Delta SenseLab
SenseLab offer basic and
advanced perceptual
evaluation services
1) End-user perception
2) Applied mostly to sound
3) Also for visual and
haptic/tactile quality

3. Motivation for the current study
Challenge two common assumptions about sound logos:
!
1. Sound logos can successfully communicate
specific attributes
2. Sound logos are perceived as a representative
for the brand
?
1. Which associations do sound logos elicit
2. Does the amount mean anything
3. How are sound logo recognised

4. Association network theory
Collins & Loftus, 1975:
• Associations are ”nodes”
linked together
• Nodes represents anything
which can be perceived, felt
or thought.
• The links between the
nodes are activated when
you retrieve stored
information in your mind
Krishnan, 1996

5. Seconday brand associations
Brand equity is increased when
“the consumer has a high level of awareness and familiarity
with the brand and holds some strong, favourable, and
unique brand associations in memory”
(Keller 2008)

6. The experiment
• Setup
1. Association elicitation
2. Valence rating
3. Self-categorization
• Stimuli
10 sound logos
No specific information of
context and brands
• Subjects
45 participants (mainly students)
49% female, on average 24
years old
(SD = 3.92, range = 18-35).

7. Valence and number of associations
Analysis of variance (ANOVA)

8. Grouping associations
SMS-
Computer jingle
Starting Calm
Windows
Click sound Fun
Short
Mobile Simple
Wrong
commercial Sad
TV-show button
Fresh
Quiz
Happy
people
The news Spring
Water
Vacation
winning Beach
Lotto

9. Principal Component Analyse

10. Associative space - Sound 6
Annoying
Jingle
Commercial
Computer error
sound
Computer starting
Mobile commercial
Text message
Next in line
Light
Mobile
Ringtone
Piano
Warning
Correct answer

11. Associative space - Sound 6
Annoying
Repartition of the Varia Jingle
25
Commercial
Computer error
20 19.4 sound
Percentage of Variance
Computer starting
Mobile commercial
15
12.6 Text message
Next in line
10
Light
6.33 Mobile
5
Ringtone
Piano
comp 1
comp 2
comp 3
0 Warning
Correct answer

12. Associative space - Sound 5
Burning paper
Coffee beans
Yoga
Knife
Fresh
Grill
Soft Drink
Dragon Fly
Asia
Slaughter house
Adventure game
Kill Bill
Melancholy
Rain
Kitchen

13. Associative space - Sound 5
Burning paper
Repartition of the Varia
25
Coffee beans
Yoga
Knife
20
Percentage of Variance
Fresh
Grill
15
Soft Drink
Dragon Fly
10.4 10
10
Asia
7.36
Slaughter house
5 Adventure game
Kill Bill
comp 1
comp 2
comp 3
0
Melancholy
Rain
Kitchen

14. Do consumers see sound logos as logos?

15. Implications for designers
• Complex sounds may elicit more
associations
• Association spaces gives
designers an idea of the referential
meaning
• Heavy marketing efforts are
necessary to establish a brand-
sound link
Free Association Profiling shows how associations of the sound
logo without direct reference to the brand match the company‘s
secondary brand associations

16. Questions?
Julie Winther:
Julie.winther@gmail.com
www.juliewinther.blogspot.com
Twitter: @JulieWinther
Jesper Ramsgaard:
jra@delta.dk
www.madebydelta.dk

17. References
• Aaker, Jennifer L. (1997): Dimensions of Brand Personality. Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 34/3
August, p.347-356
• Collins, Allan & Loftus, Elizabeth (1975): A Spreading-Activation Theory of Semantic Processing,
Psychological Review, Vol.82, No.6, 407-428
• Keller, Kevin L. (2008): Strategic brand management. Building, Measuring, and Managing Brand Equity.
Pearson International Edition, 3rd edition
• Krishnan, H.S (1996): Characteristics of memory associations: A consumer-based brand equity
perspective. International Journal of Research in Marketing, Vol.13, p.389-405
• Graakjær, Nicolai J (2008): Musik i tv-reklamer - En tekstanalytisk undersøgelse. Institut for
Kommunikation, Aalborg Universitet.
• Martens, W. & Zacharov, N. (2000). Multidimensional perceptual unfolding or spatially processed speech
I: Deriving stimulus space using INDSCAL, AES 109th Convention, Los Angeles.
• Leonard B. Meyer (1956). Emotion and meaning in music. The University of Chicago Press.
• Meyers-Levy, Joan (1989): The Influence of a Brand Name‘s Association Set Size and Word Frequency
on Brand Memory. Journal of Consumer Research, Vol.16 (sept).
• Russell, J. A. (2003). Core affect and the psychological construction of emotion. Psychological Review,
110(1), 145-172.
• Zentner, Marcel, Didier Grandjean, and Klaus R Scherer (2008).. "Emotions Evoked by the Sound of
Music: Characterization, Classification, and Measurement." Emotion 8, no. 4
• Roedder John, Deborah, Loken, Barbara, Kim, Kyengheui & Basu Monga, Alokparna (2006): Brand
Concept maps: A Methodology for identifying Brand Association Networks. Journal of Marketing
Research, Vol.XLIII (Nov.), p.549-563
• Schubert, Emery (1996): Enjoyment of negative Emotions in Music: An Associative Network
Explanation. Psychology of Music, vol.24, p.18-24