Chinese brand naming: a linguistic analysis of the brands of ten product categories

Abstract

This paper reports a study of 1,304 Chinese brand names of ten types of products in China. These brand names are content analyzed following a linguistic approach which the authors developed from their earlier studies. The ten types of brand names are presented in three broad categories representing the three different developing stages of the consumer product industry in China: brands of traditional products (illustrated by matches and spirits), brands of traditional products with current development (illustrated by bicycles, shoes, and toothpastes), and brands of new and modern products (illustrated by cosmetics, soft drinks, washing machines, refrigerators and TV sets). The conclusion drawn from the analysis is that one of the variables in determining how linguistic principles are being applied to Chinese brand naming is the respective stages of development of such products in the context of the Chinese market economy.

Choosing celebrity endorsers for advertising campaigns in cosmopolitan China: Does their ethnicity matter?

“…The English version, Premis, is neutral, in the sense that it has no direct meaning or connotation in China. The transliteration in Chinese was simply a phonetic rendition, which likewise had no meaning that could convey either positive or negative brand associations: a methodological strategy previously adopted by Hong et al (2002) and Chan & Huang (2001).…”

Análisis Lingüístico De Los Nombres De Marca Españoles

“…Los estudios dedicados al análisis de nombres de marca pueden dividirse en dos grupos según sus objetivos y alcance: (i) estudios que se centran únicamente en la descripción de las características lingüísticas del nombre (Schloss, 1981;Vanden Bergh et al, 1987;Chan y Huang, 1997y 2001Angus y Oppenheim, 2004;Herrero, 2007;Aranda, 2007Aranda, y 2008 y (ii) estudios que relacionan las características lingüísticas del nombre con aspectos clave del marketing como memorización, reconocimiento, eufonía, simbolismo fonético, asociación con el producto, etc. (Peterson y Ross, 1972;Vanden Bergh et al, 1984;Kohli y Suri, 2000;Klink, 2000;Lowrey et al, 2003;Lowrey y Shrum, 2007).…”

“…(Peterson y Ross, 1972;Vanden Bergh et al, 1984;Kohli y Suri, 2000;Klink, 2000;Lowrey et al, 2003;Lowrey y Shrum, 2007). En cuanto a la lengua estudiada, la mayoría se refi eren a nombres de marca en inglés pero también encontramos estudios centrados en nombres de marca chinos (Chan y Huang, 1997y 2001 y españoles (Román, 1998;Alfonso-Cortés, 2007;Herrero, 2007;Aranda, 2007Aranda, y 2008.…”

The role of language and culture in marketing communication

“…Our studies have analyzed existing Chinese brand names of Chinese products and categorized each according to linguistic qualities, including syllabic, morphological, tonal and semantic characteristics. We started from establishing four general and basic linguistic principles in Chinese brand naming ; we examined specific rules which distinguished product categories Chan and Huang, 2001a); and we discussed how the development history of different categories of products would be reflected in brand naming schemes (Chan and Huang, 2001b).…”