Sound Logos ’ Brand Impact 2 THE IMPACT OF SOUND LOGOS ON CONSUMER BRAND EVALUATION

Abstract: Acoustic elements have recently gained in importance in the context of changing con-ditions for brand communication. In this context, short identifying acoustic elements, known as sound logos, are becoming an integral part of consistent acoustic brand management. We model the impact of perceived fit of a sound logo with a brand (perceived fit) and of consumer attitudes towards a sound logo (consumer attitudes) on consumer brand evaluation. To validate the mod-el, we apply structural equation modeling to 340 responses from an online experiment. In doing so, we differentiate between sound logos and continuous background music in three industries. To obtain a realistic evaluation, the study took a new approach and used genuine sound logos (recently introduced or from foreign brands) in association with genuine ads and footage. We found support for the relationship between consumer attitudes and brand evaluation. However, the impact of perceived fit on brand evaluation was only supported for the background music condition. For sound logos, the impact of perceived fit on brand evaluation was fully mediated by consumer attitudes in all three industries. Thus, consumers respond to sound logos with a high degree of fit because the fit stimulates positive attitudes towards the sound logo. These re-sults support the general assumption that sound logos may contribute to an integrated brand iden