Companies spend vast amounts of money trying to find the perfect name for their new products. A brand name is often the first point of contact between a consumer and a business. The linguistic features within that name can shape how people feel about the item before they ever see it on a shelf.
A team of researchers recently designed an investigation to shed light on how exact sound repetition in a name affects consumer preferences. They found that repeating sounds can make a brand seem cuter, which increases its appeal for certain types of products. The findings of this investigation were published in the International Journal of Research in Marketing.
The Linguistic Science of Cuteness
Past research has looked at how rhyming, which is the partial repetition of sounds like “sepsop,” changes how consumers view a brand. However, there was a knowledge gap regarding a different linguistic feature called sound reduplication. Reduplication involves the exact repetition of a sound or syllable, such as the “ku” in “kuku” or the “miu” in “Miumiu.”
Kosuke Motoki, a researcher at The University of Tokyo, led a team to investigate how this specific type of exact repetition influences brand preference. To understand their work, it helps to know about a psychology concept called baby-schema cuteness. This term describes traits that remind people of infants, such as the repetitive babbling sounds adults often use when speaking to babies.
When people encounter these infant-like visual or auditory traits, it tends to trigger feelings of affection. The research team wanted to know if using sound reduplication in a brand name would evoke this same sense of baby-schema cuteness. They also wanted to see if that feeling would ultimately make consumers more likely to choose the brand.
The investigation also draws on a field of study known as sound symbolism. Sound symbolism is the idea that the distinct sounds used in language carry intrinsic meanings or evoke specific emotions. For example, humans might naturally associate certain high-pitched sounds with smallness or vulnerability.
Testing Brand Names in the Laboratory
The researchers designed a series of five experiments using fictitious brand names. In the first set of tests, they asked hundreds of online participants to evaluate made-up brand names that featured either exact reduplication or simple rhyming. They asked the participants to imagine these were brands for baby products and measured their attitudes toward the names on a numbered scale.
The analysis revealed that participants strongly preferred the brand names with exact sound reduplication over the ones that merely rhymed. Next, the team set up a scenario where participants had to choose a gift for a young girl. They presented two fictitious brand names, one with reduplication and one without.
To make the experiment realistic, participants were told they might actually receive a gift from the brand they selected. The data showed that the reduplicated names were chosen much more frequently.
The analysis also revealed a clear chain of events during this choice process. The brand names with reduplication caused an increase in the participants’ perception of baby-schema cuteness. This heightened sense of cuteness then led directly to a higher likelihood of choosing that brand.
To ensure the results were accurate, the researchers controlled for other factors that might influence a participant’s choice. For instance, they made sure that the fictitious brand names were exactly the same length and used the same number of syllables. They also measured whether the brand names just sounded fun or whimsical, but the data confirmed that the perception of baby-schema cuteness was the primary driver of consumer preference.
The team then tested whether the type of product mattered. They asked new groups of participants to choose brands for items that are typically associated with cuteness, like baby formula and kitten supplies. They compared these choices against items that are not typically seen as cute, such as protein powder and reptile supplies.
The data showed that the preference for reduplicated brand names only occurred when the product matched a cute category. When the product was protein powder or reptile supplies, the reduplicated names offered no advantage.
Finally, the researchers looked at phonemes, which are the distinct units of sound that make up spoken words. Linguists classify certain sounds as naturally cuter, such as bilabial consonants like “m” and “p” that are produced by pressing both lips together.
The researchers created brand names combining these different types of sounds. The analysis showed that the cuteness-boosting effect of reduplication was strongest when the brand name also used these naturally cute consonant and vowel sounds.
Applying Linguistic Strategy to Business
These findings offer practical insights for businesspeople looking to launch new products. Companies selling items related to babies, children, or pets might benefit from incorporating exact sound reduplication into their brand names. Creating names with repeating syllables can automatically trigger a sense of cuteness, which leads to higher consumer preference in these specific markets.
Businesspeople can also enhance this effect by choosing specific sounds. Selecting letters that are naturally associated with cuteness, such as “m” or “i”, and repeating them can maximize the brand’s appeal. This sound-based strategy provides a simple way to position a product in the minds of consumers using just the name.
There is a notable caveat to keep in mind regarding this naming strategy. The research indicates that the benefits of sound reduplication are strictly limited to products that naturally fit a cute image. If a company is selling items like fitness supplements or heavy machinery, using a reduplicated brand name will not increase consumer preference.
Another potential misconception is that repeating sounds only work because they make a brand name easier to remember. While reduplicated words are often memorable, the researchers conducted tests showing that memory performance alone does not fully explain the positive effects on consumer choice. The actual perceptual impact of the sound, and the specific feelings of affection it generates, play a much larger role in shaping how consumers behave.
![[Adobe Stock]](https://www.psychologyofselling.pro/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/artificial-intelligence-350x250.jpg)
