The Psychology of Brand Name Pronunciation Difficulty and Consumer Approach-Avoidance Behavior

Abstract

This study examines the psychology of brand name pronunciation difficulty and consumer approach-avoidance behavior through a quantitative investigation of 100 consumers evaluating unfamiliar brand names with systematically varied pronunciation difficulty (easy: 'Sorel'; moderate: 'Kresge'; difficult: 'Xhosa'). Grounded in Processing Fluency Theory (Alter & Oppenheimer, 2009) + Approach-Avoidance Framework, the research investigates the psycholinguistic mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. Difficult-to-pronounce brand names reduced purchase intent by 32% (t=4.28, p<0.001) and increased avoidance behavior by 28%. However, in luxury/exclusivity contexts, pronunciation difficulty increased perceived prestige by 24% and willingness to pay premium by 18% (interaction p=0.008). Repeated exposure reduced fluency disadvantage by 44% after 5 exposures. Foreign-sounding names were perceived as 34% more sophisticated but 28% less trustworthy. Regression: pronunciation ease (Beta=0.36), product category (Beta=0.28), exposure frequency (Beta=0.22) explained 42% of variance in approach behavior. The findings provide theoretical and practical contributions to the intersection of psychology, linguistics, and organizational science.