Brand name fluency and perceptions of water purity and taste

Abstract

Extending the logic of processing fluency into the domain of food and beverage perceptions, this study explores whether the fluency of brand names can influence consumer perceptions of bottled-water attributes such as purity, taste, and mineral contents. Forty-four participants, who were presented with twelve unknown foreign brand names of bottled water, indicated their perceptions of water based solely on the brand names. The results revealed that perceptions of water purity and taste changed depending on whether the brand name was easy or difficult to process. Bottled water was more frequently perceived to be very pure when the foreign brand name was short and easy to pronounce. Bottled water was also more frequently perceived to taste “better-than-average” when the brand name was more fluent. Perceptions of mineral contents in the water were not influenced by the brand name fluency. This study expands our knowledge about various extrinsic cue effects on product perceptions by demonstrating the influence of brand name fluency on consumer perceptions of water attributes. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd