Research Friday: Cell Me Now And I Will Bye

When Will You Use This? 

Creating your marketing messages, especially focusing on different words affecting customer’s judgment and behavior.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today?

It’s important to note that initial reading processes use word sound, not word spelling, to activate word meaning stored in memory.

The current series of experiments* examine how a homophone (e.g. “bye”, “cell”)—a word that sounds the same as another but has different spelling and meaning—stimulates judgments and behaviors related to the complementary homophone (e.g. “buy”, “sell”).

This research provides evidence that homophones are able to prime and influence judgments and behaviors of participants. Additionally, this effect is more likely to occur when consumers experience cognitive load (total amount of mental activity imposed on working memory, for example, in this research it was memorizing a seven-digit number). Individuals who read “bye” - give higher “buy” amounts, individuals who read “right” - write more.

Also, as authors say, “ homophone priming also resulted in actions that were “less;” reading “lightning” lowered weight judgments, and reading “phew” produced estimates of saving less money. Reading “goodbye” influenced restaurant value judgments. Buyers and sellers who read “cell” gave higher (lower) reservation amounts.”

The Power Of Words

Addition To Your Bag of Tricks  

If seek you seek to persuade your customers with communication via advertisements, branding construction or other communications, homophones can be effectively used in these contexts to ease and speed consumers’ forming positive perceptions of the brand and product, or engaging in various consumption behaviors.

*Derick F. Davis and Paul M. Herr. "From Bye to Buy: Homophones as a Phonological Route to Priming." Journal of Consumer Research: April 2014 {Thanks for the material}


P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with the play of words? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

P.P.S. Need some help on crafting your marketing message? Let's do this together.