Brands on the Brain

In 2002, The New Scientist reported the findings of a study carried out at UCLA into how the human brain deals with brand names. ‘It is surprising,’ said Eran Zaidel, head of the project. ‘The rules that apply to word recognition in general do not necessarily apply here.’

The study confirmed that brand names engage the ‘emotional’ right-brain more than other words. A London brand strategist told the magazine: ‘This is very intriguing indeed. It supports our instinctive belief that brands are a special class of word – they are like a poem all in one word in their ability to evoke and express ideas.’