What do Lyft and Krispy Kreme have in common? This—and consumers hate it
We’ve long seen that certain companies like to innovate with the English language by misspelling brand names—arriving at names like Lyft and Tumblr. But new research published in the Journal of Marketing finds that consumers are actually less likely to choose brands with cleverly misspelled names.
“Consumers perceive unconventionally spelled names as a persuasion tactic or a marketing gimmick, leading them to view the brand as less sincere,” lead researcher John Costello told Notre Dame News.
Studying nearly 3,000 participants in eight studies, they found that consumers generally dis-preferred products with misspelled brand names. In one study, stadium goers were offered free samples of one seltzer with a misspelled brand name, and one without. They were 14% less likely to choose the one with the unconventionally spelled name.
The study focused specifically on brand names that mimic real words, but are unconventionally spelled, like Lyft, and not brands whose names are completely made up.
While an unusual spelling may make it easier to get a domain name or trademark, the researchers want to caution new brands from misspelling names in an attempt to seem young or trendy. They suggest that brand names should be misspelled only if it is relevant to the brand’s origin.
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