Marketing Rorschach test

What do you think of when you look at Volvo’s logo? Sturdy? Swedish? Safe? Station wagons?

Marketers spend gobs of money to foster those sentiments. But, of course, a company’s brand can take on unintended connotations. Volvo is also seen as “boring” and “boxy.”

All of these terms come from Brandtags.net, a kind of marketing Rorschach test. The site displays a random logo from innovators around the globe and asks, “What is the first thing that pops into your head?” The experiment tracks everyone’s answer, allowing curious users – and surely advertisers – to scroll through the descriptors.

The site unveils the good, the bad, and the ugly (there is some cursing) about more than 450 companies. Google is easy, everywhere, and evil, according to users. British Airways is known for airplanes, accents, and arrogance.

The site doesn’t provide specific numbers, only general impressions about the popularity of certain terms. Too bad – it would be interesting to see how many people felt that cable-service provider Comcast was “fast” compared to how many typed in a different four-letter word.

[Via BNet]

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