How cognates and slogan length influence the comprehension of foreign language slogans and purchase intention.

Abstract

This quantitative study explored the effects of slogan length and cognate use in Spanish slogans on the perceived and actual comprehension of said slogans when used in Dutch advertisements and the purchase intention of Dutch consumers. In a between-subjects experiment, 180 Dutch participants completed a questionnaire in which they were assigned to one of the four conditions containing ads with : (1) a slogan of 4 words, with a cognate; (2) a slogan of 8 words, with a cognate; (3) a slogan of 4 words, without a cognate; or (4) a slogan of 8 words, without a cognate. Each participant evaluated three advertisements for different food products. Firstly, it was found that short slogans led to higher perceived comprehension, but not to higher actual comprehension. Secondly, the use of cognates results in both higher perceived and actual comprehension. No effect of either slogan length or cognate presence on purchase intention was found. Furthermore, a relationship was found between the perceived and actual comprehension. Lastly, it was found that a higher perceived and actual comprehension led to higher purchase intention.