The effect of using T or V pronouns in German and Dutch market research questionnaires.
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2023-06-23
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en
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Various languages distinguish between informal (T) and formal (V) pronouns of address. Such
pronouns have been proven to affect consumers’ perceptions towards corporate communications like advertising, marketing, or direct client communication of organizations. However, these pronouns are used differently across cultures and their effects may vary depending on the context they are used in. We investigated the evaluations of Dutch and German native speakers in market research questionnaires that include either T or V pronouns of address about hedonic products. Previous literature suggests that T (“je”) is more commonly used in the Netherlands than in Germany (“du”), where V (“Sie”) is preferably used if there is no close relation to the addressee. Hedonic brands are frequently considered as so called warm brands, communicating on an intimate level with the customer. As research found that customers preferred being addressed personally by warm brands, we assumed that (i) T leads to higher evaluations in market research about hedonic products than V. Also, we predicted that (ii) T is more appreciated than V by Dutch than by German participants. To test these hypotheses, a between-subjects experiment was conducted. 119 German and Dutch participants (18-30 years old) received a market research questionnaire using either T or V about four hedonic products in their native language. Their product evaluations were measured by our dependent variables product attitude, involvement, and purchase intention. Results showed that there were neither higher scores for these variables in the T-condition generally, nor higher appreciation of T in the Dutch compared to the German group. As our study is initial literature concerning pronoun usage in market research, market researchers cannot conclude with certainty that the type of pronoun used in a questionnaire about hedonic products may be incidental when designing or analyzing market research for young Dutch and German adults.
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