Impression Formation and Estimation of the Price of Sake in the Combination of Typefaces of the Brand Name and Shapes of the Bottle

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of the typeface of the brand name and the shape of the sake bottle on impression formation on the sake and the estimation of its price. Participants rated their impressions and prices of nine stimuli patterns that were combinations of three typefaces of the brand name (mincho, gothic, and semi-cursive script) and three shapes of sake bottles (slender, shoulder dilated, and stocky). A factor analysis revealed six factors: commonplaceness, unattractiveness, clarity/stability, familiarity, lightness, and gentleness. In addition, the combination of the mincho typeface and slender shape conveyed commonplaceness, the gothic/semi-cursive script and stocky shape conveyed novelty, and the semi-cursive script and slender shape conveyed attractiveness. Moreover, the combination of the semi-cursive script and slender shape conveyed a high price. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the semi-cursive script had low familiarity and the low familiarity led to a high price.