Stylistic analysis of food brand names: Basis for a branding capacity workshop for startup entrepreneurs

Abstract

Conceptualizing the brand names of food establishments for startup entrepreneurs requires creativity and novelty. Worldwide, studies on the stylistic analysis of promotional materials or campaigns, and most of the studies have focused primarily on taglines and posters. Although there have been studies of the stylistic analysis of advertisements, there is a dearth of such analysis of food establishment brand names. The Leech and Short (2007) framework will be used in this study to analyze stylistic devices in brand names. To fill this research gap, this study aims to determine and analyze the language codes and stylistic devices used to create the names of business establishments. The output of this study is to equip startup entrepreneurs with the skills to conceptualize business names. The qualitative research method was used to collect 50 brand names around one of the progressive provinces in the Philippines. A personal interview with a selected entrepreneur was conducted for triangulation purposes. Results revealed that the language codes used in the brand names are Cebuano, English, Japanese, and Spanish, as well as Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Thai. Stylistic devices involved alliteration, repetition, personification, onomatopoeia, rhyme, and pun. This study provides new insights into branding innovations and marketing communications in creatively naming catchy food establishments to prospective clients.