Was steckt hinter Produktnamen für Kosmetika?

Abstract

What lies behind brand names of cosmetics?

Brand names’ basic role is to inform about products, their quality and advantages. In order to make them more effectiv, they often demonstrate unusual semantic structures. The aim of this paper is the analysis of semantic structures of German brand names of cosmetics. It will be shown that brand names and their semantic structure communicate information, associations and suggestions. Their direct or indirect basic associations suggest certain values, different views of life or meanings. Brand names aim at the evocation and aspiration of the exotic, beauty and uniqueness or assure of the high quality and values of the products. So the pictorial semantics of brand names of cosmetics proved to be a perfect source for cultural analysis.