Survey findings
Overview
This survey was designed as original research for a Thesis as partial fulfilment of a Master of Computer Graphic Design. The study focussed around sponsorship advertising of Formula 1 (F1) amd Motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP) world championship events.
The overall question being asked was: Is the 'audience', for which the sponsorship advertising is intended, being confused by modified identities?
Survey Statistics
The survey was conducted between 20 May and 20 June 2006 259 valid submissions were counted.
> Age demographic, country of abode and potential external influences (such as tobacco use).
78.4% of respondents were aged between 16 and 45 years of age. They were predominantly male, and 92.7% had spent the last 5 years in either the Asia-Pacific or European regions. Of the total survey subjects counted, 33.6% of families had a member that purchased and/or consumed tobacco, 66.4% did not. 16.6% of the respondents purchased and/or consumed tobacco themselves. Of the total subjects surveyed; 77.6% claimed that their immediate family had a member interested in sport. Subjects, therefore, have potentially been exposed to the visual identities presented in the survey through channels other than motorsport sponsorship.
> Establishing a subject’s level of interest in motorsport.
63.7% claimed to have some interest in motorsport. 42.1% described their level of interest in motorsport as HIGH. 42% of respondents also claimed the highest level of exposure to motorsport through at least one form of media (including visiting the venue). 11.6% of subjects surveyed claimed to have a high level of exposure to, or were employed in the motorsport industry. Therefore, the pool of subjects surveyed have potentially been regularly exposed to the visual identities presented in the survey through motorsport sponsorship.
> Subject's demonstrated knowledge/
Considering both averages of demonstrated knowledge in MotoGP and F1, an average of 50.3% of subjects surveyed, demonstrated a high level of knowledge. This figure, when compared with the 42% of survey subjects who claimed to have a high level of interest in motorsport suggests some confidence in the accuracy of the subjects’ claimed levels of interest, thus assuming confidence in the overall data collected.
Survey Findings
> Modified identities – colours and shapes.
Of all 10 colours surveyed an average of 54% of survey subjects did not associate colours with brands/ or did not wish to answer. The highest scoring brand for any colour was Ferrari for red, with 44.8% of subjects associating red with the Ferrari brand, whereas only 11.2% of subjects associated this colour with Marlboro. These findings suggest that companies replying on the use of colour for brand recognition of sub-identities, risk brand confusion because colours are shared by many visual identities.
> Simplified identities – colour and shapes.
An average of 19.2% of survey subjects were confused by simplified graphics using colours and shapes to represent visual identities. Thus, a visual identity, which is modified, is at greater risk of confusion the more it relies on colour and shapes for brand recognition.
> Modified tobacco ‘substitute-identities’
The risk of brand confusion for tobacco’s sub-identities for both MotoGP and F1 championships was evident. Taking an average between the two championships reveals a 15.1% risk of brand confusion for tobacco’s sub-identities for both MotoGP and F1.
> Trademarks, symbols – visual identifiers
The identification of the collection of visual identifiers presented in this section of the survey revealed an average of 71% brand recognition. These findings suggest that pictorial visual identifiers typically gain high recognition, especially when the companies also supply widely known consumer products or services. This finding helps establish the difference between the effectiveness of a commonly used, pictorial visual identifier as opposed to the modified graphics which, although similar, appear to receive less overall recognition.
Survey Conclusion
In conclusion, having established confidence in the survey subjects and data collected, survey subjects demonstrated limited association with colours and brands, although a strong association with Ferrari and red was indicated.
When presented with graphical colours and shapes to represent visual identities, surveyed subjects showed on average, a 19.2% level of brand confusion. Moreover, when presented with pictures of actual tobacco subidentities used in MotoGP and F1, an average level of 15.1% subjects demonstrated some confusion over the brand being represented.
Therefore, the findings from this survey suggest that a company involved in motorsport is risking brand confusion when modifying its visual identity in attempt to gain maximum levels of exposure.
