Do you have the correct brand logo? Role of logo direction, perceived logo movement imagery and brand positioning

Purpose Previous research has mainly examined the effects of static versus kinematic brand logos on consumer responses. This paper aims to analyze the impact of dynamic brand logos on consumer behavior. Design/methodology/approach Hypotheses were tested through five experimental studies involving 1,914 participants recruited in China. Participants answered questions investigating the interactive effects of perceived logo movement imagery (dynamic vs static) and logo direction (toward the left vs right) under different brand positioning conditions (traditional vs modern). Findings This study finds that, for modern brand positioning, static brand logos toward the right (vs left) generate higher purchase intention, which is consistent with prior literature. This impact does not hold for dynamic logos. For traditional brand positioning, the opposite pattern is observed. Specifically, brand logos toward the left receive more favorable evaluations than those toward the right for static logos; whereas for dynamic logos, the effect disappears. Brand engagement mediates the interaction effect between logo direction and perceived logo movement imagery on brand attitude. Originality/value Despite most previous research focused on static or kinematic logos, only a few studies have investigated how dynamic logos influence consumer attitude, particularly regarding the impact of logo direction in dynamic contexts and boundary conditions. This study advances the literature by examining how logo direction and perceived movement imagery jointly affect consumers’ brand perceptions while also highlighting the moderating role of brand positioning and the underlying mechanism of brand engagement.