The biasing effect of evocative attributes at the implicit and explicit level: The tradition halo and the industrial horn in food products evaluations

This contribution investigates the role of food product attributes on consumer choices focusing on different production processes, labeled as ‘traditional’ or ‘industrial’. More specifically, we aim at documenting a novel halo (positive) effect of the Tradition label versus a horn (negative) effect of the Industrial label on the implicit and explicit perceptions of healthiness and tastiness of a food product using an experimental design as well as potential moderation effects of pro-environmental beliefs. In four studies, we manipulated the label of two brands of cheese regarding their production process (Study 1 and Study 2: traditional vs. industrial, Study 3: traditional vs. no label, Study 4: industrial vs. no label) and we measured implicit (with SC-IAT in Study 1, SA-IAT in Study 2, and IAT in Study 3 & 4) and explicit (self-report) perceptions of healthiness and tastiness. Results showed a Tradition halo effect and an Industrial horn effect on explicit perceptions of tastiness and healthiness. Results on implicit perceptions of healthiness seem to depend to some extent on pro-environmental beliefs. Results suggest that tradition-labeled food should be introduced in conventional supermarkets instead of investing in the opening of new specialized stores.     

Making It Part of the Package: Edible Packaging Is More Acceptable to Young Consumers When It Is Integrated With Food

How does edible packaging bias taste perceptions and acceptability? To examine this, we conducted an experiment where we manipulated what information participants received about a product with edible packaging and whether participants ate the product with its edible packaging and core food product intact or ate the edible packaging and core product layers separately. Participants who received information about edible packaging and tasted the edible packaging layer separately rated the product lower on dimensions of taste, healthiness, and intention to purchase than participants in other treatment groups. Findings suggest that framing a product as an edible package with environmental benefits can lead to negative judgments. Contrary to what environmentalists would expect, it may be best to simply not highlight its environmental benefits. Findings also suggest that consumers’ judgments of edible packaging may depend on how well the packaging material is integrated with its principal food product, and that highly separated products (such as edible cups) may face greater barriers to adoption.     

The Impact of Package Color and the Nutrition Content Labels on the Perception of Food Healthiness and Purchase Intention

Considering the difference between hedonic and utilitarian products, this article presents how the choice of color in food packaging, along with the nutrition content claim (NCC) labeling, can influence the consumer’s perception of food healthiness and purchase intention. The responses of 120 non-color-blind and non-obese college students from two within-subject experiments were analyzed by adopting a mixed model for repeated measurement. The results suggest that utilitarian, but not hedonic, food products in blue-colored packages were perceived to be healthier than those in red-colored packages. The perception of food healthiness, which was sensitive to the package color, also influenced the purchase intention of packaged foods. Moreover, when the NCC label was presented, food in a blue package with health claims in the NCC (e.g., “light” label) was perceived healthier than food in a red package with regular labels. This article also discusses the managerial implications of the findings for packaging and advertising professionals.     

The cross-modal interaction between sound frequency and color saturation on consumer's product size perception,preference, and purchase

Extant literature has documented the direct effects of both sound frequency and color saturation on the perceived size of products. However, the cross-modal interaction effect of the two on size perception is yet unknown. Through three studies, this paper proposes that the effect of sound frequency on the perceived size of product is moderated by that product's own color saturation, and this further had downstream effects on consumers’ product preference and purchase when they possess predetermined product usage goals toward bigger/smaller sizes. Study 1 found behavioral evidence that only when the color of the product is in high saturation can the sound frequency significantly influence the perceived size of the product, with low (vs. high) frequency leading to larger (vs. smaller) perceived size. When the product's color is in low saturation, the effect of sound frequency on perceived size disappears. Study 2 adopted the event-related potential technique and found that high (vs. low) saturation elicited higher arousal (mirrored by P300 amplitudes). Sound frequency is first moderated by color saturation and was then mediated by arousal to affect the perceived product size. The above results were also replicated in the field (Study 3). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Smiles over Frowns: When Curved Lines Influence Product Preference

The present research examined the possibility that subtle face‐like features (a smile‐ or a frown‐like line) on a product can influence evaluations of and preferences for that product. The same within‐participants experiment was conducted twice, once in the United Kingdom and once in Colombia: participants viewed four variants (concave [smile‐like] line, convex [frown‐like] line, straight line, line absent) of three different products (tea, shampoo, juice) and both evaluated the products on visual analogue scales and completed a forced choice decision task. The results revealed a general tendency across scales, products, and countries for the participants to rate products more positively and to choose products more frequently when they displayed a concave line relative to a convex line; comparisons with the straight line and absent line conditions suggested that the effects were present for both concave and convex lines, but were stronger in the concave instance. These findings provide both a deeper theoretical understanding of the influence of subtle cues on evaluation and decision making, and concrete, practical information for both product designers and marketers.     

Similar or contrastive? Impact of product–background color combination on consumers' product evaluations

Based on arousal theory, this study explores the impact of product–background color combination on consumers' product evaluations through four empirical analysis. As predicted, the interaction of product–background color combinations and product types has a significant influence on consumers' product evaluations. For functional products, the product–background similar color combination can cause consumers' higher product evaluations. However, for sensory-social products, the product–background contrastive color combination can cause consumers' higher product evaluations. Moreover, the arousal level mediates the interaction effect of product–background color combinations and product types on consumers' evaluations. This research also demonstrates that only when the product color matches product type, the interaction of product–background color combinations and product types can improve consumers' product evaluations through increasing (decreasing) the arousal level, however, the interaction effect is no longer significant when the matching degree of product color and product type is low. We contribute to the visual marketing research by providing new insights and useful implications for using color clues to present products in marketing practice.     

The Right Angle: Visual Portrayal of Products Affects Observers’ Impressions of Owners

Consumer products have long been known to influence observers’ impressions of product owners. The angle at which products are visually portrayed in advertisements, however, may be an overlooked factor in these effects. We hypothesize and find that portrayals of the same product from different viewpoints can prime different associations that color impressions of product and owner in parallel ways. In Study 1, automobiles were rated higher on status‐ and power‐related traits (e.g., dominant, powerful) when portrayed head‐on versus in side profile, an effect found for sport utility vehicles (SUVs)—a category with a reputation for dominance—but not sedans. In Study 2, these portrayal‐based associations influenced the impressions formed about the product's owner: a target person was rated higher on status‐ and power‐related traits when his SUV was portrayed head‐on versus in side profile. These results suggest that the influence of visual portrayal extends beyond general evaluations of products to affect more specific impressions of products and owners alike, and highlight that primed traits are likely to influence impressions when compatible with other knowledge about the target.     

To look tasty,let's show the ingredients! Effects of ingredient images on implicit tasty–healthy associations for packaged products

This study investigates the effect of ingredient images on implicit tasty–healthy associations for packaged products. An implicit association test (IAT) with 106 respondents reveals the impact of repeating ingredient images on the implicit healthy = tasty intuition; fewer ingredient images are linked to a stronger intuition. This study also considers explicit product packaging preferences and the number of ingredient images depicted. The implicit intuitions affect explicit preferences, such that packages depicting few ingredient images are preferred over those depicting many ingredient images for healthy products, but no significant effects emerge for unhealthy products.     

How images and color in business plans influence venture investment screening decisions

We explore how product images and color in business plans influence venture investment screening decisions. Because images are accessible, memorable, and influential, we argue that product images in a business plan will increase the likelihood of favorable judgments during screening decisions. Moreover, because red and blue automatically affect an individual's cognition in different manners such that red elicits negative associations and blue elicits positive ones from the evaluators, we predict that the use of red in a business plan will decrease the favorability of judgments during screening decisions, while the use of blue will increase their favorability. Using a quasi-experimental field study and a series of controlled experiments, we find partial support for a positive effect of product images on favorable screening decisions and a consistent negative effect of red on favorable screening decisions.     

Effects of human versus virtual human influencers on the appearance anxiety of social media users

The association between social media use and an individual's appearance dissatisfaction has generated broad scholarly interests. This study explored the specific appearance dissatisfaction resulting from the effects of social media influencer images on the appearance anxiety of users, in particular the differences between human influencers (HIs) and emerging virtual influencers (VIs). Women (n = 178) aged 18–35 were randomly assigned to HI images, VI images, and scenic images (control group) and were asked to answer related questionnaires. The results showed that images of both HI and VI induced significantly higher appearance anxiety than in the control group. The participants who were exposed to VI images reported significantly lower appearance anxiety than those who were exposed to HI images. Participants' state appearance comparison played a mediating role between the images of social media influencers and appearance anxiety. In addition, participants who viewed VI images reported significantly lower state appearance comparison than those who viewed HI images. Insights for influencer marketing practice were further discussed based on the results.     

The effectiveness of deservingness‐based advertising messages: The role of product knowledge and belief in a just world

Are advertisements that tell consumers they deserve a product effective? Given evidence showing people are motivated to get what they deserve, we argue that for certain consumers this is the case. In two experiments, we manipulated the type of ad participants viewed for a luxury product and then assessed ad effectiveness. We also measured participants’ belief in a just world (BJW) and product knowledge. Deservingness‐based ads were (a) more effective for strong BJW participants, mediated by the degree to which the ads matched participants’ worldview and justified buying the product, and (b) less effective for high knowledge participants. We conclude that deservingness‐based advertising can be successful, depending on consumer characteristics. Copyright © 2016 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of au naturel packaging colors on willingness to pay for healthy food

This study introduces and defines a novel color family—au naturel colors—and proposes that featuring these hues on product packaging enhances consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for healthy food products, but not for unhealthy food products. This effect occurs irrespective of the fit between the colors of the product and of the packaging, and of the color lightness or saturation. Perceptions of product authenticity mediate the relationship between au naturel colors packaging and consumer WTP for the product. The results of seven studies provide support for the proposed conceptual framework, contributing to the literature on consumer responses to colors and packaging features, and allowing to draw implications for the marketing of healthy food products.     

How product representation shapes virtual experiences and re-patronage intentions: the role of mental imagery processing and experiential value

Despite the lack of physical contact, innovative technologies in online stores are able to engender compelling virtual product experiences. The primary objective of this study is to clarify the mechanisms through which these virtual product experiences occur. The study proposes and tests a model in which mental imagery processing and consumers' perceptions of experiential value function as potential mechanisms through which virtual experiences in online stores are established, thereby determining re-patronage intention. The model was tested in an experimental study investigating two versions of a fast fashion online store that varied in terms of product representations: dynamic (i.e., a mix-and-match feature allowing the creation of visual images of apparel combinations) and static (i.e., rigid pictures). A sample of 660 valid cases involving individuals of Generation Y (born in 1977–1994) was obtained. The structural equation modeling technique was used to analyze the proposed research model. The results indicate that the dynamic mix-and-match technology arouses more mental images of physical product interaction than do static pictures. Moreover, mental imagery processing can be considered an important underlying source of online experiential value, which consumers subsequently exploit with repeated visits to the online store. By introducing psychological constructs such as mental imagery and perceived value, this study augments prior research on online product experiences by proposing and validating the underlying mechanisms through which the way of representing products affect consumer responses. Finally, both theoretical and practical contributions of the findings are discussed, as well as directions for further research.     

The Image Realism Effect: The Effect of Unrealistic Product Images in Advertising

Many advertisements use unrealistic images of products (e.g., hand drawings, digital illustrations, rotoscoped animation) instead of actual product images. However, while unrealistic product images are widely used in advertisements, little is known about their possible impact on product evaluation. We propose that because products in unrealistic images look unconsumable or unusable, unrealistic product images (1) suppress consumers’ mental simulation of consuming or using those products and (2) increase uncertainty in the judgment of these products’ characteristics. As a result, unrealistic images attenuate the judgment of a product’s characteristics (both benefits and drawbacks). That is, the same characteristics are judged less intensely when a product is presented as an unrealistic image instead of a realistic image. Through seven studies, we demonstrate this effect for food items (e.g., bread, cupcakes, hamburgers, and chips) and durable goods (e.g., automobiles), finding support for the underlying processes. We further demonstrate that the impact of unrealistic images is not restricted to product evaluation but also extends to actual consumption.     

适用于彩色图像人脸识别的字典学习算法

现有的基于稀疏表示的人脸识别算法在识别前需要将彩色人脸图像转换成灰度人脸图像,这样虽然提高了运算速度,但忽视了不同色彩通道数据本身所包含的信息及它们之间的相关性。为了利用不同通道间相关性,基于标签一致的K奇异值分解（LC-KSVD）字典学习算法,提出了一种适用于彩色图像人脸识别的字典学习算法。该算法将RGB通道数据顺序排列成列向量,并在稀疏编码的环节中,对正交匹配追踪（OMP）算法的内积计算准则进行修正,以此提高字典原子的色彩表达能力。在彩色人脸数据库上进行实验,结果表明：所提出的字典学习算法能够有效地提高识别率。     

Can users embed their user experience in user-generated images? Evidence from JD.com

Nowadays, massive user-generated images (UGIs) are posted online to convey users' experiences with specific brands or products. Thus, this visual information is precious, as it conveys users' actual and subjective feelings about brands and products. Because of the unprecedented quantity of images and the heterogeneity of their content, it is quite challenging for brand marketers and retailers to probe into subjective user experience in large-scale UGIs. To address this gap, this study aims to identify the connection between user experience and different image semantic features (i.e. centrality and richness) by using deep learning models. By employing objective data (8963 images) from JD.com and using deep learning algorithms (faster R-CNN), we found that users with positive user experience prefer to generate high-centrality and high-richness pictures. Our study enriches the relevant literature and provides valuable practical implications for brand marketers and e-commerce retailers. Based on findings of this work, relevant stakeholders can understand their users’ experience better from objective UGIs and devise corresponding recommendation and service strategies.     

Influences of visual attributes of food packaging on consumer preference and associations with taste and healthiness

Two experiments designed to investigate how the shape and colour of packaging, and product category, conjointly impact consumers’ product and packaging expectations are reported. In Experiment 1, the shape (rounded vs. angular) and visual appearance (greyscale, red‐to‐yellow and blue‐to‐green colour schemes) of the packaging were manipulated. Dependent measures were preference (willingness to purchase the product, how attention‐capturing the packaging is, and the pleasantness of the design) and any taste associations. In Experiment 2, shape (rounded vs. angular), colour (red‐to‐yellow vs. blue‐to‐green colour schemes), and product category (buttery vs. cereal cookies) were manipulated. In this case, the dependent measures were the perceived product healthiness and the preference of consumers. The results of Experiment 1 revealed that packaging colour influenced product preference. Red‐to‐yellow and blue‐to‐green colour schemes and angular packaging were preferred over greyscale and round packaging. Colour also influenced taste associations, while shape only influenced ratings of expected sweetness. In Experiment 2, packaging shape and product category influenced product preference. In particular, rounded packaging and the packaging of buttery cookies were preferred over angular packaging and the cereal cookies packaging. The healthiness of the product was rated higher for the rounded and red‐to‐yellow packaging containing a buttery product. Taken together, these results highlight the important role played by colour, shape, and category on the expectations and associations elicited by viewing product packaging.     

Young adults’ borrowing to purchases of desired consumer products related to present‐biased temporal discounting,attitude towards borrowing and financial involvement and knowledge

The aim is to investigate how present‐biased temporal discounting caused by feelings of financial deficit, attitude towards borrowing and financial involvement and knowledge determine young adults’ likelihood of borrowing to purchases of desired consumer products. A sample of 273 young adults aged 18–30 years answered an online questionnaire including experimental treatments to induce present‐biased temporal discounting, followed by questions about attitude towards borrowing, financial involvement/knowledge and financial resources. In different treatment conditions, participants rated the likelihood of borrowing to purchases of desired consumer products at prices judged to be unaffordable or to replace purchases of equally expensive products in the future but not immediately. In a control condition, participants rated the likelihood of borrowing to an equally expensive, already purchased product to be paid immediately. A higher likelihood of borrowing to purchases of the desired and already purchased unpaid products was observed, but the difference to the needed products was not statistically significant. Likelihood of borrowing was strongly suppressed by a negative attitude, in all between‐group conditions equally influenced by self‐assessed financial resources but unaffected by financial involvement/knowledge. Both financial involvement/knowledge and a negative attitude decreased choices of months of instalment payments with the consequence that the monthly repayment cost increased.