Thesis (Marketing): The Impact of Pale Packaging on Soda Choices
Key Insight: Low Saturation Wins the Day
Introduction
Color is more than just decoration; it’s a crucial marketing tool that influences consumer behavior. For example, green often symbolizes health and nature, making it a popular choice for healthy products. But it’s not just the color itself—its saturation, or intensity, plays a big role too.
Have you ever noticed how the colors on a soda can subtly influence your buying decisions? It’s not just a coincidence or a fleeting thought—there’s science behind it. Imagine walking down the soda aisle and reaching for a can without realizing that its color saturation has nudged your choice. A recent study unveils a fascinating truth: the intensity of packaging colors can significantly sway your perception of a product’s healthiness and your likelihood to purchase it. This isn’t merely about aesthetics; it’s about how our brains interpret and respond to color cues. So, as we delve into this study, let’s uncover the psychological mechanisms at play and how they might be subtly steering your decisions on your next grocery trip!
The Research
This study looked at probiotic sodas, a popular health drink, to see how different levels of color saturation affect what people think and whether they want to buy them. We had 156 participants from 16 countries join an online English experiment on Qualtrics. They were randomly split into two groups (packaging color saturation: high vs. low) and shown an Instagram post that was exactly the same, except for the packaging color.
Results
- Do participants prefer probiotic soda in low-saturation packaging?
Absolutely! Consumers were more inclined to grab probiotic sodas in low-saturation packaging, all because they perceived them as healthier. This perception led to higher purchase intentions. And guess what? This trend was consistent across participants from 16 different countries. It’s like a global agreement that low-saturation colors scream healthiness!
- Does health consciousness matter?
Nope! It turns out, how much individuals care about their health didn’t significantly influence their purchase decisions on probiotic soda. Whether someone is a health nut or more of a couch potato, they still gravitated toward the low-saturation packaging. So even if you’re snacking on chips while thinking about buying a soda, you’ll likely opt for a low-saturation canned soda!
Why We Prefer Low-saturation Colors?
Two psychological concepts help explain these results: Conceptual Fluency and the Continued Influence Effect. Conceptual Fluency refers to the ease with which we process information. We’re accustomed to perceiving healthy products in low-saturation colors, so we naturally associate products in low-saturation colors with healthiness and trustworthiness. The Continued Influence Effect describes how initial information persists in our minds. Even if a product with low-saturation packaging isn’t healthier, our brains might still perceive it as such due to these entrenched associations.
Implications for Consumers and Marketers
For consumers, this research is a reminder to be aware of how packaging influences our perceptions. Knowing that we might subconsciously associate low-saturation colors with healthiness can help us make more informed choices based on the product’s actual nutritive values, not just its packaging.
For marketers, the takeaway is clear: using low-saturation colors for health-related products can make them seem healthier and more appealing. However, it’s essential to use this strategy ethically to avoid misleading consumers.
Limitations
While this study provides valuable insights, there’s still more to explore.
• Use of Green
The study utilized green, a color universally associated with healthiness. Future research could examine how different colors beyond green affect consumer perceptions.
• Participant Demographics
Most participants were from China and the Netherlands. Cross-cultural studies could reveal how these associations vary among different cultural contexts.
Color is a powerful tool in food marketing, influencing how we perceive and choose products. This study highlights the significant impact of low-saturation packaging in making probiotic sodas, and likely other health foods, appear healthier and more appealing.
Next time you’re shopping for a refreshing beverage, take a moment to consider: does the packaging color influence your decision? The answer might surprise you more than the flavor inside the can.
Want to know more?
This article is based on the publication below:
Mead, J. A., & Richerson, R. (2018). Package color saturation and food healthfulness perceptions. Journal of Business Research, 82, 10–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.08.015
Mai, R., & Hoffmann, S. (2015). How to combat the unhealthy = tasty intuition: The influencing role of health consciousness. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 34(1), 63–83. https://doi.org/10.1509/jppm.14.006
Mai, R., Symmank, C., & Seeberg-Elverfeldt, B. (2016). Light and pale colors in food packaging: When does this package cue signal superior healthiness or inferior tastiness? Journal of Retailing, 92(4), 426–444. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2016.08.002
Laurent, V., Kosinski, T., & Rusinek, S. (2023). I know It’s false, but I keep thinking as if it were true: A replication study of Johnson and Seifert’s (1994) continued influence effect. Acta Psychologica, 241, 104094–104094. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.104094