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Cake or fruit? Influencing healthy food choice through the interaction of automatic and instructed mental simulation

Author

Listed:
  • Hu Xie

    (University of Oregon)

  • Elizabeth A. Minton

    (University of Wyoming)

  • Lynn R. Kahle

    (University of Oregon)

Abstract

Promoting healthy food choice is a central issue for public welfare and a continuous challenge for marketers and policy makers. This research examines how marketing communication elements, such as visuals and text, can be used to encourage healthy food choices. Extending previous research in automatic process mental simulation, this research examines whether visual presentations of food items can trigger a different type of automatic mental simulation that is outcome oriented. Results from four studies show that visual presentations of food items in an advertisement can trigger process and outcome automatic mental simulation (AMS) of food consumption, and AMS interacts with an advertisement’s instructed mental simulation (IMS) to influence consumer healthy food choice. Contributing to marketing research in using IMS in advertising to promote product offerings, this research demonstrates that the success of IMS cues varies depending not only on the amount, but more importantly, the type of AMS triggered from visual cues.

Suggested Citation

  • Hu Xie & Elizabeth A. Minton & Lynn R. Kahle, 2016. "Cake or fruit? Influencing healthy food choice through the interaction of automatic and instructed mental simulation," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 27(4), pages 627-644, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:mktlet:v:27:y:2016:i:4:d:10.1007_s11002-016-9412-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s11002-016-9412-3
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ryan S. Elder & Aradhna Krishna, 2012. "The "Visual Depiction Effect" in Advertising: Facilitating Embodied Mental Simulation through Product Orientation," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 38(6), pages 988-1003.
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    Cited by:

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    3. Olivia Petit & Carlos Velasco & Charles Spence, 2018. "Are large portions always bad? Using the Delboeuf illusion on food packaging to nudge consumer behavior," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 29(4), pages 435-449, December.
    4. William Fritz & Rhonda Hadi & Andrew Stephen, 2023. "From tablet to table: How augmented reality influences food desirability," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 51(3), pages 503-529, May.
    5. Petit, Olivia & Javornik, Ana & Velasco, Carlos, 2022. "We Eat First with Our (Digital) Eyes: Enhancing Mental Simulation of Eating Experiences via Visual-Enabling Technologies," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 98(2), pages 277-293.

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