IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hal/journl/halshs-01306951.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Assessing the Role of Shape and Label in the Misleading Packaging of Food Imitating Products: From Empirical Evidence to Policy Recommendation

Author

Listed:
  • Frédéric Basso

    (LSE - London School of Economics and Political Science)

  • Julien Bouillé

    (UR2 UFRSS - Université de Rennes 2 - UFR Sciences sociales - UR2 - Université de Rennes 2)

  • Kevin Le Goff

    (LPC - Laboratoire de psychologie cognitive - AMU - Aix Marseille Université - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Philippe Robert-Demontrond

    (CREM - Centre de recherche en économie et management - UNICAEN - Université de Caen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - UR - Université de Rennes - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Olivier Oullier

    (LPC - Laboratoire de psychologie cognitive - AMU - Aix Marseille Université - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

Food imitating products are chemical consumer items used frequently in the household for cleaning and personal hygiene (e.g., bleach, soap, and shampoo), which resemble food products. Their containers replicate elements of food package design such as possessing a shape close in style to drinking product containers or bearing labels that depict colorful fruits. In marketing, these incongruent forms are designed to increase the appeal of functional products, leading to chemical consumer product embellishment. However, due to the resulting visual ambiguity, food imitating products may expose consumers to the risk of being poisoned from ingestion. Thus, from a public health perspective, food imitating products are considered dangerous chemical products that should not be sold, and may merit being recalled for the safety of consumers. To help policymakers address the hazardous presence of food imitating products, the purpose of this article is to identify the specific design features that generate most ambiguity for the consumer, and therefore increase the likelihood of confusion with foodstuffs. Among the visual elements of food packaging, the two most important features (shape and label) are manipulated in a series of three lab studies combining six Implicit Association Tests (IATs) and two explicit measures on products' drinkability and safety. IATs were administered to assess consumers' implicit association of liquid products with tastiness in a within-subject design in which the participants (N = 122) were presented with two kinds of food imitating products with a drink shape or drink label compared with drinks (experiential products with congruent form) and classic chemical products (hygiene products) (functional products with congruent form). Results show that chemical consumer products with incongruent drink shapes (but not drink labels) as an element of food package design are both implicitly associated with tastiness and explicitly judged as safe and drinkable. These results require confirmation in other studies involving different shapes and labels. Notwithstanding, due to the misleading effect of this ambiguity,

Suggested Citation

  • Frédéric Basso & Julien Bouillé & Kevin Le Goff & Philippe Robert-Demontrond & Olivier Oullier, 2016. "Assessing the Role of Shape and Label in the Misleading Packaging of Food Imitating Products: From Empirical Evidence to Policy Recommendation," Post-Print halshs-01306951, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-01306951
    DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00450
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-01306951v1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-01306951v1/document
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00450?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Olivier Oullier, 2013. "Behavioural insights are vital to policy-making," Nature, Nature, vol. 501(7468), pages 463-463, September.
    2. Holbrook, Morris B, et al, 1984. "Play as a Consumption Experience: The Roles of Emotions, Performance, and Personality in the Enjoyment of Games," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 11(2), pages 728-739, September.
    3. Frédéric Basso & Philippe Robert-Demontrond & Maryvonne Hayek & Jean-Luc Anton & Bruno Nazarian & Muriel Roth & Olivier Oullier, 2014. "Why People Drink Shampoo? Food Imitating Products Are Fooling Brains and Endangering Consumers for Marketing Purposes," Post-Print halshs-01183005, HAL.
    4. Staelin, Richard, 1978. "The Effects of Consumer Education on Consumer Product Safety Behavior," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 5(1), pages 30-40, June.
    5. Alba, Joseph W & Hutchinson, J Wesley, 1987. "Dimensions of Consumer Expertise," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 13(4), pages 411-454, March.
    6. Schneider, Kenneth C, 1977. "Prevention of Accidental Poisoning through Package and Label Design," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 4(2), pages 67-74, Se.
    7. Basso, Frédéric & Robert-Demontrond, Philippe & Hayek, Maryvonne & Anton, Jean-Luc & Nazarian, Bruno & Roth, Muriel & Oullier, Olivier, 2014. "Why people drink shampoo? Food imitating products are fooling brains and endangering consumers for marketing purposes," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 59224, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    8. Priyali Rajagopal & Robert E. Burnkrant, 2009. "Consumer Evaluations of Hybrid Products," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 36(2), pages 232-241.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Frédéric Basso & Philippe Robert-Demontrond & Maryvonne Hayek & Jean-Luc Anton & Bruno Nazarian & Muriel Roth & Olivier Oullier, 2014. "Why People Drink Shampoo? Food Imitating Products Are Fooling Brains and Endangering Consumers for Marketing Purposes," Post-Print halshs-01183005, HAL.
    2. Basso, Frédéric & Robert-Demontrond, Philippe & Hayek, Maryvonne & Anton, Jean-Luc & Nazarian, Bruno & Roth, Muriel & Oullier, Olivier, 2014. "Why people drink shampoo? Food imitating products are fooling brains and endangering consumers for marketing purposes," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 59224, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    3. Rita Saleh & Angela Bearth & Michael Siegrist, 2019. "“Chemophobia” Today: Consumers’ Knowledge and Perceptions of Chemicals," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 39(12), pages 2668-2682, December.
    4. Angela Bearth & Linda Miesler & Michael Siegrist, 2017. "Consumers’ Risk Perception of Household Cleaning and Washing Products," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(4), pages 647-660, April.
    5. Ryan H. Murphy, 2019. "The rationality of literal Tide Pod consumption," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 111-122, July.
    6. Swait, Joffre & Brigden, Neil & Johnson, Richard D., 2014. "Categories shape preferences: A model of taste heterogeneity arising from categorization of alternatives," Journal of choice modelling, Elsevier, vol. 13(C), pages 3-23.
    7. Karl Akbari & Udo Wagner, 2021. "Playing When Paying and What Happens Next: Customer Satisfaction and Word-of-Mouth Intention in Gambled Price Promotions," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 73(2), pages 243-271, June.
    8. Oleg Curbatov, 2013. "The 'Knowledge Marketing': A New Trend In A Management Science World," Post-Print hal-01509370, HAL.
    9. Wasib B Latif & Md. Aminul Islam & Idris Bin Mohd Noor, 2014. "A Conceptual Framework to Build Brand Loyalty in the Modern Marketing Environment," Journal of Asian Scientific Research, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 4(10), pages 547-557, October.
    10. Agnès Helme-Guizon & Fanny Magnoni, 2019. "Consumer brand engagement and its social side on brand-hosted social media: how do they contribute to brand loyalty?," Post-Print hal-03591683, HAL.
    11. Andreas Herrmann & Michael D. Johnson, 1999. "Die Kundenzufriedenheit als Bestimmungsfaktor der Kundenbindung," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 51(6), pages 579-598, June.
    12. Aîda Mimouni & Ouidade Sabri-Zaaraoui & Béatrice Parguel, 2010. "Competitive Advertising Within Store Flyers: A Win-Win Strategy?," Post-Print halshs-00634439, HAL.
    13. Weisstein, Fei L. & Kukar-Kinney, Monika & Monroe, Kent B., 2016. "Determinants of consumers' response to pay-what-you-want pricing strategy on the Internet," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(10), pages 4313-4320.
    14. F. Magnoni & Elyette Roux, 2011. "Stretching a luxury brand down: An experimental study of core brand dilution effects," Post-Print halshs-00644899, HAL.
    15. Lim, Thien Sang & Mail, Rasid & Abd Karim, Mohd Rahimie & Ahmad Baharul Ulum, Zatul Karamah & Jaidi, Junainah & Noordin, Raman, 2018. "A serial mediation model of financial knowledge on the intention to invest: The central role of risk perception and attitude," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 20(C), pages 74-79.
    16. Dong Hoo Kim & Doori Song, 2019. "Can brand experience shorten consumers’ psychological distance toward the brand? The effect of brand experience on consumers’ construal level," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 26(3), pages 255-267, May.
    17. Eric Johnson & Simon Gaechter & Andreas Herrmann, 2006. "Exploring the Nature of Loss Aversion," Discussion Papers 2006-02, The Centre for Decision Research and Experimental Economics, School of Economics, University of Nottingham.
    18. Rong Li & Amiya K. Basu, 2020. "Pricing Strategy for GM Food: Impact of Consumer Attitude Heterogeneity and GMO Food Labelling," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 291(1), pages 463-474, August.
    19. Ahrholdt, Dennis C. & Gudergan, Siegfried P. & Ringle, Christian M., 2019. "Enhancing loyalty: When improving consumer satisfaction and delight matters," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 18-27.
    20. Kupeli, Birgul & Salman, Gulberk Gultekin & Karaosmanoglu, Elif & Daim, Tugrul, 2024. "Exploring self-service technology adoption: Case of airline check in," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Food Imitating Products; policy recommendation;

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-01306951. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: CCSD (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.