Transcripts

Brian Wansink, PhD:
Descriptive labels and photos not only have a big impact on whether we buy something, but after we buy it, those things almost invariably lead us to taste what we expect we're going to taste.

Brian Wansink, Professor Of Marketing And Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University, says when you buy something with a nice descriptive name…

Like you know, Black Forest Belgian chocolate cake. When you eat it you're going to believe you're in Brussels. Ok. You're going to taste that stuff and you're going to rate it as good for the most part. Compared, if you were to buy the exact same product labeled as chocolate cake.

Brian conducted a test where he gave two groups some Chef Boyardee Ravioli. He told the first group they were eating Chef Boyardee Ravioli. The other group was told that they were eating ravioli made from a secret old family recipe.

The people that thought it was a favorite family recipe, they rated it as incredible, it was off the scale. If they knew instead they were just eating Chef Boyardee Ravioli, they said, "Yeah, it's ok."

A very important spot in every grocery store is the display at the end of each aisle.

And with these end- of-aisle displays, there are two things that go on. First of all people tend to believe there's a deal there even if there isn't. But second of all it's just very, very visible. And the very act of something being that visible bumps up how much people buy by about 35-40%.

At somethingyoushouldknow.net I'm Mike Carruthers and that's Something You Should Know.