Friday Research: Best-selling Things Come in Clever Packages

You thought:   

Good marketing message can sell it all.

New facts:  

Whether in an advertisement or on a package, marketers often make strong claims that they want consumers to believe, like "200% more eco-friendly" or "Better than Botox". Somehow we assume that consumers respond in the same manner to ads as they do to packages.

Current research shows that packages and ads differ in terms of believability. Consumers perceive packages as being close to a product and ads as being far from a product. Packages are typically perceived as a more credible source of information than ads. Consequently, consumers are more likely to believe a product claim when it is featured on a package rather than in an ad.When a product features a strong claim, consumers are more likely to make a purchase if they see the claim presented on a package versus in an ad.

What Marketing Doctor ordered:

Given that skepticism towards marketing is a growing phenomenon, it is increasingly important to identify tactics marketers can use to signal their credibility. A novel way to do this is to highlight product proximity, place the product next to the ad so the ad would become as effective as the package.

Regardless of context, increasing product proximity should increase claim believability.


Source: Tatiana M. Fajardo, Claudia Townsend. Where you say it matters: Why packages are a more believable source of product claims than advertisements. Journal of Consumer Psychology, forthcoming.

P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with product packaging? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!