Whether you are convinced by a healthy food advertisement could all depend on how you think and if you were shown the ingredients first or the product.
Have you ever wondered why some healthy food adverts see you rushing to the supermarket while others leave you less than convinced?
Well, new research led by Dr Jungmin Jang, a marketing expert from 明星八卦, has explored the reasons why consumers may find certain healthy food adverts more believable than others.
The research, recently published in Psychology & Marketing, centres on the relational fit between an advert's layout, presentation order and a viewer's locus of attention - a natural focus point.
“The sequence in which a healthy food advert presents the ingredients and final product plays a pivotal role in how much potential consumers trust its claims,” said Dr Jungmin Jang.
“This effect is moderated by individual’s thinking style or locus of attention, which can vary from person to person.”
Dr Jang explains that when an advert's sequence aligns with an individual's natural focus point, they are more likely to believe its claims.
“People with a field-dependent locus of attention are holistic thinkers and view adverts as a whole,” she said.
“They focus on the big picture rather than details and are more likely to believe an advert that presents the healthy ingredients first.
“Conversely, people with a field-independent locus of attention style are analytical thinkers and focus on each detail in isolation. They are more likely to believe an advert that presents the healthy food product first.”
Previous research suggests that particular countries and cultures can encourage specific thinking styles and locus of attention.
Korean culture has been seen to promote a field-dependent locus of attention and holistic thinking, whereas Americans lean towards promoting field-independent individuals and analytical thinking.
Dr Jang’s ground-breaking research involved two studies, with the first using field-dependent Korean participants and field-independent American participants.
Throughout the research, Dr Jang explored how the sequence in which information is presented in an advert influences a consumer’s perception of its truthfulness.
The participants were all presented with a tomato juice advert and were shown either the final product image first or the fresh tomatoes first.
After viewing the advert, the participants then rated the truthfulness of the claim that the product was 100% tomato juice, as well as its processing fluency - how easily they understood the presented information in the advert.
Dr Jang explains that adverts in sync with a person’s thinking style are not only easier to process but are also more credible.
In Korea, where people are more field-dependent and focus on the overall picture, presenting the fresh tomatoes first proved to be both easier to understand and more convincing.
“Field-dependent individuals will likely find an advert more understandable and believable when the ingredients are presented first, followed by the final product, because this sequence aligns with their tendency to understand the relationships among the presented elements.” said Dr Jang.
In America, where individuals are largely field-independent, showing the tomato juice first was more effective.
“Field-independent individuals find adverts more convincing when their focal information, the final product, is presented first, and this approach also increases their belief in an advert's claims.” said Dr Jang.
In the second study, Dr Jang focused on locus of control within a single culture, as an individual trait. It involved both field-dependent and field-independent participants, and they were presented with adverts showing raw grain and bread.
“As with the first study, the results showed that the sequence of images in the advert and a person’s locus of attention was significantly related to how easily the advertisement was understood and believed,” said Dr Jang.
Dr Jang believes that her studies are a wake-up call for marketing professionals and policy makers who are aiming to create more effective and honest campaigns.
“By tailoring adverts such as altering the information sequence to specific audiences based on thinking styles or cultural backgrounds, they can enhance both credibility and effectiveness,” she said.
“So, the next time you see an advert and find it believable or not, remember, it might just be tailored for someone else's brain.”
‘The interplay of information order and locus of attention on the truth effect in healthy food advertisements’, by Jungmin Jang, is published in Psychology & Marketing.
Reported by:
Nadine Palmer,
Media Relations
+44 (0)1895 267090
nadine.palmer@brunel.ac.uk