package experiment
TRANSCRIPT
CONTENTS 2: Abstract
3-19: Effects of Product Packaging on Brand Recall
20-21: References
22-24: Appendix A: Survey Codebook
25-26: Appendix B: In-Depth Interview Outline
27-31: Appendix C: Online Survey Consent and Questions
32-44: Appendix D: In-Depth Interview Transcripts
45-47: Appendix E: Methodology Table
48: Appendix F: Distinctive Packaging Characteristics
49: Appendix G: Preconceived Color Ideas
50: Appendix H: Price Sensitivity and Packaging Characteristics
51: Appendix I: Price Sensitivity and Color Score
52: Appendix J: Color Score Frequency
53: Appendix K: Exposure Level Affects Package Color Recall
54: Appendix L: Indicate Top Five Exposure Frequencies
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ABSTRACT
Although there exists substantial literature concerning brand recall within advertising
research, many of these studies implement a key focus on the recall of brand name only.
The brand name of a product plays a clear role in brand recall – but is that the only way
consumers remember brands? The present study suggests that additional packaging
characteristics should be assessed in terms of consumer brand recall. Exploratory data
obtained through three in-depth interviews and an online survey illustrates that the color
of a product’s packaging may play an important role in brand recall. Future studies will
evaluate this proposition in an experimental manipulation.
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EFFECTS OF PRODUCT PACKAGING ON BRAND RECALL
A consumer’s ability to recall a brand is one of the key goals of advertising. It is
of great interest to advertisers that when walking through a store and scanning hundreds
of products a consumer is able to remember a brand in which they have interest or are
familiar with. A majority of the literature on brand recall focuses on the ability to identify
only the brand name (Keller, Heckler, & Houston, 1998). In fact, brand recall is defined
as the “extent to which a brand name is recalled as a member of the brand, product, or
service class” (Wikipedia contributors, 2010). However, there are a number of
additional brand features that could be utilized in brand recall that involve the physical
aspects of the product’s packaging. Humans use color to infer details about their
environment (Wichmann, Sharpe, Gegenfurtner, 2002); this aspect of a product’s
packaging may also play an equally important role in the inferences made about a
product.
Product packaging is a very important part of the marketing mix. It is where
consumers interact with the brand at the point of purchase. Greater knowledge on how
consumers recall the brand they want to purchase can be extremely useful to construct
more appropriate and effective product packaging and product displays. Product
packaging is another vehicle through which companies can reinforce their brand culture
and increase a brand’s identity. Testing respondent’s knowledge of certain brand’s
product packaging color is an important starting point in researching the relationship
between color and brand recall.
The purpose of the present investigation is to understand how color impacts brand
awareness. The comprehension of this relationship is necessary to the field of advertising
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because it reassesses the definition of brand recall, a concept that plays a key role within
advertising. Due to a deficiency in literature concerning this topic, the information and
deductions established here are exploratory; future research should include a specific
investigation based on the findings of this study.
LITERATURE REVIEW
There exists little reported knowledge on the types of packaging characteristics
that out-perform others in terms of consumer brand awareness. However, existing
literature on brand awareness and the importance that packaging plays in product
purchasing action has been taken into account for the present study.
Product Packaging
The role of product packaging as a brand communication vehicle is growing
(Underwood, Klein, & Burke, 2001). Industry articles suggest that smart packaging
involves meeting a set of requirements such as “functionality, accuracy, validity,
reliability and usability” (Carre, 2010). Combining smart packaging with smart marketing
to produce high brand recognition is hard to successfully merge as roughly “80 percent of
new product releases fail” (Lindstrom, 2007). Many research articles recommend that
companies build brands that appeal to as many senses as possible by using color, smell,
and touch. A study revealed by a cosmetics company claims that “unique [product
design], which can be customized to meet specifics requirements, will help to turn
product application into a ‘memorable and fun’ experience, thereby enhancing brand
recognition and strengthening loyalty” (Cosmetics International, 2004). Additionally, the
packaging of a brand is critical for the maintenance and projection of the brand itself - it
is important that the package and color scheme are coherent with the marketing mix, this
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creates “synergy” across the mix and will promote a more effective brand awareness
(Park, Jaworski, MacInnis, 1986). Packaging is an important marketing tool in the
extension of a product’s strategy (Ampuero & Vila, 2006).
Product Exposure
Market research suggests that “frequent or recent exposure to a brand increases its
salience, thereby increasing the ability of a consumer to recall it” (Alba &
Chattopadhyay, 1986). In this case "salience" refers to the prominence of a brand in one’s
memory. Similarly, there are several factors that impact the learning and retention of
product-related information such as advertising and personal usage, and these have been
shown to be related directly to a consumer’s ability to recall a brand when prompted
(Alba & Chattopadhyay).
Brand awareness is a “dominant choice heuristic” in a consumer’s product
selection process (Hoyer & Brown, 1990). If a participant has no awareness of a brand
they are more likely to sample a larger number of brands than if they were aware of a
specific brand. As a result, consumers with no brand awareness in a specific product
category will make a selection based on the product they believe is the highest quality.
Consumers will pay a premium for a specific brand for which they have awareness. This
conserves time and effort on the part of the consumer (Hoyer & Brown). Therefore, if
unique or memorable product packaging leads to greater brand awareness (specifically
brand recall and recognition) then the consumer is more likely to purchase that product
over others in the same category. Similarly, consumers also have general preferences
towards different types of product packaging within specific product category types. In a
study conducted with a variety of beef packaging styles, consumers conveyed a liking for
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a specific type of packaging over the others (Carpenter, Cornforth & Whittier, 2001).
When designing a product’s image to gain strong visual recognition from the consumers,
companies must take into account the industry, the product, and the internal company
strategy. However, as our research explores packaged goods, which are considerably
lower in involvement than the companies of Nokia and Volvo, Snelder’s case study, their
strategy to develop high brand recognition may be watered down (Snelder, 2009).
While doing research on how visual cues affect the learning of brand names by
preschool-aged children, M. Carole Macklin, discusses the role that color might play in
the creation and development of brand recall. The article outlines previous research that
indicates color has definite association for children and can attract attention, influence
moods, clarify, and accentuate features of the environment (Macklin, 1996). Macklin also
states that the role of color in brand recall has not been tested as extensively as other
visual cues.
Based on the relevant research, we have determined that our independent variable
will be the dominant color of a product’s packaging, specifically cereal boxes. From there
we will test the ability of consumers to factually recall brand packaging.
METHODOLOGY
Research Questions and Hypothesis
Due to the exploratory nature of this study, there were a large number of variables
that could contribute to the understanding of colored packaging on brand awareness, each
was defined and coded (see APPENDIX A). A central research proposal and hypothesis
were generated in response to the literature review and information gathered through the
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in-depth interviews. Additionally, general research questions were established based on
their potential to contribute to the key proposal.
● RQ1: What is the most common package characteristic that consumers use to
recognize brands?
○ There are certain visual aspects that a consumer thinks about and makes
use of when looking for a specific brand, and it is critical to comprehend
which of these aspects consumers report using the most. It is assumed that
the brand/logo packaging characteristic plays a key role in recognizing
brands - presently, advertising literature relies on this packaging aspect to
measure brand recall and awareness - however, it is unknown whether
other packaging characteristics also play critical awareness roles.
● RQ2: Do consumers have common preconceived ideas of what unique flavors and
varieties of specific product categories should look like in terms of colored
packaging?
○ Are people conditioned to think of particular flavors and product varieties
in terms of color? If people are accustomed to seeing sugar-frosted
products in blue packaging, will consumers reject a sugar-frosted product
in yellow packaging? This research question suggests that color plays a
role in distinguishing different products - perhaps mostly at the
subconscious level.
● RQ3: If consumers are price sensitive (and therefore more likely to buy generic
brands) which packaging characteristic are they most likely to use?
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○ Generic products are often designed to look highly similar to the name
brand cereals - the color and design of the two products share many
characteristics. Although these products typically look similar they
possess different brand names and different price levels. Do those
consumers who purchase generic cereal use the brand/logo more often
than color to identify products, as that is usually the only packaging
characteristic that sets the products apart?
These research questions will provide general knowledge about how consumers use
different product packaging features. Ultimately, this information will contribute to the
comprehension of a more specific research interest: do changes in exposure level to a
given product package elicit variance in the recall of the package color? Exploratory
information in this area of research could suggest whether or not consumers are paying
attention to the color aspects of product packaging.
● H1: With more experience in consuming and purchasing a specific product,
consumers are more likely to correctly identify the product’s packaging color
when given the brand name.
○ If consumers with higher exposure levels to a specific product category
can correctly identify more packaging colors correctly, this will suggest
that individuals pay significant attention to this package characteristic -
much like they do with brand name - and therefore color as a packaging
characteristic should be established as a valid and accepted measure of
brand recall.
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Research Design
No prior experiments on color’s effect on brand recall, or scales indicating
stronger/weaker colors for product packaging awareness were found during the literature
review. Therefore this study was exploratory, as no literature supports the theory that
color affects brand awareness, and there is not data collected that could serve as a starting
point.
To obtain both qualitative and quantitative data we designed both a depth
interview prompt as well as an online survey. The depth interview questions were fairly
general about product packaging, brand awareness, product loyalty, and product use (see
APPENDIX B). The insights gained ranged from the discovery of tastes and flavors
having distinct color cues, not just brands, to the difference in buying brand name or
generic depending on how price sensitive the consumers are.
The online survey (see APPENDIX C) was more specific about what packaging
characteristics consumers use to recognize unique brands. Respondents were first asked
about their general packaged product search and purchase habits. Six product packaging
features were determined based on a general consensus established by the researchers:
Brand/Logo, Color, Shape, Visual Design, Texture, and Size – these features were
assessed to determine which feature was most distinctive as well as that which was most
helpful in searching for a product. Questions were then asked about a specific product
category - cereal. It was assumed that most individuals are knowledgeable of a variety of
flavors, brands, and colors of this product. Additionally, the way in which cereal is
packaged is highly similar across different brands - the only major difference in
appearance of cereal packaging is the color scheme. As a product category, there is not a
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dominant color for packaging, unlike mouthwash. This information was supported within
the depth interviews and helpful to the results of the study; it was more likely that
individuals would recall color based on color alone (no supplementary recall help through
other packaging features such as shape or size).
It was assumed that a majority of the survey respondents would be price sensitive
when shopping for a number of different products as a result of their income (likely less
than $30,000). It was therefore important that price sensitivity be taken into account as a
covariate for our main research focus – if consumers are overly price sensitive then they
may be less aware of product packaging features in general, simply because they only
rely on price as a method of brand recall (“whatever is cheapest”). Respondents were
asked to indicate their price sensitivity level through a number of different measures (see
APPENDIX C).
In order to assess respondents’ level of awareness towards color and packaging of
products, a brief recall test was implemented within the online survey. Respondents were
asked to identify the dominant package color of a given brand of cereal (or the
corresponding generic cereal brand) from nine colors. Answers to these survey items
were coded as either correctly or incorrectly identified. A “color score” (0-15) was then
established through the summation of correctly identified cereal package colors. This
score suggests how easy or difficult it was for each participant to recall a specific brand’s
packaging. In addition, respondents were asked to indicate their amount of exposure to
each brand by selecting which of the fifteen brands they were exposed to the most. This
was included within the survey in order to determine whether there is a correlation
between color/brand recall and exposure amount.
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Sample Design
As a result of time and money constraints the sample population was selected
based on a convenience sample. The method in which the online survey and in-depth
interviews was administered required that all respondents have a personal link to an
individual who administered the online survey. It is known, then, that most respondents
possess at least a Bachelor’s Degree and make less than $30,000 a year. Additionally,
many of the individuals who took the survey fell in the age range of 18-32 years of age -
the gender distribution was fairly even (see Results). All respondents were volunteers as
indicated in the consent document (see APPENDIX C).
Data Collection & Field Work
Each group member administered one depth interview prior to completing the
survey in order to gain greater insight to the relationship between product packaging
exposure and brand recall (three interviews total – see APPENDIX D). We each set up
one-on-one interviews with a friend or co-worker. We met with each personally on
Thursday, July 29, 2010. The information gained through the depth interviews was very
valuable, as it was obvious that color does play a powerful role in brand recall at the point
of purchase. This information was very helpful in fine-tuning the online survey.
The survey was designed and implemented with Qualtrics online survey software.
Each group member sent out roughly 80 personal messages with the survey link to their
friends through Facebook and/or email. The survey link was also posted to each group
member’s Facebook wall area. The online survey link was active for one week, from 3
PM on August 2, 2010 through 10 AM on August 9, 2010.
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RESULTS
Depth Interview Results
Information obtained in the three depth interviews suggested that individuals do
pay attention to and evaluate product packaging on a regular basis. Interviewees were
able to identify and describe several different types of packaging - they were also able to
indicate packaging that was frustrating or that could deter them from purchasing the
product. More specifically, color was discussed as a key characteristic in the
differentiation of product types and brands. It was clear that the depth interview
participants had preconceived notions of what specific product category packaging
should generally look like (i.e. milk is in a jug) as well as types and flavors of a category
(i.e. sugar free energy drink labels are lighter in color than the full sugar, bold labels). All
three interviewees indicated that cereal was a product they typically purchased. The data
obtained within the depth interviews served mostly as a skeleton for the online survey
and thus was not transcribed or manipulated through quantitative analyses.
Online Survey Results
The completion rate for the survey was high, n =132 (89% completion rate). The
age distribution was skewed mostly towards the younger age group (18-22, n = 24; 23-
27, n = 62; 28-32, n = 23; 33+, n = 23). However, distribution of gender was nearly equal
(males, n =52; females, n = 78; other, n = 3). Most of the respondents selected blue as
their favorite of the nine colors offered (n = 47). Each research construct was defined and
assessed (see APPENDIX E).
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Distinctive Package Characteristics: RQ1
When asked to rank-order six product packaging characteristics in terms of
distinctiveness, a majority of the survey respondents ranked brand/logo (n = 66) or visual
design (n = 52) as the most distinctive characteristic. The color of the packaging was
often ranked second (n = 43). Most respondents believed that package shape (n = 45) and
package texture (n = 84) were the least distinctive characteristics - fifth and sixth most
distinctive, respectively (see APPENDIX F).
Preconceived Color Ideas: RQ2
To better understand the role that color plays in brand recall, it was important to
determine whether or not individuals have a preconceived notion of what a specific
product should look like. Most survey respondents indicated that products within the
same category should look “more similar” (n = 111) instead of more distinct (n = 21).
Similarly, when provided with a variety or flavor of cereal survey respondents showed a
clear association to a specific color (see APPENDIX G).
Price Sensitivity: RQ3
In addition, price sensitivity was assessed to determine whether this affected an
individual’s use of a specific packaging characteristic. Respondents self-reported that
they are price sensitive with “most products” (n = 78). When asked to indicate how often
they purchased the generic brand of a product most respondents stated that they did this
only “sometimes” (n = 57); however, consumers who are more price sensitive were
significantly more likely to purchase generic brands more often than those who are not-
price sensitive, t(132) = -3.99, p < .05. Although it was conceived that more price
sensitive consumers would rank product package characteristics differently than those
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who are less price sensitive, no apparent relationship was determined as the frequencies
varied across these categories (see APPENDIX H). Similarly, no significant difference
was noted between non-price sensitive and price sensitive individuals in terms of color
score (see APPENDIX I).
Main Research Focus
On average, survey respondents were able to correctly recall the dominant color
of a cereal package about eight times out of fifteen (M = 8.38, SD = 2.60) when provided
with the cereal brand name; no respondent was able to correctly identify all fifteen cereal
colors (see APPENDIX J). There was no significant difference in the ability to correctly
recall cereal package color across male and female genders, t(128) = 1.218, p < .05.
However, significant results were obtained for the main research focus (see APPENDIX
K). Two levels of cereal purchase were established using the self-reported measure in
response to the question, “How many packages of cereal do you purchase in a month?”
According to the number of packages purchased, respondents were categorized as either
low (never to one package a month, n = 58) or high (two to six packages, n = 74)
purchasers of cereal. This cutoff point was established using the 50th percentile of the
cereal purchase scores as a breaking point. When assessed, individuals who were high
purchasers of cereal were significantly more likely to identify the dominant color of a
specific cereal package when given the brand name, t(130) = -3.06, p < .05.
Similarly, two levels of cereal consumption were also created using another self-
reported measure in response to the question, “How many times do you eat cereal a
month?” Based on the bi-modal distribution of the cereal consumption scores,
respondents were categorized as those who consume a low amount of cereal in a week
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(never to once a week, n = 55) and those who consume a high amount of cereal (four to
seven or more times a week, n = 44). Those respondents scoring in the middle of the
cereal consumption scale were removed in order to establish two distinct consumption
groups. Results illustrated a finding similar to that of high cereal purchasers – those
individuals who consume more cereal in a week were significantly better at recalling the
correct dominant color of a cereal box when provided with the brand name, t(97) = -2.10,
p < .05.
Survey respondents were asked to indicate the top five cereal brands in which
they had the most exposure with from the list of cereal brands provided (see APPENDIX
L). Through a series of chi-square analyses it was determined that for cereal brands that
are purchased the least - respondents who were frequently exposed to these brands were
more likely to correctly identify the color of the product’s package than those
respondents who did not select the brand as one in which they have the most exposure.
Basic Four, X2 (1, N = 132) = 4.59, p < .05; Alpha-Bits, X2 (1, N = 132) = 6.65, p < .05;
Puffins, X2 (1, N = 132) = 28.06, p < .05 were three specific cereal brands with a low
frequency of exposure level that showed this relationship. In contrast, this relationship
was not shown for more common (more respondents’ top exposure) brands such as
Cheerios, X2 (1, N = 132) = 2.14, p >.05 or Frosted Flakes, X2 (1, N = 132) = .64, p >.05.
- there was no relationship between exposure and correct color identification for these
brands - even those respondents who were not frequently exposed to the brand identified
the package color correctly.
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DISCUSSION
As a result of several study limitations and a lack of previous literature
concerning the concepts highlighted within this study, the majority of the research should
be considered exploratory. However, it is critical to note the significance for the main
research focus: when a product is consumed with high frequency, individuals are more
likely to correctly identify the color of the product’s package. Results obtained within this
study also suggest a similar relationship for high levels of product purchase. Thus, these
key research findings support the present hypothesis (with more exposure, individuals are
more likely to correctly recall the color of the product’s packaging) - which was
developed through previous literature and preliminary depth interview data. This suggests
that, much like the brand of a product, individuals also pay attention to the color and
appearance of a product’s package – if a consumer has more experience with a brand they
have more opportunities to notice the color of the product’s package; as a result, they are
also more likely to correctly identify color when given the brand name.
In addition to these specific research findings it is also important to note the
general findings that may contribute to the evaluation of package color as a method of
brand recall. Through survey research it was determined that individuals do perceive
package color with a high level of distinctiveness. Likewise, consumers have a
preconceived idea of what color a specific product should have on its packaging. This
evidence supports the main research focus – that, perhaps even at a subconscious level,
consumers value color as a product packaging feature. This data parallels the current
construct, where brand name is prominent and focused upon in a recall situation.
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The present study has also determined that price sensitivity does not play a role in
the ability to correctly recall the color of a product’s package – that consumers are aware
of packaging color regardless of how much they take product price into account. Because
generic and name brand products are often the same color there should have been a
notable difference in the ranking of distinctive product packaging characteristics between
non-price sensitive individuals and those who are price sensitive. However, this
categorization elicited no clear difference; color as a package feature was ranked
similarly across both areas – this again suggests that individuals are clearly aware of a
product’s packaging color and would be able to identify a brand based on color almost as
easily as they would be able to identify the product by the brand name.
As indicated by the present hole in the existing literature - most advertising
research focuses on brand recall as a simple recall of the brand name. However, it is
suggested through this exploratory investigation that assessing the color of a brand may
also be a good method for testing a consumer’s recall of a brand. It should be proposed
that when shopping down the many aisles of a grocery store, consumers are likely to
identify a specific color for a brand’s product package - much like how they would
identify a specific brand name - therefore, color could be a good indicator of brand recall
and should be given more consideration in the future as such. This would enable a better
understanding of how consumers are able to recall specific brands and products - a
critical factor in advertising reserach
The findings of this study can be applicable in the real world, and it has
managerial implications for companies trying to develop strong brands. Though this
study is exploratory, the findings suggest that color plays a strong role in brand recall.
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Similarly, it is important to understand that companies must take into consideration both
the color involved in their branding campaign as well as perceived color-connections
with flavors and varieties when creating packaging. If further studies and specific results
are found on unique color’s strength in aiding recall, companies could use this
information to create more effective product packaging and advertising campaigns.
Limitations
Several limitations existed within various stages of the present research
investigation. Most of these limitations were a result of the time and money constraints
related to a five-week graduate course. The first limitation arrived during our research
collection, as we needed more time to gather appropriate articles and past experiments.
Though we found some very informative articles, other articles could have led us to less
of an exploratory take on our personal research. Research on color’s role in packaging, or
obtaining some type of color scale to apply to our quantitative research would have been
helpful in creating a better-structured online survey.
Throughout our depth interviews and survey the biggest problem was the
characteristics of our sample population. As the depth interview and the survey
respondents were friends and family members, most of their demographics are similar:
highly educated, lower to upper middle class, Caucasian, young adults. Also, a large
percentage of the respondents are classmates and therefore knowledgeable about the
subject of product packaging and brand recall. With all research, a larger sample is better
than a smaller one; if more than 132 surveys were collected the results would be of
greater significance.
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Despite these data collection limitations the tabulated results indicate that
exposure time with a product’s packaging is highly correlated to one’s ability to recall the
color of a specific brand’s packaging. This ability should be regardless of age, race,
education level, etc. We believe if the sample population was more representative of the
US consumers, the results would not be altered significantly.
Future Research
Through our exploratory research other research opportunities have arisen. Had
more time been available, a test in an experimental setting would have allowed the
manipulation of each packaging characteristic which would create stronger results. In the
real world packaging characteristics can’t be separated. Through separating each
packaging characteristic like color, shape, and texture a greater understanding of the
strength of each would be interesting to correlate with brand recall.
Testing other applications of color and packaging such as the coloration of
“green” or “earth-friendly” tones and how they fit into recalling a brand would reveal
more about color’s role in brand recall. Continuing to study if there are certain colors that
result in greater memory recall and if personal color preference drives stronger
color/brand recall would be very helpful to companies trying to develop strong brands.
Also, it would be interesting to learn if consumers have different levels of
color/brand recall when unique product categories are tested, not just cereal. Testing if
the same levels of exposure to other product categories result in the same findings, that
the greater the exposure to a brand results in greater color recall, would confirm our
study’s findings with greater certainty.
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Ampuero, Olga & Vila, Olga (2006) "Consumer perceptions of product packaging",
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Carpenter, C., Cornforth, D., & Whittier, D. (2001). “Consumer preferences for beef
color and packaging did not affect eating satisfaction.” Meat Science, 57, 359 -
363.
Cosmetics International. (2004). “Zeller closures promise better brand loyalty.”
Cosmetics International Cosmetic Product Report, 8.
Hoyer, W.D., & Brown, S.P. (1990). “Effects of brand awareness on choice for a
common, repeat-purchase product.” The Journal of Consumer Research, 17:2,
141-148.
Lindstrom, M. (2007). “See me, feel me, touch me...Use all the senses to build brands.”
Journal of Direct, Data and Digital Marketing Practice, 9:1, 102.
Macklin, M. Carole. "Preschoolers' Learning of Brand Names from Visual Cues."
Journal of Consumer Research 23, no. 3 (December 1996): 251-261.
Park, W., Jaworski, B., MacInnis, D. (1986). “Strategic brand concept-image
management.” Journal of Marketing, 50, 135 - 146.
Snelder, Dirk and Toni-Matti Karjalainen. (2009). “Designing Visual Recognition for the
Brand.” The Journal of Product Innovation Management. 27:1, 6-22.
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Underwood, Robert L., Klein, Noreen M., & Burke, Raymond R. , (2001) "Packaging
communication: attentional effects of product imagery", Journal of Product &
Brand Management, Vol. 10 Iss: 7, pp.403 – 422
Wikipedia contributors, "Brand awareness," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brand_awareness&oldid=357603
788
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APPENDIX A
SURVEY CODEBOOK
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APPENDIX B
IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW OUTLINE
Introduce yourself and provide a brief overview of what the two of you are going to discuss. Also, you should mention that it is for academic purposes only; thus, we are not working for a specific client. Give them a time estimate (about 30 - 40 minutes or so) of how long the interview will last and remind them that their name will not be attached to any of the information they provide when we report our results.
● What types (product category) of packaged products do you typically purchase? ● Are you particularly knowledgeable of a specific product category (beer, cereal,
frozen foods)? ○ What is it that you like about this type of product? Is there anything that
you don’t like? What are your specific buying habits (purchase frequency, availability, cost, evaluation of brands, loyalty) within these product categories?
● Are there any product categories that you have little to no knowledge in (ex. pesticides, light bulbs, spices, baby food)?
● What product categories do you purchase a brand on a strict impulse buy? ○ Have them name the product category and specify what characteristics of
the brand/packaging makes them purchase. ● What types of media do you use to learn about new packaged products? ● What role do you think packaging plays in the benefits or enjoyment of a product? ● When you are shopping for a product what aspects of the image do you use to
identify the product/what do you remember from advertisements (color, shape, feel?)? (What they think they remember)
● Can you name any brands that you can identify based on color alone? (give them an example: Campbell’s soup has a red and white label)
● Do you ever use the color scheme of a product package to identify which product to purchase?
● What product categories do you think are most capable of being able to change the color of their product package and still have consumers recognize the product?
○ Are their certain categories where you can see the potential improvement to where your purchase intention would heighten - are their product categories that you can think of that should really change the color/look of their packaging?
● Can you name any packaged products in which you specifically dislike the color or design of the packaging?
● (what color comes to mind first): ● Which color do you think is the most attention grabbing?
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● Which color do you think makes people the most likely to purchase mouthwash? ● Which color do you think makes people the most likely to purchase cereal? ● Which color do you think makes people the most likely to purchase beer?
○ ***(ask them to justify their color choices where possible)*** ● Which color do you think makes people the most hungry? ● Which color do you think makes people think that a product is of better quality? ● Which color do you think makes people think that a product is of poorer quality? ● How important is a consistent brand image and packaging to you?
○ if they need a scale (1-5), if they can merely say, not so important to very important that’s fine too.
○ What is a brand that comes to mind that does a great job of incorporating brand image into their packaging?
These questions are directed more specifically to our study:
● How familiar are you with purchasing and consuming cereal - how often do you participate in these activities?
● Do you think that college students are cognizant of several different types of cereal - do they purchase it/are they familiar with the product category?
● What do you enjoy/dislike about cereal? ● What types of cereal do you typically purchase? Please describe the color and
general look of the packaging for these types of cereal.
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APPENDIX C
ONLINE SURVEY CONSENT AND QUESTIONS
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APPENDIX D
IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS – Conducted on July 29th
Participant A
What types (product category) of packaged products do you typically purchase?
Always soft drinks, Dr. Pepper, and chips I guess, cereal. Cereal depends on how I’m feeling: Cpt. Crunch is what I have right now. Milk, eggs, bread; not a lot of different things I sort of keep it simple. Packaged Oscar Meyer ham. Cookies once in a while, I don’t buy a lot of sweets. I do buy some I guess energy bars like Nutri-grain. Mainly soft drinks, I buy a lot of those.
What is it that you like about this type of product? Is there anything that you don’t like? What are your specific buying habits (purchase frequency, availability, cost, evaluation of brands, loyalty) within these product categories?
I like soft drinks because it’s sweet, I guess I like the sugar and the flavor and I always buy cans. I don’t like coke in a can; I prefer a fountain coke. Pepsi I like a lot, and some Mountain dew once in a while. I live with my brother and we share the drinks, and we purchase about 3 twelve packs every two weeks. We’ll finish them about every two weeks. We are not brand specific, I mean we do stay with the major brands, like coke and Pepsi. But the flavor is the reason why we buy them I kind of like Pepsi’s flavor better. It is not as syrupy as coke; that is how I would describe it. It’s my way of seeing it. But I do like it, I know it’s a good brand and I know I’m going to get what I paid for. The other brand I like a lot is RC cola. I like the taste of it, I don’t mind a lot, but every once in a while when I want something different I will buy that.
Are there any product categories that you have little to no knowledge in (ex. pesticides, light bulbs, spices, baby food)?
In term so food, I guess I’m always n the grocery section. I rarely go to the health care section. It would be things like pasta, things like that that would take a little bit longer to cook. Or to product. Maybe the meats section, because usually I just get ground beef, something simple, instead of steaks or something. I mean I can make steaks but I would just pass them; I don’t bbq a lot so I would pass that stuff up. Maybe like energy drinks, I don’t buy those.
Are you loyal to any cleaning supply products?
Yeah, Clorox is a big thing and I always buy it as bleach. So I don’t use any generic stuff like that.
What product categories do you purchase a brand on a strict impulse buy? Have them name the product category and specify what characteristics of the brand/packaging makes them purchase.
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I would only buy it if I had previously used. If I did an impulse buy it because I’ve used it before and have previous knowledge of it, even though it might not be on my list, like right then and then, Oh yeah, I’ve used that and it’s a good thing to buy, and I haven’t had it in a while.
What types of media do you use to learn about new packaged products?
The Internet and the TV, mostly because of the commercials. When I see something that catches my eye. Sometimes I just ignore the ads, but if it catches my eye I will ay attending and look something up.
What role do you think packaging plays in the benefits or enjoyment of a product?
I can think of two, one is ease of use, if it is easy for someone to use the product if it’s easier the better, if its convenient for me to buy a twelve pack where you can just put it in the fridge and grab cokes for it that would be great. That is what I do I buy the long twelve-pack s for the fridge. The second would be packaging to show that the brand, I like the brand. I know that kind of sounds weird but usually I just buy. Maybe I don’t really think about the price but I buy the brand because I know I can trust them, and so the packaging is the medium for the brand to show that they are trustworthy.
When you are shopping for a product what aspects of the image do you use to identify the product/what do you remember from advertisements (color, shape, feel?)? (What they think they remember)
The color. It’s the biggest thing. I know Pepsi packaging is a dark blue, of course coke is red, things like that. Usually if I cant find something I look for the color, if I remember what the packaging is like I’ll look for the color, because something its hard to find with cluttered shelves. I’ll just step back a little bit and look fro the color. Or the shape of the packaging. I know a bottle of Ragu sauce is going to look different than others, because just thinking of it.
What else beside color can be used to identify the Ragu bottle?
I think only those two come to mind, because I would look for the label with the name or the shape of the jar.
Can you name any brands that you can identify based on color alone? (give them an example: Campbell’s soup has a red and white label)
Doritos, easy. I could probably do minute maid juices. I buy them regularly and I could tell if it was minute maid packaging or not. Maybe packaged ham like Oscar Meyer. Things that I usually use I lot that I know, I can usually tell what it is.
Do you ever use the color scheme of a product package to identify which product to purchase? For instance if you have never purchase a product in the category before, do you take color cues to pick with of the specific brands to buy?
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Not if it’s a product that I’ve never purchased before. I probably would have researched a little to find the brand name for that product category for something I don’t know about I would not use color cues, I would find the best brand for that product category.
How would you research?
I would probably go search for the generic category on the Internet and then click on each learn to learn about it. I’d learn what type of product they are and how people rate it. Maybe look up a couple recipes.
What product categories do you think are most capable of being able to change the color of their product package and still have consumers recognize the product?
Maybe like bread. I was thinking milk, but that wouldn’t work because the color red is a certain percentage of milk. Each different percentage of milk has a different color to it; it’s kind of hard to do it with milk. So maybe with bread, if you changed the color or make it a different type of packaging. Bread still comes in plastic bags, but I don’t think they would change that.
Are their certain categories where you can see the potential improvement to where your purchase intention would heighten - are their product categories that you can think of that should really change the color/look of their packaging?
Maybe like higher prices items, will probably benefit more, because with lower priced items like condiments or pepper or something like that, you probably are loyal from when you were a kid and you buy now what your parents bought back then. So that loyalty wouldn’t change. But premium orange juice or milk, or something like that that probably run like 5-6$. The packaging changed into something more attractive to the eye just even for a second, it may help them sell more.
Do you think Product categories, like for instance mouthwash, should have similar coloration or do you think if there was a brand that really drastically changed their color and design that they would stand out and perhaps have higher purchase intention?
I guess in the case of mouthwash, the two big brands that come to mind are Listerine and scope. And they both have a product that is the same color, so in their case I guess it would help to be different, but they both be the same thing, so it would have to be more about the effects of the results of the product being enhanced. It wouldn’t’ necessarily have to be a color change; it would be more about the product offering something different than the competitor.
Are there product categories that you can think of that should drastically change their packaging, or the way they are packaged?
I guess the generic brands would be most beneficial to change their packaging. Most store brands copy the premium brands and so if they change it to be more unique; because when I see it I think it’s cheap and not well made. If they took away the store name from the packaging and use different fonts that are completely different from
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what’s been done before, then for sure, people would take notices. Stores use their own product to promote their own products, often the offer them at a better price, and that stigma is that they are cheap and not well made or taste the same.
Can you name any packaged products in which you specifically dislike the color or design of the packaging?
Not off the top of my head.
Prompt: I know if we were in a music store, I would say CD wrappers.
One thing I hate is that there are inconstancies in Blue Ray DVD boxes. I mean I pay so much and there is not a universal media, but the fact that the consistency is not there and the packaging is all weird and different. It really irritates me.
Do you expect the design scheme color and packaging to be consistent along a certain brand if they have different product categories?
Yes. I mean they would have to have the same color scheme even if it’s a different product. Something to sort of put a similarity or consistency throughout the brand.
And do you think that they can also define a brand through the actual way it’s packaged; like the structure of the package, disregarding any color or design? For instance Apple (computers) is all packaged in very similar ways, very streamline.
If one product has minimalist packaging, like clean and precise and to the point. There is no bubble wrap protecting it, it is like a product just sitting in a box, yeah I would expect that simple product packaging to go across. I mean you can’t have like one product have elaborate packaging and the others don’t. There has to be some consistency with the look and the packaging shape.
Prompt: With these questions I would like you to tell me what color comes to mind first:
Which color do you think is the most attention grabbing?
Red, it’s a big attention grabber. For what I understand red is the color vehicle that gets stopped most by police officers, so red with a white background is completely obvious. I think it also has to deal with blood, when you see blood it grabs your attention…that connotation.
Which color do you think makes people the most likely to purchase mouthwash?
Green, it’s the original mouthwash and it’s the way that people have learned it and people buy that automatically, because you’ve seen it before and you can deal with
Which color do you think makes people the most likely to purchase cereal?
Yellow, I’m not sure, but when I go down the cereal isle I see a lot of yellow, the reason is because one of my favorite cereals is Kix and the entire box is yellow. Maybe it has to do with the fact that cereal is corn based and has a yellow color.
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Which color do you think makes people the most likely to purchase beer?
Blue, beer is kind of a way to mellow out and blue is calm and smooth and collected. But I also say that because Miller Lite has a blue label.
Which color do you think makes people the most hungry?
I’m not sure, I was going to say Brown, but I don’t know why I was going to say that.
It’s the first thing that came to mind. I was thinking of bread, which is like basic food to me. They’ve been making bread for 1000’s of years.
Which color do you think makes people think that a product is of better quality?
Gold
Which color do you think makes people think that a product is of poorer quality?
Grey
Question: How important is a consistent brand image and packaging to you? if they need a scale (1-5), if they can merely say, not so important to very important that’s fine too.
I would say 5, actually maybe 4. I’m more comfortable with 4. The packaging represents the brand. The thing that comes to mind right now is Tequila because there are many different brands and the way the bottle is structured represents the brand. If I say patron, I can picture the cork and the shape of the bottle. I would say it’s really important to represent the quality of the brand.
Prompt: These questions are directed more specifically to our study:
How familiar are you with purchasing and consuming cereal - how often do you participate in these activities?
I eat cereal maybe I couple times a week. Not every day. Purchasing it, maybe every 2-3 weeks I buy two boxes.
Question: Do you think that college students are cognizant of several different types of cereal - do they purchase it/are they familiar with the product category?
College students are familiar with cereal. I’ve seen lots of people my age browsing the isle to see what there is to buy.
What types of cereal brands do you usually purchase?
Frosted Flakes, is probably my favorite. Once in a while I buy Capt. Crunch or Kix. But usually those big brands.
Describe the color and the general look of Frosted Flakes?
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It’s blue usually the box is larger. They are trying to be cool with tiger stripes and usually you’ll see the three stripes across the box. Usually you’ll see Tony the Tiger and on the front there is a bowl of cereal with milk and spoon, which is general with most cereal boxes.
Describe Capt. Crunch to me:
Usually you’ll see the Capt with a bowl with milk and I know the box is red.
Describe Kix to me:
I know the box is yellow. I know always in the front is the kid tested mother approved quote and of course the bowl of cereal with Kix in big blue letters.
Question/Answer: What color is:
Raison bran: purple
Fruit Loops: red
Cheerios multigrain: yellow
Frosted mini wheats: yellow
Cornflakes: yellow
Grape nuts: white
Pops: yellow
Rice Krispies: treats
Apple Jacks: red
Chex original: white
Total original: blue
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PARTICIPANT B
What types (product category) of packaged products do you typically purchase?
Bread, cold cuts, cereals, breakfast foods, stuff like that
Are you particularly knowledgeable of a specific product category (beer, cereal, frozen foods)?
Beer
What is it that you like about this type of product?
Variety, they’re made different ways, they’re made for different people with different tastes so there’s a lot of variety out there
Is there anything that you don’t like?
No
Maybe about how the product is sold?
I guess maybe how they try to make it cold and hip. Why can’t they just sell it based on the quality of what it is?
What are your specific buying habits (purchase frequency, availability, cost, evaluation of brands, loyalty) within these product categories?
Let’s say alcohol. I’ll by it, and it’s not a necessity so I might buy it at the end of the week, going into the weekend but it’s not something I need so when I run out, I’m not going to run out and go get some more immediately
Are there any product categories that you have little to no knowledge in (ex. pesticides, light bulbs, spices, baby food)?
There’s a lot. Frozen foods. Packaged foods
What do you mean when you say packaged foods?
Like stuff that’s almost mostly prepared, like just add water. Like pasta in a box sort of thing, mac and cheese. Those sorts of things, that are mostly pre-made
What product categories do you purchase a brand on a strict impulse buy?
Sweets, cookies or something. Snack cakes
What characteristics of the brand/packaging make you purchase a particular item?
It’s strictly an impulse buy. If I’m in the mood for something sugary, I’ll grab whatever’s closest and go from there
What types of media do you use to learn about new packaged products?
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I would go with, mostly the Internet. If there’s something I heard good stuff about I’ll go on the internet to find out more about it
What role do you think packaging plays in the benefits or enjoyment of a product?
It’ll get a product’s foot in the door. If it’s something that grabs your eye, or if it’s something that just looks interesting then I’m inclined to try it, at least once
When you are shopping for a product what aspects of the image do you use to identify the product/what do you remember from advertisements (color, shape, feel?)? (What they think they remember)
I’ll give you an example. If I see like an ad or a commercial. If it’s something I haven’t tried before, if it’s an innovation – like a razor, if it’s like a new razor with an extra blade or something I might try it. I happy with my old razor but if I see an ad saying this one’s better I might try it.
But when you go to the store, how do you find the product? Do you remember the color or what the packaging looked like?
Usually the name will grab me. More so that then the color or the packaging. I’ll use that instead of any other cue
Can you name any brands that you can identify based on color alone? (give them an example: Campbell’s soup has a red and white label)
Based off of color alone. Kraft. Kraft macaroni and cheese because of the blue box. I remember Irish spring because of the green box. There are a lot
What product categories do you think are most capable of being able to change the color of their product package and still have consumers recognize the product?
I’d go with stuff that is known for its shape. Milk is going to be in that jug. They could change their logo or their labeling but you could still buy milk. Bread is always going to be in a loaf no mater what labeling you put on that bag
Are their certain categories where you can see the potential improvement to where your purchase intention would heighten - are their product categories that you can think of that should really change the color/look of their packaging?
No, I can’t think of anything
Can you name any packaged products in which you specifically dislike the color or design of the packaging?
Umm… no
Which color do you think is the most attention grabbing?
A fire-y color, maybe a red or an orange
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Which color do you think makes people the most likely to purchase mouthwash?
Probably a blue or a green. It looks medicinal and I think it’s what people expect
Which color do you think makes people the most likely to purchase cereal?
Like an earth tone like a green or a brown
Why do you say that?
Well I’m thinking about a specific type of cereal. Not so much like a sugary cereal but something that’s good for you, like a fiber cereal or a whole grain cereal. People will associate green and brown with like the earth, or nature and somehow that’s better for you.
So if a cereal’s packaging is a brighter color, what would you associate with that cereal in regards to its contents?
If it’s a brighter cereal packaging, I would associate that with sugar and just not good for you.
What if the color is yellow?
That’s a tough call. Off the top of my head, cheerios is yellow and that’s good for you, but so is Honey Comb and that’s not good for you. I don’t know, yellow could go either way
What if the color is blue?
Blue for a cereal? I would associate that with a sugary cereal. I can’t think of a lot of healthy cereals that are blue?
What if the box was white?
I would lean more towards healthy.
Why do you think white is healthy?
This is going to sound pretentious, but I think with a white box there is no pretense. Like they’re not trying to oversell you. They’re not trying to grab your attention. This is just cereal. It is a plain no frills cereal. They’re not trying to do anything out of this world with it
Which color do you think makes people think that a product is of better quality?
I would lean towards blue
How important is a consistent brand image and packaging to you?
Very important. It drives me nuts when a product consistently changes their packaging. It’s like they’re not sure of themselves.
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What is a brand that comes to mind that does a great job of incorporating brand image into their packaging?
You mentioned Campbell’s soup earlier. I think they do a god job. It’s simple; it’s a label with the name of the soup on it. It’s not in your face.
So what’s the brand image you get from that packaging?
It’s dependable. You know you’re getting soup when you buy a Campbell’s sup. As opposed to a Progresso. It’s not as dependable as Campbell’s
How familiar are you with purchasing and consuming cereal - how often do you participate in these activities?
Regularly
Do you think that college students are cognizant of several different types of cereal - do they purchase it/are they familiar with the product category?
I would say for the most part yeah
What do you enjoy about cereal?
It’s simple. It’s something you’ve grown up with. Cereal is synonymous with breakfast. You eat it and that’s it, you’re good to go for the rest of the morning.
What do you dislike about cereal?
I can’t say that I dislike anything about cereal
What types of cereal do you typically purchase?
I lean more towards the healthier cereal at this point because I’m older
Please describe the color and general look of the packaging for these types of cereal.
It would be earth tone. It would e a muted yellow or orange and it would have pictures of whole grain on it or fruit
Describe the packaging of those cereals
Your basic box
What cereal do you buy?
Basic FourLet’s say Basic Four was in a bright blue box. How would you feel about that?I would think something had changed with the actual cereal itself. I don’t want something different I want my basic four
Would you get a different impression of the cereal’s contents? Yeah I would assume they changed the formula, that they changed the recipe.
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PARTICIPANT C
Okay, so I want to ask some questions about different types of packaged products that you buy at the grocery store. It an be any type of packaged good – so this doesn’t include produce such as fruits or vegetables. But anything that is in a package. So let’s get started - what types of packaged goods do you typically purchase?
Paper towels, energy drinks, juices, pasta, bread, cereal, peanut butter, jelly, sodas, liquids, toilet paper, protein bars
Are you particularly knowledgeable in a specific product category?
Cereal – because it’s “easy to make” – and there are so many different kinds. I have shopped around in that product category to find the best cereal for me.
Alright, so what do you look at first when you discover a new product at the grocery store?
I look at the ingredient list – I don’t eat anything that has high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) – so I’m looking to find whether it does or does not contain HFCS because that is what is most important to me.
Can you name any types of product packaging or color schemes that you particularly enjoy?
I like products that are packaged with a simple design – I don’t like fluorescents – I don’t like a lot of detailed colors, like if there is too much going on – I just want to see what the product is – it doesn’t need a lot of decoration.
Which color do you think would be the most attention grabbing for you at the grocery store?
Anything that is earth tones – dark green, browns. I like to eat healthy so those colors would grab my attention because they signify healthy to me.
Which color do you think would signify a product that is of good quality?
Blue.
What about poor quality?
Fluorescents.
What about something that is healthy (we mentioned this already)?
Green, brown
And how about a color for mouthwash?
Mouthwash should be blue
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What about a color for beer?
Something dark, I like a specific brand – Fireman Fours – I know that it is red and I am able to recognize the symbol on the package and I can relate the symbol to the taste, so I don’t really care about the color of the beer (the color of the beer itself).
And what color most reminds you of cereal (boxes)
White.
Is there any type of product packaging that you particularly dislike.
I hate anything in sealed bags – like anything in those gross foil bags – like, potato chips – I relate things in bags like to something that is unhealthy for me - I can’t think of one thing that’s healthy that comes in a bag like that.
Do you think that consumers often notice packaging color?
I think that it depends on the purchaser – for instance (mentions a friend that we both know) – is very frugal – when she bought those cookies (that she brought to a recent party) – she only looked a price – packaging plays a role for her in a different kind of way because a specific type of packaging may make the product cheaper overall. I think that a lot of people look at the color of the packaging to try to decide what they think would taste the best – so they are basing their decision of taste on what the package looks on the outside.
Can you name any products that you associate with a specific color scheme?
Pepsi is like red, white, and blue, Simply Orange is really fresh looking with the orange and green, Fireman’s four (red), Red Bull (teal), Nos (silver) – it’s kind of interesting though – I guess that I often use color to differentiate between different products within the same brand – kind of like Ramen noodles – they package essentially looks the same except that different flavors are differentiated by different colors. Also, when I’m looking at energy drinks I am looking for drinks that are sugar free – and I’m using color as a comparison feature – if the brand offers two types of the product I use color to figure out which one to reach for – (comes to a realization): Red Bull uses a bold color for their product with sugar, but a more washed out, healthy (earth tone) color for their sugar free label. It seems that all energy drinks are that way – Monster uses a dark green (bold color) for their sugar drinks and a lighter, more washed out color for the sugar-free drinks.
So would you say that healthier products are colored in a specific way so you can find them easier?
I’m not sure, if a healthy product was put between the Lays and the Cheetos, it would be hard to discover because it looks unhealthy while it sits there between all the other unhealthy products.
Okay, now we are going to move into some specific questions about cereal and product packaging. What type of cereal do you typically buy?
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Kashi – it’s over priced as hell, blueberry? Blackberry? Blueberry – the one cereal at HEB that doesn’t have HFCS.
How often do you purchase this cereal?
Once every two weeks, I usually buy 1-2 boxes at a time.
Can you describe what this product package looks like?
It’s a white box, it has a bowl of cereal on the front of it – with some of the blueberries on the front on it – and it has a green leafy logo – you know it’s the stuff that you’re buying – it’s real sugar.
How often do you eat cereal – mostly as a breakfast food or do you use it any time of day (late at night, etc.)
Whenever (to eat).
Are there any product categories that you don’t know much about?
Baby food. And also those packaged dietary frozen meals (in general) – I know they are high in sodium and I like my heart. So I try to avoid those wherever possible.
How do you learn about new products, what type of media do you use?
Mostly in-store I think, I’m in there and I just stumble upon it. Or I go to grocery store drunk and you WILL find things. I did find a new product recently that I typically pick out based on color - HEB sells lots of different kinds of ketchup – but they only sell one that doesn’t’ have HFCS – I typically identify this based on the color of the label – it’s completely white and it stands out from all the other types of ketchup – I didn’t even have to go through and look at the different kinds – my roommate and I reached right for that one because it was so much easier to identify.
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APPENDIX E
METHODOLOGY TABLE
Construct Items Central Tendency
Standard Deviation
Price sensitivity “When shopping for packaged products, how much does price play a role in your purchase decision?”
1-3, Never / With some products / With most products
Mean = 2.57 Mode = With most products (83)
0.52
Package characteristic importance
“...Please rank these characteristics in order from what you believe is the most distinctive characteristic to the least when a package is sitting on a shelf”
6 Choices, ranked 1 (most distinctive) - 6 (least distinctive)
brand/logo Mean = 2.10 1.31
color Mean = 3.16 1.24
package shape Mean = 4.06 1.29
visual design Mean = 2.33 1.32
texture Mean = 5.30 1.08
size Mean = 4.04 1.56
Package characteristic importance
“When shopping for a specific brand, how helpful are each of the following package characteristics in your search?”
6 characteristics, 3 measures, 1-3 I never use this characteristic / I use this characteristic sometimes / I always use this characteristic
brand/logo Mean = 2.47 0.54
color Mean = 2.04 0.57
package shape Mean = 1.82 0.55
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visual design Mean = 2.21 0.56
texture Mean = 1.56 0.58
size Mean = 1.95 0.59
Color change and recall effect
“If a product you purchase some of the time changed the color of its packaging... how well do you think you would recognize it?”
1-6 Very Difficult / Fairly Difficult / Neutral / Fairly Easy / Very Easy
Mean = 2.68 Mode = Fairly Difficult (73)
0.92
Generic brand purchase
“How often do you buy the generic brand over the name brand?”
1-5 Never / Rarely/ Sometimes / Quite Often / Very Often
Mean = 3.30 Mode = Sometimes (60)
0.90
Generic brand acquisition
“How do you go about finding the generic brand?”
I look specifically for the generic brand packaging / I look for the name brand packaging and then find the generic brand next to it / I look for the cheapest price
Mean = N/A Mode = I look for the name brand packaging and then find the generic brand next to it (77)
N/A
Factual Recall of Brand Packaging (color)
“What is the package color for the following cereal brands (or their matching generics)?” (Recoded)
15 cereal brands x 9 color choices, # correct 0-15
Mean = 8.38 correct matches
2.60
Brand Exposure “Of the brands listed, chose five that you purchase or are exposed to the most (you must choose five)
15 cereal brands Mean = N/A Mode (top 5) = Cheerios (104), Raisin Bran (91), Frosted Flakes (82), Special K - Red Berries (58), Fruit
N/A
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Loops (54)
Cereal purchase “What quantity (number of bags/boxes/packages) of cereal do you purchase in a month?” (recoded)
0-6 Never / 1 package / 2 packages / 3 packages / 4 packages / 5 packages / 6 or more packages
Mean = 1.56 Mode = 1 package (40)
0.50
Cereal consumption “How often do you consume cereal in a week?” (Recoded)
0-4 I usually don’t eat cereal even one time a week / Once a week / 2-3 times / 4-7 times / More than 7 times
Mode = 4-7 Times (39), I usually don’t eat cereal even one time a week (38) Mean = 1.67
1.28
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APPENDIX F
DISTINCTIVE PACKAGING CHARACTERISTICS
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APPENDIX G
PRECONCEIVED COLOR IDEAS
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APPENDIX H
PRICE SENSITIVITY AND PACKAGING CHARACTERISTICS
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APPENDIX I
PRICE SENSITIVITY AND COLOR SCORE
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APPENDIX J
COLOR SCORE FREQUENCY
Color_Score
Frequency Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative Percent
.00 1 .8 .8 .8 2.00 1 .8 .8 1.5 3.00 5 3.8 3.8 5.3 4.00 4 3.0 3.0 8.3 5.00 7 5.3 5.3 13.6 6.00 10 7.6 7.6 21.2 7.00 14 10.6 10.6 31.8 8.00 24 18.2 18.2 50.0 9.00 20 15.2 15.2 65.2 10.00 17 12.9 12.9 78.0 11.00 16 12.1 12.1 90.2 12.00 9 6.8 6.8 97.0 13.00 2 1.5 1.5 98.5 14.00 2 1.5 1.5 100.0
# RIGHT
Total 132 100.0 100.0
*No participant identified only one color correctly, nor did any participant identify all fifteen colors correctly – these frequencies do not appear on the chart.
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APPENDIX K
EXPOSURE LEVEL AFFECTS PACKAGE COLOR RECALL
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APPENDIX L
INDICATE TOP FIVE EXPOSURE FREQUENCIES