Framing Your Food Read online Which of these would you rather eat: One Shepherd's Pie is described as: Beef shepherd's pie, tomato and pesto sauce The other is described as: Beef subtly seasoned with Espelette pepper under a rich velvety potato puree, topped with crisp parmesan cheese crumbs Two researchers ran a small study at a French cafeteria to test if these descriptions changed the perception of the food.¹ Diners were invited to eat a prix fixe lunch. A real photo of the cafeteria from...

Concrete Phrases Read online Could writing "𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐈𝐙𝐄" on a Whopper ad make it sell for 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆? In 2022, 465 participants saw ads for a fictional Lay's multipack.¹ Both groups knew the multipack was 392g in size, but each saw a different headline. One saw: 𝘓𝘢𝘺'𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴, 14 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘣𝘢𝘨𝘴The other saw:𝘓𝘢𝘺'𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴, 392𝘨. Those who saw "14 snack bags" were willing to pay 10% 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 than the other group.This is due to the concrete phrases effect. We can picture 14 snack bags in our mind. 392g doesn't...

Variable Rewards Read online This video of a smart gas station owner went viral a couple of months back. Here's the original. The video shows dozens of customers failing to balance 25 cents on a lemon. A chance to win $100 is a carrot large enough to make customers bet. It shows something that many marketers have known for decades. We love a gamble. People prefer a gamble In 2025, researchers Gaertig and Simmons offered either a gamble or a certain reward to hundreds of participants¹. Some...