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Why don't Burger King make ads like this any more? | Nudge Newsletter

Published about 2 hours agoΒ β€’Β 1 min read

Concrete Phrases

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Could writing "𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐋 π’πˆπ™π„" on a Whopper ad make it sell for π’Žπ’π’“π’†?
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In 2022, 465 participants saw ads for a fictional Lay's multipack.ΒΉ ​
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Both groups knew the multipack was 392g in size, but each saw a different headline.
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One saw:
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π˜“π˜’π˜Ί'𝘴 𝘊𝘩π˜ͺ𝘱𝘴, 14 𝘴𝘯𝘒𝘀𝘬 𝘣𝘒𝘨𝘴
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The other saw:
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π˜“π˜’π˜Ί'𝘴 𝘊𝘩π˜ͺ𝘱𝘴, 392𝘨.
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Those who saw "14 snack bags" were willing to pay 10% 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 than the other group.
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This is due to the concrete phrases effect. We can picture 14 snack bags in our mind. 392g doesn't conjure the same mental picture. If we can picture something, we'll pay more for it.

The researchers repeated the same experiment with Oreos and found the same result:

And this effect is seen in some of the best ad campaigns of our time.

Take the famous iPod ad:

Or "It floats" (Ivory Soap), instead of explaining air content or purity percentages.

But my favourite example comes from this old Burger King ad.

They wrote "ACTUAL SIZE" on their ad.
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And it probably meant people were willing to spend more on their Whoppers.

There are 550+ tips like this in the Nudge Vaults.

Including 19 about the concrete phrases effect.

Get access right now →​

Or you can preview your first 50 insights for free β†’

Cheers,

​Phill​

ΒΉMonnier, A., & Thomas, M. (2022). Experiential and analytical price evaluations: How experiential product description affects prices. Journal of Consumer Research.

As a behavioural science practitioner, I believe in the peak-end rule.

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Nudge Newsletter

Phill Agnew

I spend 18 hours each week turning marketing psychology into readable newsletters.

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