Commercial versus technical cues to position a new product: Do hedonic and functional/healthy packages differ?

Packaging attributes can be classified into two main blocks: visual/commercial attributes and informational/technical ones. In this framework, our objectives are: (i) to compare if both kinds of attributes lead to equal responses (consumers' attitudes improvement and product trial) and (ii) to compare if they work equally when a hedonic or a healthy new product is launched into the young market. An experimental design was defined to reach both objectives. Two packaging attributes were manipulated orthogonally to introduce greater variation in people's perceptions: a visual cue (the color) and an informative cue (the claim/label). A third variable was introduced: hedonic (candy bars) versus functional/healthy products (juice with fruit and milk). In a laboratory, 300 young consumers chose and evaluated one of the different packages that were simulated (using different colors and labels). Our results show that both kinds of attributes are significant, but visual cues were more strongly associated with young consumers' positive attitudes towards the product and their intention to buy than technical cues. Results do not differ between the product categories.7. •Packaging visual appearance (commercial cues) predicts young consumers' attitudes and buying intention.•Packaging perceived healthiness (technical cues) predicts young consumers' attitudes and buying intention.•The influence of a packaging visual appearance is higher than its perceived healthiness.•Hedonic products and functional products do not differ.