How Kraft kept their healthier product secret to avoid the problem of expectation assimilation, Apple branding & advertising, Innovation podcast

Episode 54 How Kraft kept their healthier product secret to avoid the problem of expectation assimilation

In this episode, we look at the behavioral science secrets behind the success of Kraft Mac and Cheese. We focus on two broad areas: First, how they managed to launch a new version of the product (with all the artificial colourings removed) without damaging sales. That’s an impressive achievement, as often if you stress that a product has become healthier it damages taste expectations. Second, we discuss how Kraft re-designed their packaging to grab people's attention in-store, based on the insight that shoppers' attention is drawn to face-like shapes.

Episode Highlights

Raghunathan’s study into how we assume healthy options will taste worse and that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy

Ariely’s study into how the order in which consumers hear product information can alter its impact on taste

Guido’s study on the attention grabbing properties of face-like images