User Involved Content and the Taste of Brands

A campaign for Shreddies in Canada introduces the new diamond variant to consumers in real focus groups held in Toronto.

It's pretty funny - especially if you've ever done any qualitative research - and is another example of what J Vulkan dubbed User Involved Content while we were going through the Clio entries.

There has been a groundswell of real people captured on camera in ads - reality advertising if you like - abandoning high production values for the gritty authenticity of gonzo film making.

The Whopper Freakout works on a similar principle - hidden cameras capturing genuine people being deprived of their Whopper - as does the new Pizza Hut ad, where restaurant patrons are served Pizza Hut pasta.They claim to like it even more once they are told it was deliverd by Pizza Hut.

And, in the film above, one of the subjects expresses a taste preference for the diamond shape Shreddies.

Silly - it's the same!

Except: what if it's not?

I've been reading Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely. It illustrates the fact, that we intuitively know but that classical economics refuses to accept, that we aren't rational beings. We make decisions that are seemingly irrational, in the same way over and over again, because of how our brains are hardwired: anchors and priming, emotions and social context all interact to change how we choose.

One of the things he highlights is the power of expectation to alter experience.  He describes a replication of the famous Coke/Pepsi taste tests, done with the subjects in an MRI to record how their brain is processing the experience of tasting the drinks.

We all know how it works - in blind taste tests, Pepsi usually wins, but when the brands are revealed, people prefer The Real Thing [TM].

And, according the experiment, it's because that the experience of consuming branded sugar water is different - the Coke brand activates different associations in the memory and emotional parts of the brain, which contribute to the consumption experience.

Which means that, when you drink a Coke, a part of what you are tasting is the brand.

Comments

[Sam d'Amato]

Hello Big guy,

interesting post. Reminds me of a wine study on the same area that I read about. The wine experts were given different ones to taste and review. When the experts were explicitely told that a sample was from a rare and expensive bottle (even if it was actually a cheap supermarket varient), their enjoyment and appreciation of the wine went up hugely. I will try to dig it out and send it on to you.

I am in New York in a few weeks time so will give you a shout, as it would be good to catch up.

Sam

[Rick]

They must have interviewed a lot of people to find a few that kinda went along with it for the 'Diamond Shreddies'!

I think with the Coke vs Pepsi thing, Pepsi is a bit sweeter, so if you have a small amount in a taste test, it's more appealing. But as for actually drinking a whole can, Coke is more refreshing.

[Dino]

i'm reading that book as well faris, really enjoying it, and realizing how tricky it is to take what anyone says at face value.

[steve stokes]

Faris/Sam, here's that link to our blog post on that wine experiment (from our old blog).

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=272809031&blogID=353389622&Mytoken=85A64C98-8021-497B-A954F2F0F41EB8BD100206410

[Ramzi Yakob]

Makes sense - brands are a part of peoples' lives and memories which they associate with emotions. Kind of like I associate going to Spain with the smell of Orange trees or Jasmine, and every time I smell that distinctive odour, my mind always thinks of Spain - no matter what the immediate context is of coming into contact with the smell.

The key thing to remember is - despite the irrationality of consumer choice - its up to folks like us to mould that irrationality to change behaviour.

"More snickers... more Coke" - Bill Hicks was on to something.

[David MacGregor]

Oh my God…what have we done?…

[Casper Willer]

Hi Faris,

On the whole subject of including people in different ways in the content creation it reminds me of a new interesting thought my mate Henrik Werdelin has coined "Behavior Generated Content", which comes through his work for Joost.

He explains:

"Its content generated by people’s actions not by them actively creating anything. Content generated by activity. A good example is Facebook who create 100 of hours of storytelling by allowing friends of friends to read what they have “done”. (newsfeed)"

See more:
http://blog.hellohenrik.com/?p=268

Cheers,

Casper, The Naked Man in Copenhagen

[Faris]

Yo Casper!

Dude - I like this a lot. Indeed.

[Faris]

O and Ramzi - "moulding irrationality" is PERFECT.

That's exactly what we do! Brands are non-rational reasons to pay more for the same thing, more often.

Love it.