Friday Research: Gloss And Glimmer Makes The Winner?

When Will You Use This?  

“Human beings are attracted to glossy objects. Shimmering lipsticks, gleaming cars, dazzling diamonds and sequined gowns conjure up images of the good life. This attraction to glossy can also be observed in everyday objects. “

Current series of experiments* focus on an evolutionary psychology framework and test the hypothesis that the preference for glossy comes from an innate preference for fresh water as a valuable resource. Specifically, since fresh water has a shiny surface, being drawn to glossy surfaces may have increased the likelihood of finding fresh water sources and surviving.

The results support this idea and find a continuous fundamental preference for glossy images. It is confirmed that many consumers prefer glossy to matte. Furthermore, being thirsty (as well as recently having been thirsty) seem to increase preferences for glossy.

Addition To Your Bag of Tricks    

 

As consumers have a significant liking for glossy and relate it to higher perceived quality, it might be useful to review and modify your branding campaigns and the look/packaging of the product to increase its attractiveness and sales.

Water is valued as a necessary resource to survive, therefore, its presence might generate positive feelings and affect one's choices. However, it’s important to note that preference for glossy might change conditional on the circumstance. Authors suggest a few examples: “glossy wrapping for unhealthy food products (e.g., oven baked potato chips) might raise connotations of greasiness as a result of which such products might choose to use matte packaging. In a similar vein, an intellectual magazine printed on glossy (versus non-glossy) might weaken perceptions of its credibility, and clothes made out of patent leather or shiny fabrics might raise perceptions of commonness as a result of which their matte counterpart is most likely to be preferred."

* Taking a shine to it: How the preference for glossy stems from an innate need for water. Katrien Meert, Mario Pandelaere, Vanessa M. Patrick. Journal of Consumer Research (Volume 24, Issue 2), April 2014 {Thanks for the material}

P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with glossy and matte branding? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

P.P.S. Need some help on crafting your marketing message? Let's do this together.