For young children, anything made by McDonald’s taste better. This was the main conclusion of a recent study among 63 US children ages 3 to 5. In this study, the children got 5 types of foods: chicken nuggets, a hamburger, french fries, baby carrots and milk. The chicken nuggets, hamburger and french fries were all from McDonald's; the carrots and milk were from a grocery store. Every child got 2 portions: one wrapped in a McDonald’s branded wrapper, the other in a non branded wrapper.
Results?
- 77% of the children said they preferred the taste of the french fries from the McDonald’s bag, while only 13,3% preferred the non branded fries. Only 10% claimed both fries tasted the same.
- 59% said they preferred the taste of the branded chicken nuggets, while 18% preferred the non branded ones.
But the results are also valid for adults.
Results?
- 77% of the children said they preferred the taste of the french fries from the McDonald’s bag, while only 13,3% preferred the non branded fries. Only 10% claimed both fries tasted the same.
- 59% said they preferred the taste of the branded chicken nuggets, while 18% preferred the non branded ones.
But the results are also valid for adults.
In 1999, in the Netherlands, we did the same test with the European coffee brand Douwe Egberts among coffee drinking adults. We made the adults drink 2 cups of Douwe Egberts coffee: 1 in a branded cup, the other in the non branded. 85% liked the branded coffee.
Another study even proved the power of the wine label and its impact on the perception of the restaurant where the wine is served!
From Fine as North Dakota wine:
Forty-one diners at the Spice Box restaurant in Urbana, Illinois were given a free glass of Cabernet Sauvignon to accompany a $24 prix-fixe French meal. Half the bottles claimed to be from Noah’s Winery in California. The labels on the other half claimed to be from Noah’s Winery in North Dakota. In both cases, the wine was an inexpensive Charles Shaw wine.
Those drinking what they thought was California wine, rated the wine and food as tasting better, and ate 11% more of their food. They were also more likely to make return reservations.
It comes down to expectations. If you think a wine will taste good, it will taste better than if you think it will taste bad. People didn’t believe North Dakota wine would taste good, so it had a double curse – it hurt both the wine and the entire meal. “Wine labels can throw both a halo or a shadow over the entire dining experience,” according to Cornell Professor Brian Wansink (Ph.D.), author of the book Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think.
It’s amusing to know that they used Charles Shaw wines for the test. This is probably the cheapest wine in the U.S. :-)
Another study even proved the power of the wine label and its impact on the perception of the restaurant where the wine is served!
From Fine as North Dakota wine:
Forty-one diners at the Spice Box restaurant in Urbana, Illinois were given a free glass of Cabernet Sauvignon to accompany a $24 prix-fixe French meal. Half the bottles claimed to be from Noah’s Winery in California. The labels on the other half claimed to be from Noah’s Winery in North Dakota. In both cases, the wine was an inexpensive Charles Shaw wine.
Those drinking what they thought was California wine, rated the wine and food as tasting better, and ate 11% more of their food. They were also more likely to make return reservations.
It comes down to expectations. If you think a wine will taste good, it will taste better than if you think it will taste bad. People didn’t believe North Dakota wine would taste good, so it had a double curse – it hurt both the wine and the entire meal. “Wine labels can throw both a halo or a shadow over the entire dining experience,” according to Cornell Professor Brian Wansink (Ph.D.), author of the book Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think.
It’s amusing to know that they used Charles Shaw wines for the test. This is probably the cheapest wine in the U.S. :-)
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