Emotional responses towards food packaging: A joint application of self-report and physiological measures of emotion

In this paper we investigate consumers' emotional responses to food packaging. More specifically, we use self-report and physiological measures to jointly assess emotional responses to three typical food packaging elements: colours (low-wavelength vs. high-wavelength), images (positive vs. negative) and typefaces (simple vs. ornate). A sample of 120 participants was exposed to mock package design concepts of chocolate blocks. The results suggest that images generate an emotional response that can be measured by both self-report and physiological measures, whereas colours and typefaces generate emotional response that can only be measured by self-report measures. We propose that a joint application of self-report and physiological measures can lead to richer information and wider interpretation of consumer emotional responses to food packaging elements than using either measure alone. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.