The effect of text-only versus text-and-image wine labels on liking, taste and purchase intentions. The mediating role of affective fluency

Abstract

This research investigates the effect of wine labels that contain text-only versus text-and-image information on liking, taste and purchase intentions of the product. Further, the research addresses the underlying processes by investigating the role of affective fluency. Study 1 shows that wine labels combining text with matching images outperform text-only labels and labels where images and text do not match; this effect is mediated by affective fluency (while simultaneously controlling for cognitive fluency), which enhances liking, purchase intentions and taste expectation. Field Study 2 provides process evidence by directly manipulating the mediator in a real-life tasting situation. This field study demonstrates that affectively fluent labels enhance actual taste perception and purchase intentions. Managerial implications are discussed.