The influence of colour in anthropomorphic packaging: Purchase intention and product attractiveness

In this paper we investigated how anthropomorphism and colour
influence consumers’ purchase intention and product attractiveness. A
total of 259 participants were exposed to non-anthropomorphic and
anthropomorphic packaging, considering a product from the real market
(Milaneza pasta). Four different colour conditions were rated in terms
of attractiveness and purchase intention: green, orange, blue and pink.
Curiously, our findings suggested that anthropomorphism influenced
product’s attractiveness but did not affect purchase intention. Importantly,
the green anthropomorphic package produced an almost complementary
colour contrast between the pasta and the package (vivid green vs.
orange-red), leading to a higher colour contrast perception that positively
affected the product’s attractiveness. Moreover, there was no significant
correlation between the choice of sex-typed coloured packages and the
gender of the respondents’ children. Finally, we discuss the theoretical
and practical implications of these findings.