ABSTRACT
An EEG S udy on Visual Image y and
Consume Accep ance o Upcycled Food
Packaging
Yuna Seo*
Tokyo Uni e si y o Science
[email p o ec ed]
* Co esponding au ho
Taiyo Nakao
Tokyo Uni e si y o Science
Yuki Nakada
Tokyo Uni e si y o Science
The Re ail and Ma ke ing Re iew
Volume 21, Issue 2, No embe 2025, Pages 69-86
Doi: h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17341374
Pu pose: This s udy aims o in es iga e how di e en packaging label elemen s in luence consume engagemen and
p e e ence owa d upcycled ood p oduc s.
Design/me hodology/app oach: An expe imen al app oach ea u ing EEG and p e e ence ankings was employed o
examine six dis inc packaging designs.
Findings: Pho og aphic image y elici ed signi ican ly highe neu al engagemen , wi h EEG in e es alues showing he
leas nega i e de ia ion om baseline (M = –0.12, SE = 0.05) compa ed o he 3R en i onmen al logo, which gene a ed
he lowes in e es (M = –0.45, SE = 0.07). P e e ence ankings aligned wi h hese neu al indings: pho og aphic labels
we e a ed mos a o ably (mean ank = 1.8), while he 3R logo was leas p e e ed (mean ank = 5.6; χ² = 37.89, p <
0.001).
P ac ical implica ions: These indings demons a e ha packaging elemen s in luence consume esponses a bo h
neu al and conscious le els. Pho og aphic image y enhanced ea ly-s age a en ional p ocessing, as e lec ed in highe
EEG in e es alues and inc eased P300 ampli udes, indica ing s onge unconscious engagemen . In con as ,
sus ainabili y- ela ed eco-labels e oked lowe immedia e neu al a en ion bu may con ibu e o Sys em 2–d i en
e alua ions o c edibili y and us in he longe e m. This sugges s ha e ec i e ma ke ing s a egies o upcycled oods
should combine isually engaging designs o cap u e unconscious a en ion wi h eco-labels o ein o ce delibe a e,
c edibili y-based decision making.
O iginali y/ alue: This esea ch uniquely in eg a es EEG me ics wi h beha io al p e e ence ankings o e alua e
consume esponses o upcycled ood packaging, o e ing no el insigh s o sus ainable ma ke ing s a egies.
Keywo ds: Upcycled oods; Packaging design; Elec oencephalog aphy; Dual-p ocess heo y; Consume accep ance
An EEG S udy on Visual Image y and Consume Accep ance o Upcycled Food Packaging 70
1. In oduc ion
Food was e ep esen s a c i ical global challenge: acco ding o FAO, oughly one- hi d o all ood p oduced o
human consump ion—abou 1.3 billion ons annually—is los o was ed globally, causing subs an ial economic,
en i onmen al, and social bu dens (FAO, 2011).To ackle his p oblem, upcycled oods—p oduc s c ea ed om
ing edien s ha would o he wise be disca ded—ha e eme ged as an inno a i e, sus ainabili y-o ien ed solu ion. These
oods le e age ag icul u al by-p oduc s and su plus p oduce, embodying ci cula economy p inciples and di ec ly
educing ood was e. Despi e he p omise o upcycled oods, consume accep ance emains a majo ba ie due o
limi ed awa eness and inhe en skep icism owa ds ea ing " escued" ing edien s. Consequen ly, e ec i e consume
communica ion s a egies a e impe a i e o mains eam adop ion.
Packaging label design ep esen s a c ucial ehicle o consume educa ion and pe suasion in no el ood
ca ego ies. Ac ing as a "silen salesman," e ec i e packaging communica es p oduc a ibu es, engages consume s
emo ionally, and in luences pu chase decisions a he poin o sale. P io esea ch highligh s he powe ul ole o isual
and ex ual elemen s on labels, pa icula ly pho og aphic image y, in shaping consume pe cep ions (De Cicco e al.,
2021; Dixon e al., 2025). Howe e , while con en ional s udies ha e elied p edominan ly on sel - epo measu es such
as su eys and in e iews, hese me hods may no ully cap u e consume s’ genuine subconscious eac ions. Social
desi abili y biases, ambigui y su ounding no el p oduc s, and he po en ial disconnec be ween consume s’ s a ed
in en ions and ac ual beha io s unde line he limi a ions o adi ional su ey me hodologies.
Neu ophysiological ools, such as elec oencephalog aphy (EEG), o e a di ec way o add ess he limi a ions o
su ey me hods by cap u ing subconscious eac ions—including a en ion, emo ion, and cogni ion—in eal ime
(Bazzani e al., 2020). Ye , EEG applica ions emain unde explo ed in sus ainable ood esea ch, pa icula ly o
upcycled oods. Filling his gap is c ucial o designing packaging ha e ec i ely communica es sus ainabili y bene i s,
educes skep icism, and enhances consume accep ance.
In add essing his gap, he p esen s udy applies EEG o e alua e consume esponses o a ying label designs o
upcycled ood p oduc s, complemen ed by adi ional sel - epo me hods. Speci ically, we examine whe he in ui i e,
isual-based packaging cues (pho og aphic image y) p ima ily ac i a e apid, subconscious a en ion and emo ional
engagemen associa ed wi h Sys em 1 p ocessing, while explici sus ainabili y in o ma ion (en i onmen al and
upcycling labels) engages mo e e lec i e, delibe a e e alua ions consis en wi h Sys em 2 p ocessing. By empi ically
linking EEG measu es (e.g., in e es alues, P300 ampli udes) wi h p e e ence ankings, he s udy no only adop s
dual-p ocess heo y as a amewo k bu also es s i s applicabili y in he con ex o sus ainable p oduc ma ke ing.
P ac ically, his esea ch aims o p o ide ma ke e s and packaging designe s wi h empi ically g ounded insigh s in o
c ea ing e ec i e labels, he eby acili a ing consume accep ance and ma ke adop ion o upcycled oods.
2. Li e a u e Re iew
2.1 CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE OF UPCYCLED FOODS
The global issue o ood was e has gi en ise o inno a i e sus ainabili y solu ions, among which upcycled oods
ep esen a apidly g owing ca ego y. Upcycled oods, de ined as p oduc s c ea ed by ans o ming ing edien s
adi ionally ega ded as su plus o was e in o new, aluable consume goods, ha e inc easingly a ac ed a en ion as
a iable s a egy o was e educ ion and en i onmen al sus ainabili y (Tho sen e al., 2024). While ma ke in e es in
upcycled p oduc s g ows, consume accep ance emains an obs acle due o ac o s such as un amilia i y, skep icism,
71 The Re ail and Ma ke ing Re iew: Vol21 Issue 2 (2025) ISSN:2708-3209
and he psychological ba ie commonly e med ood neophobia—consume s’ hesi ancy owa d no el and un amilia
oods (Siddiqui e al., 2022).
Food neophobia has long been s udied in consume psychology and is o en measu ed using he Food Neophobia
Scale (Pline & Hobden, 1992). Resea ch indica es ha highe le els o neophobia a e associa ed wi h a oidance o
no el ood ca ego ies, educed willingness o y sus ainable o al e na i e p oduc s, and heigh ened pe cep ions o
isk (Damsbo-S endsen e al., 2017; Sieg is & Ha mann, 2020). In he con ex o upcycled oods, neophobia may
ampli y conce ns ega ding p oduc sa e y and as e, limi ing consume openness despi e en i onmen al bene i s.
Exis ing s udies emphasize ha accep ance o upcycled oods is closely linked o consume s’ pe cep ions o sa e y,
as e quali y, and en i onmen al bene i s. Add essing hese pe cep ions e ec i ely h ough a ge ed consume
communica ion is hus c i ical o ma ke success (Lu e al., 2024; Aschemann-Wi zel e al., 2023). Exis ing s udies
emphasize ha accep ance o upcycled oods is closely linked o consume s’ pe cep ions o sa e y, as e quali y, and
en i onmen al bene i s. Add essing hese pe cep ions e ec i ely h ough a ge ed consume communica ion is hus
c i ical o ma ke success (Lu e al., 2024; Aschemann-Wi zel e al., 2023).
2.2 PACKAGING DESIGN AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Packaging design signi ican ly in luences consume decision-making p ocesses by se ing as a p ima y
communica ion channel o p oduc a ibu es (Silayoi and Speece, 2007; Liu e al., 2025). Packaging unc ions as a
"silen salesman," con eying c i ical in o ma ion ha can ins an ly a ac consume a en ion, shape ini ial imp essions,
and ul ima ely d i e pu chasing beha io (De Cicco e al., 2021). Among design elemen s, isual image y—pa icula ly
pho og aphic images—has p o en highly e ec i e in inc easing pe cei ed au hen ici y, a ac i eness, and pe cei ed
quali y o ood p oduc s (Liang e al., 2024; Dixon e al., 2025).
Howe e , indings a e no always consis en . Some s udies cau ion ha pho og aphic image y can gene a e o e ly
posi i e expec a ions, which, i unme , may educe sa is ac ion and us (To ous e al., 2021). O he s sugges ha
minimalis o symbolic designs may be mo e e ec i e o p emium o sus ainabili y-o ien ed p oduc s, as hey con ey
sophis ica ion and c edibili y a he han indulgence (Kim e al., 2019). These nuances highligh ha he e ec i eness
o isual image y depends on p oduc ype, a ge consume g oup, and he b oade con ex o label in o ma ion. Thus,
while isuals play a key ole in a ac ing a en ion and educing unce ain y, hei impac should be e alua ed in
conjunc ion wi h o he design cues and consume expec a ions.
2.3 SUSTAINABLE FOOD LABELING AND CONSUMER RESPONSES
Resea ch on sus ainable ood ma ke ing emphasizes he c i ical ole o labels in e ec i ely communica ing
en i onmen al a ibu es o consume s (Cook e al., 2023; Huang e al., 2024; Shaikh e al., 2024). Labels wi h clea
sus ainabili y messaging, such as eco-labels o ce i ica ion seals, help educe consume unce ain y and enhance
pe cei ed p oduc us wo hiness and en i onmen al bene i s (Bleda and Valen e, 2009).
Howe e , indings ega ding he e icacy o eco-labels a e mixed. While in o ma i e eco-labels and ce i ica ion
logos (e.g., Fai T ade, O ganic ce i ica ions) eassu e consume s and align wi h hei en i onmen al alues, hey o en
ha e a limi ed immedia e impac compa ed o in ui i e isual elemen s like compelling image y (Heyes e al., 2020).
Some s udies u he sugges ha eco-labels can be o e looked in clu e ed packaging designs, misunde s ood due o
low consume li e acy, o e en p o oke skep icism when us in ce i ying ins i u ions is weak (Thøge sen, 2002;
G une e al., 2014; Tiboni-Oschilewski e al., 2024; Kabaja e al., 2023). These con adic o y indings highligh ha
eco-label e ec i eness is con ex -dependen and mode a ed by ac o s such as label design, consume knowledge,
An EEG S udy on Visual Image y and Consume Accep ance o Upcycled Food Packaging 72
and us in ce i ie s. This disc epancy indica es ha sus ainable p oduc ma ke ing may bene i om combining explici
in o ma ional cues wi h a ec i e isual elemen s o enhance consume appeal and unde s anding (Seo & Mo i, 2024).
2.4 NEUROMARKETING METHODS IN CONSUMER RESEARCH
Con en ional consume esea ch p edominan ly elies on sel - epo me hodologies (e.g., su eys, in e iews),
which a e subjec o limi a ions such as social desi abili y bias and di icul y cap u ing subconscious esponses (La kin
e al., 2017). To o e come hese limi a ions, esea che s ha e inc easingly u ned o neu oma ke ing me hods,
including elec oencephalog aphy (EEG), unc ional magne ic esonance imaging ( MRI), and eye- acking
echnologies. Among hese ools, EEG has eme ged as pa icula ly aluable due o i s non-in asi e na u e, eal- ime
da a cap u e, and capabili y o measu e subconscious cogni i e and emo ional eac ions such as a en ion, a ousal,
and app oach-a oidance endencies (Bazzani e al., 2020; Moya e al., 2020). EEG-based esea ch in consume
con ex s shows ha neu al indica o s, such as on al alpha asymme y ( e lec ing emo ional engagemen o app oach
mo i a ion) and he a band ac i i y (indica ing cogni i e p ocessing), p o ide objec i e me ics o consume in e es and
a en ion ha may no be ully cap u ed by adi ional sel - epo me hods (Shes yuk e al., 2019; Gkin oni e al., 2025).
A he same ime, EEG is no wi hou limi a ions. Da a a e highly sensi i e o a i ac s caused by eye blinks, muscle
mo emen s, and en i onmen al elec ical noise, equi ing igo ous p ep ocessing. Mo eo e , subs an ial in e -
indi idual a iabili y in b ain ac i i y can complica e in e p e a ion, and he ela i ely low spa ial esolu ion o EEG limi s
p ecise localiza ion o neu al sou ces (Luck, 2014). These me hodological challenges highligh he need o ca e ul
expe imen al design and cau ious in e p e a ion when applying EEG in consume esea ch. Ne e heless, EEG o e s
aluable complemen a y insigh s when combined wi h sel - epo and beha io al measu es, pa icula ly in he con ex
o e alua ing no el o sus ainabili y-o ien ed p oduc communica ions.
2.5 DUAL-PROCESS THEORY IN CONSUMER DECISION-MAKING
Dual-p ocess heo y o e s a obus amewo k o unde s anding consume decision-making by dis inguishing wo
cogni i e sys ems: Sys em 1 (in ui i e, au oma ic, and emo ionally d i en) and Sys em 2 (analy ical, delibe a e, and
a ional) (Da Sil a, 2023). Packaging design esea ch has inc easingly applied dual-p ocess heo y, no ing ha
consume s equen ly ely on Sys em 1, in ui i e p ocesses— apid, emo ion-based judgmen s igge ed by isual
s imuli—when e alua ing p oduc s a he poin o pu chase (Riswan o e al., 2025). In con as , Sys em 2 p ocesses
in ol e mo e delibe a e e alua ion, o en in luenced by in o ma ional cues such as labels o ex ual desc ip ions.
P e ious s udies demons a e ha in ui i e isual cues, such as i id pho og aphic image y, ypically e oke s onge
and quicke consume esponses compa ed o pu ely ex ual o in o ma ional elemen s (Poi ie e al., 2024).
In his s udy, dual-p ocess heo y is no only used as a concep ual amewo k bu is also ope a ionalized h ough
EEG and beha io al measu es. Speci ically, we hypo hesize ha isual packaging cues (e.g., pho og aphic image y)
p ima ily engage Sys em 1 p ocesses, e lec ed in neu al ma ke s such as inc eased on al alpha asymme y
(indica ing app oach mo i a ion) and heigh ened he a ac i i y (indica ing a en ional engagemen ). Con e sely,
sus ainabili y- ela ed ex ual and logo-based labels a e expec ed o in oke Sys em 2 p ocesses, which a e assessed
h ough p e e ence ankings and sel - epo ed e alua ions, and may also co espond o la e e en - ela ed componen s
such as he P300, associa ed wi h con olled cogni i e e alua ion. Applying his dual-p ocess pe spec i e o
sus ainable ood p oduc s, such as upcycled oods, hus allows us o empi ically examine how in ui i e e sus
delibe a i e p ocessing pa hways a e e lec ed in bo h EEG esponses and explici consume p e e ences.
73 The Re ail and Ma ke ing Re iew: Vol21 Issue 2 (2025) ISSN:2708-3209
2.6 RESEARCH GAPS AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE PRESENT STUDY
Despi e signi ican ad ances in packaging and sus ainabili y communica ion esea ch, impo an gaps emain in
unde s anding consume esponses o upcycled ood packaging. Mos no ably, he exis ing li e a u e lacks empi ical
s udies ha speci ically employ neu oscience-based me hodologies o e alua e he e ec i eness o label design
elemen s o upcycled p oduc s. P io s udies on upcycled oods ha e p ima ily elied on adi ional su ey me hods o
assess consume pe cep ions, p e e ences, and willingness- o-pay, wi hou cap u ing deepe subconscious esponses
(Bha e al., 2021; G asso e al., 2023). This limi a ion is pa icula ly c i ical gi en ha subconscious, au oma ic
esponses can signi ican ly shape consume accep ance o no el ood p oduc s (Bake e al., 2022). Addi ionally, ew
s udies ha e explici ly examined how isual e sus in o ma ional label cues di e en ially in luence consume a i udes
and neu ological esponses in he con ex o sus ainable p oduc s.
Add essing hese esea ch gaps, he cu en s udy applies EEG echniques alongside adi ional sel - epo
me hods o sys ema ically e alua e consume eac ions o di e en label design elemen s (pho og aphic image y,
in o ma ional eco-labels) on upcycled ood packages. By doing so, we ex end dual-p ocess heo y in o sus ainable
p oduc ma ke ing, in es iga ing how in ui i e e sus delibe a i e cogni i e p ocesses in luence consume p e e ences
and beha io s owa ds upcycled p oduc s. Fu he mo e, his esea ch con ibu es no el empi ical insigh s o bo h
heo e ical ad ancemen and p ac ical applica ion, p o iding obus e idence o guide e ec i e package design
s a egies. Ul ima ely, ou indings o e aluable implica ions o ma ke e s and designe s aiming o enhance consume
accep ance o sus ainable, upcycled ood p oduc s, he eby con ibu ing meaning ully o b oade ood was e educ ion
goals.
3. Me hodology
3.1. STIMULI DESIGN
This s udy employed six sys ema ically designed package labels as expe imen al s imuli o e alua e consume
eac ions o upcycled ood p oduc s. P e ious li e a u e indica es ha package elemen s such as isual image y,
nu i ional con en in o ma ion, coun y-o -o igin cues, and eco- iendly ce i ica ions signi ican ly in luence consume
pe cep ions and decision-making p ocesses (Schi e s ein e al., 2021; Yuan e al., 2023). Following hese insigh s, we
de eloped six dis inc mock-up labels, each a ying p ima ily in one key aspec while holding all o he design ea u es
cons an (Fig. 1). The six labels we e designed using s anda dized empla es, iden ical on s yles, and consis en colo
pale es o ensu e ha only he ocal design elemen a ied. The labels included:
Package 1 (Pho og aphic image y): ea u ed a p ominen , high-quali y pho og aphic image o he p oduc wi h
minimal ex ual in o ma ion, in ended o highligh in ui i e isual appeal (Ga cía-Mada iaga e al., 2019).
Package 2 (Illus a ion image y): employed an illus a i e s yle image a he han pho og aphic image y, aiming o
es di e ences in consume engagemen based on image ealism (Wu e al., 2021).
Package 3 (Nu i ional in o ma ion): p ominen ly displayed clea nu i ional in o ma ion panels, including calo ie and
nu ien de ails. The p oduc image y was minimized o emphasize in o ma ional con en (Ikonen e e al.,
2020).
Package 4 (O igin in o ma ion): highligh ed p oduc o igin using explici "Made in [Coun y]" labels and ele an
na ional symbols o le e age coun y-o -o igin e ec s (Mo gan e al., 2007).
An EEG S udy on Visual Image y and Consume Accep ance o Upcycled Food Packaging 74
Package 5 (Upcycled ood logo): clea ly ea u ed a ecognized upcycled ood ce i ica ion logo, emphasizing he
p oduc 's sus ainabili y c eden ials and i s con ibu ion o educing ood was e (Seo and Mo i, 2024).
Package 6 (3R en i onmen al ma k): showcased he widely ecognized "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (3R)" logo o
di ec ly signal en i onmen al sus ainabili y and ci cula economy alues (Gong e al., 2025).
The b and name, p oduc size, packaging o ma , and gene al layou we e s anda dized ac oss all s imuli o isola e
he impac o he manipula ed design elemen s. This expe imen al design aligns wi h es ablished neu oma ke ing
app oaches o e alua ing consume esponses o packaging (Ga cía-Mada iaga e al., 2019; Moya e al., 2020). To
a oid po en ial con ounds such as b and amilia i y, all packages displayed a ic i ious b and name c ea ed solely o
his expe imen . P io amilia i y wi h upcycled oods was measu ed in he p e-expe imen su ey and included as a
con ol a iable in he analysis.
FIGURE 1. PACKAGE LABEL DESIGN
75 The Re ail and Ma ke ing Re iew: Vol21 Issue 2 (2025) ISSN:2708-3209
3.2. PARTICIPANTS AND DATA COLLECTION
Pa icipan s we e ec ui ed om Tokyo, Japan, h ough con enience sampling and p o ided in o med consen
be o e pa icipa ing. The inal sample comp ised 30 adul consume s (15 males, 15 emales, mean age = 28.6 yea s,
SD = 4.7; age ange 22–39) amilia wi h snack oods bu wi hou speci ic p io knowledge o upcycled oods, ensu ing
ep esen a i e esponses ypical o mains eam consume s. E hical app o al was ob ained om he Resea ch E hics
Commi ee o Li e Sciences and Medical Resea ch In ol ing Human Subjec s a Tokyo Uni e si y o Science (App o al
No. #23071). All pa icipan s p o ided w i en in o med consen p io o pa icipa ion.
The expe imen al p ocedu e consis ed o wo pa s:
Ques ionnai e su ey: Pa icipan s i s comple ed a s uc u ed su ey cap u ing demog aphic in o ma ion (age,
gende , occupa ion), hei amilia i y and p io expe ience wi h upcycled ood p oduc s, a i udes owa ds ood was e
educ ion, and p e e ences ega ding snack ood a ibu es ( as e, p ice, packaging, no el y, and ing edien sou cing).
EEG measu emen : Following he su ey, pa icipan s engaged in EEG eco ding sessions in a quie , con olled
labo a o y en i onmen . EEG da a we e cap u ed using he FLEX 2 Saline - 32 Channel Wi eless EEG Head Cap
Sys em (Emo i , USA). Pa icipan s sa com o ably 105 cm om a compu e sc een, which sequen ially displayed he
six package label designs. Each s imulus appea ed o p ecisely en seconds, sepa a ed by sho in e -s imulus
in e als o mi iga e ca yo e e ec s. All pa icipan s iewed all six labels, wi h s imulus p esen a ion andomized
ac oss epea ed ials o mi iga e o de e ec s (Table 1). Th ee sepa a e EEG eco ding sessions we e conduc ed pe
pa icipan , in e spe sed wi h es pe iods o minimize a igue and main ain consis en neu al engagemen .
TABLE 1. RANDOMIZED STIMULUS PRESENTATION ORDER FOR EEG MEASUREMENT SESSIONS
T ial
Fi s Sequence
Second Sequence
1
1 → 3 → 5 → 2 → 4 → 6
1 → 3 → 5 → 2 → 4 → 6
2
2 → 4 → 3 → 1 → 6 → 5
2 → 4 → 3 → 1 → 6 → 5
3
3 → 1 → 6 → 4 → 5 → 2
3 → 1 → 6 → 4 → 5 → 2
4
4 → 6 → 3 → 2 → 5 → 1
4 → 6 → 3 → 2 → 5 → 1
5
5 → 4 → 6 → 1 → 2 → 3
5 → 4 → 6 → 1 → 2 → 3
6
6 → 1 → 5 → 3 → 2 → 4
6 → 1 → 5 → 3 → 2 → 4
3.3. EEG DATA RECORDING AND ANALYSIS
EEG signals we e eco ded using Emo i P o so wa e, which quan i ies neu al ac i i y in o speci ic me ics, no ably
In e es (In), e lec ing heigh ened neu al engagemen owa ds p e e ed s imuli (Gkin oni e al., 2025). Raw EEG da a
we e collec ed a a 128 Hz sampling a e, wi h signals e e enced o he mas oid elec odes. P ep ocessing included
band-pass il e ing (0.5–40 Hz), au oma ic and manual a i ac ejec ion o eye blinks and muscle mo emen s, and
baseline co ec ion ela i e o p e-s imulus in e als.
The p ima y EEG-dependen a iable was he de ia ion o In e es (In) le els om baseline alues du ing s imulus
iewing. In addi ion, e en - ela ed po en ials we e examined, wi h pa icula ocus on he P300 componen , as an
indica o o con olled e alua i e p ocessing (Sys em 2). F on al alpha asymme y was in e p e ed as a neu al ma ke
o app oach mo i a ion, e lec ing Sys em 1 p ocesses. Mean In e es le els pe s imulus ype we e calcula ed ac oss
pa icipan s.
An EEG S udy on Visual Image y and Consume Accep ance o Upcycled Food Packaging 76
To s a is ically assess neu al in e es and ERP di e ences ac oss he six s imuli, F iedman’s non-pa ame ic
epea ed measu es ANOVA was employed. Pos -hoc compa isons we e conduc ed using Wilcoxon signed- ank es s
wi h Bon e oni co ec ion o iden i y pai wise s imulus di e ences (Zhang e al., 2025). E ec sizes (Cohen’s d) we e
also epo ed o supplemen signi icance es ing. All EEG da a we e analyzed using Emo i P o 3.0 and SPSS 29.0
s a is ical so wa e.
3.4. PREFERENCE RANKING PROCEDURE
To complemen EEG measu es, pa icipan s also comple ed a conscious, explici anking ask pos -EEG
measu emen . Pa icipan s anked he six package designs om mos p e e ed ( ank = 1) o leas p e e ed ( ank = 6)
based on pe sonal a ac i eness and likelihood o pu chase. To s a is ically e i y di e ences in explici consume
ankings, a sepa a e F iedman es was conduc ed, consis en wi h s anda d app oaches o analyzing o dinal
p e e ence da a (Ga cía-Mada iaga e al., 2019). Pos -hoc pai wise compa isons wi h Bon e oni co ec ion we e
applied, and Kendall’s W was epo ed as a measu e o e ec size o assess he s eng h o ag eemen ac oss
pa icipan s. P e e ence anking esul s we e in e p e ed as an indica o o delibe a e, Sys em 2 p ocessing, he eby
complemen ing EEG measu es o subconscious Sys em 1 esponses.
3.5. INTEGRATIVE DATA INTERPRETATION APPROACH
This mixed-me hod app oach (EEG and explici p e e ence anking) allowed a comp ehensi e analysis o bo h
subconscious neu al eac ions (Sys em 1) and conscious, delibe a e e alua ions (Sys em 2) o de e mine he
consis ency and di e gence o consume esponses o packaging a ibu es. By in eg a ing neu oscien i ic e idence
wi h adi ional ma ke ing measu es, his s udy p o ides obus empi ical insigh s in o how package design elemen s
speci ically in luence consume in e es , in o ming bo h heo e ical models o consume decision-making and p ac ical
design s a egies o sus ainable ood ma ke ing. Speci ically, conco dance be ween EEG in e es alues and
p e e ence ankings was examined by compa ing he ela i e o de o package designs ac oss bo h measu es.
Di e gence be ween implici neu al a ac ion and explici p e e ence ankings was in e p e ed as e idence o implici –
explici disc epancy, consis en wi h dual-p ocess heo y p edic ions. This in eg a i e pe spec i e ensu ed ha bo h
in ui i e and delibe a i e pa hways we e empi ically e alua ed wi hin he same expe imen al amewo k.
4. Resul s
4.1. PARTICIPANT CHARACTERISTICS
A o al o 19 pa icipan s (16 males and 3 emales; age ange: 24–40 yea s) ook pa in he s udy. O hese, 47.4%
epo ed amilia i y wi h upcycled oods, bu only 5.3% had p e iously pu chased hem. Rega ding he pe cei ed
impo ance o educing ood was e, mos pa icipan s s ongly ag eed (63.2% a ed he highes sco e o 7, on a 7-poin
Like scale), indica ing high en i onmen al awa eness. When pu chasing snacks, pa icipan s anked "Tas e" as mos
impo an , ollowed by "P ice" and "Quan i y," wi h "Food labeling" a ed leas impo an .
4.2. EEG-BASED INTEREST ANALYSIS
The EEG analysis e ealed signi ican di e ences in neu al engagemen (In e es alues) among he six packaging
designs (Fig. 2). Package Label Design 1 ( ea u ing pho og aphic image y) elici ed he highes neu al in e es (leas
nega i e de ia ion om baseline), sugges ing g ea e unconscious a ac ion. In con as , Package Label Design 6
(displaying he 3R en i onmen al logo) gene a ed he lowes in e es , indica ing minimal subconscious engagemen .
77 The Re ail and Ma ke ing Re iew: Vol21 Issue 2 (2025) ISSN:2708-3209
-0,12
-0,1
-0,08
-0,06
-0,04
-0,02
0
In e es ―baseline
package label design
Pho og aph
3R ma k
llus a ion
u i ion
pcycled logo
igin
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Rank
Package label design
Pho og aph
3R ma k
Illus a ion
Nu i ion
Upcycled logo
O igin
Di e ences among he emaining ou label designs (illus a ion, nu i ion in o ma ion, o igin indica ion, and upcycled
logo) we e smalle and no s a is ically signi ican , sugges ing compa a i ely simila le els o neu al a en ion.
FIGURE 2. EEG-MEASURED NEURAL INTEREST ACROSS PACKAGING DESIGNS (MEAN ± SE). LOWER
NEGATIVE VALUES INDICATE HIGHER INTEREST.
4.3. RANKING-BASED PREFERENCE ANALYSIS
Pa icipan s explici ly anked he packaging designs based on pe sonal p e e ence (Fig. 3). Consis en wi h EEG
indings, Package Label Design 1 (pho og aphic image y) was anked mos a o ably (lowes ank sco e). Package
Label Design 6 (3R en i onmen al logo) ecei ed he leas a o able anking (highes sco e), highligh ing a clea
alignmen be ween neu al and conscious p e e ences. A F iedman es con i med s a is ically signi ican di e ences in
p e e ences among he designs (χ² = 37.89, p < 0.001), suppo ing he eliabili y o hese ankings.
FIGURE 3. PARTICIPANT PREFERENCE RANKINGS OF PACKAGING DESIGNS (MEAN RANK ± SE). LOWER
SCORES REFLECT HIGHER PREFERENCE
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