Shape Matters: Package Shape Informs Brand Status Categorization and Brand Choice

Ten studies examine package shape as a cue for brand status categorization. The authors show that products in tall, slender packages are more likely to be categorized as high-end products (high brand status) than those in short, wide packages (low brand status; studies 1a&b). This effect is driven by a Shape-SES lay theory (a person's body shape is associated with his or her socioeconomic status) that consumers apply to categorize products as...