Not Necessarily Better, but Certainly Different: A Limit to the Advertising Misinformation Effect on Memory
Participants tasted grapefruit juice then saw advertisements claiming the brand was orange juice. Less familiar consumers were somewhat more likely to recall tasting an orange-grapefruit blend, while more familiar consumers were significantly less likely to recall it after the misleading advertisements. The authors read this as familiar consumers using the misleading advertisements to help them work out exactly what product they had consumed.
Participants tasted grapefruit juice then saw advertisements claiming the brand was orange juice. Less familiar consumers were somewhat more likely to recall tasting an orange-grapefruit blend, while more familiar consumers were significantly less likely to recall it after the misleading advertisements. The authors read this as familiar consumers using the misleading advertisements to help them work out exactly what product they had consumed.
Written from the abstract read 2026-10-18.
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Cowley, E., & Janus, E. (2004). Not Necessarily Better, but Certainly Different: A Limit to the Advertising Misinformation Effect on Memory. Journal of Consumer Research, 31(1), 229-235. doi:10.1086/383438.