mmmmm McVities...Can u tell the difference?

As a vice to determine how strong perception can be in our everyday lives I conducted a taste test with a few friends to determine whether or not branding and cost can dictate the taste of a product. I decided to use biscuit's because although they vary in taste they also vary in variety so I though through making the varieties and brands different I would be able to conduct a fairer test. I also had problems with finding biscuits that didn't have the brand printed on them. First I had to decide on a supermarket. My main competitors were Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury. I opted for Tesco as it is my local and I actually quite enjoy their brand of biscuits, but will my friends? I then had to find a leading brand to compete with my Tesco value digestive biscuits. At first I wanted to use Hobnobs but they didn’t comply because of the texture so I decided on the classical McVitie. Many people have a clear perception of what good food is. They believe the proof is in the price, you pay for the good quality food you receive. M&S pride themselves on having good quality food however they are also known as one of the more expensive places to purchase food. Whereas Sainsbury’s has higher priced food but also offers cheaper options for those who believe a product is a product so why pay more whether it be chocolate or bread. For example Hovis a leading brand, has an rrp (recommended retail price~) of £1.16(http://www.talkingretail.com/products/product-news/9706-hovis-reintroduces-little-brown-loaf.html) where as Sainsbury own costs only 79p. However can you really tell the difference in taste by price? Or is it our perceptions and associations which certain brands - whether high or low brow - that mould our taste buds. Is it just a case of mind over matter? I mean bread is bread right? Or is it our own preferences that really determine the final say.

I began by placing my two brands on plain white plates, I done this because I didn't want the plates to effect the perception of the biscuits through using patterned or coloured plates I may have made one plate look more appealing than the other. As the first biscuit was eaten instinctively my friend looked at and said "mmm McVities" I found this very amusing as before she had tasted the second one she had already determined the leading brand because of her perception on what a good quality McVities biscuits tasted like.

However I gave nothing away and she proceed to the next. Not so keen on the second taster she looked to me for reassurance that I wasn’t the cheapest biscuit I found. This experiment showed that the perception and previous knowledge of a product will enable you to trust that brand and conclusively buy them. However this can vary. I found that my friend had been used to one type of biscuit more than the other, concluding that her perception of cheaper biscuits were low, resulting in her choosing McVities as her favourite biscuits of the two.

I found a useful video about the perception of smell taste and vision...check it out...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiVUZc5Optc