Investigating the role of added versus subtracted ingredients in counterinferencing and preference formation

This article investigates the differential impact of promoting added versus subtracted ingredients in products on consumer response. It proposes a new counterinferencing process that leads to a subtracted ingredient effect such that the promotion of a subtracted relative to an added ingredient results in a more favorable response. It also suggests that the regulatory orientation cued by the host product's category moderates this effect such that a match between the ingredient strategy and the host category characteristics improve the response. Last, it posits that the counterinferencing process results in a spillover effect which affects the evaluation of a competing product that does not deploy any ingredient-based strategy. The results from a series of studies provide evidence for the subtracted ingredient effect, the moderating role of the host product category, and the spillover effect on competing products. Based on these findings, the current research provides guidelines for selecting category-specific ingredient strategies, and raises a call for regulating not only added but also subtracted ingredients to prevent consumer deception from ingredient promotion on packaging and in advertising. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).