DOES BRAND IMAGE RESULT IN PLACEBO EFFECT? AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON SOFT DRINKS

In medical researches placebos are used in order to distinguish between patients’ responses to pharmacologically inert and active substances in treatment. Placebos have impact on treatment by promote positive psychological effects. The phenomenon can also be applied into the consumption context, where consumers’ salient beliefs and expectations can activate subjective/behavioral outcomes. In order to find out if brand image give rise to a placebo effect, we conducted an experiment with famous soft drink brands. The findings demonstrate a weak placebo effect, which occurs at the conscious level of consumers