Heinz and Packaging NARRATOR: The thing is, you choose a brownie because you like the taste of that brownie. It's not just because you like the logo or the color of the packaging. It's because you actually prefer it. I mean, these are Heinz for example. I like Heinz baked beans because they taste better than other beans to me. MAN 1: But you'd be surprised what effect branding can have on your taste buds. NARRATOR: I'm not a mug who's being manipulated by a global multi-national corporation. MAN 1: Well, you'd like to think not. NARRATOR: I don't. I would like to think not. MAN 1: I'm sure you would, but the point is, we are so susceptible to this kind of marketing and this type of messaging that it actually begins to affect the way that we taste stuff. So because we believe something about a brand, we then transfer that belief into our physiology, and therefore the brand that we believe taste better actually does taste better. NARRATOR: I find that very hard to swallow. Let's settle this once and for all. [MUSIC] NARRATOR: Take two tins of beans. Both Heinz. Two identical flasks, but one gets the real label and one gets a different label. I am such a rascal. Let's see what difference the label makes. [The narrator stands in the middle of a crowded area in town and conducts taste tests with passerbys] [MUSIC] NARRATOR: Very important to shake the beans to their correct degree. Tesco baked beans. WOMAN 1: They're nice. NARRATOR: Heinz. WOMAN 1: Tesco ones tasted sweeter. These tasted more like I remember them tasting. I would buy Heinz baked beans. NARRATOR: There's one for Heinz. NARRATOR: Let's start with Heinz baked beans. MAN 2: Quite salty, actually. MAN 3: Quite salty, mushy. NARRATOR: Well, let's get the Tesco baked beans out. [MUSIC] MAN 3: Yeah, they taste better than the other one. MAN 2: Yeah, they're better. MAN 3: Yeah. NARRATOR: So this lot preferred the old brand, but they still think there's a difference. NARRATOR: I'm going to go and crush through it a bit. NARRATOR: Do you normally buy Heinz? WOMAN 2: Always. NARRATOR: Tesco baked beans. WOMAN 2: They're very sweet. I'd definitely get Heinz. MAN 4: I prefer the Heinz. NARRATOR: In fact, out of 11 people I spoke to -- WOMAN 3: I prefer the taste of the Heinz. MAN 5: It's got nicer flavor. WOMAN 4: Yeah, this is more sweet. WOMAN 5: That one may be just slightly blander. MAN 6: They taste identical. NARRATOR: Only one said they tasted the same, which means I was wrong. The branding actually makes a huge difference.