Although conventional marketing frames are typically more explicit than simple changes in labels, Roh and Niederdeppe (2016) state that framing in its simplest form, can involve only the use of alternative labels or word choices to describe a concept or issue. Issue framing with alternative labels, as these authors describe, “is communicated in a way that provokes a certain definition and/or way of thinking among an audience at the expense of alternative considerations that could have otherwise been evoked” (Roh & Niederdeppe, 2016). To expand on this idea, the authors go on to include how a word (frame) is associated with an image in the minds of consumers, representing an accessible concept. For example, in their study, Roh and Niederdeppe (2016) find that when presenting two frames for the same product, the words used in the frames typically bring about different conceptual associations for the participants. These two frames in this instance are “soda” and “sugar-sweetened beverages.” Although the authors find that the two frames do not provoke different levels of perceived healthiness in the minds of the subjects in this study, they did find that more brand-related thoughts prevailed when asked about “soda” than for “sugar-sweetened beverages.” To reiterate, the mention of “soda” brought about more ideas of specific company brands (e.g., Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, etc.) from the subject’s minds, compared to the ideas that the subjects provided when asked about “sugar-sweetened beverages” (Roh & Niederdeppe, 2016). These results suggest that consumers are driven more by cultural conditioning and contextual factors that form concepts of food and beverage choices rather than by the particular information associated with the product itself through its marketing and presentation. In this respect, Roh and Niederdeppe, (2016) recognize different cognitive concepts that are at work in public discourse regarding different frame choices. The focus on cognitive conceptualizations of the healthiness of frame choices is important because even the smallest adjustments in marketing and advertising strategies can have an effect on consumers and can impact their product purchasing decisions.

Taking this research further, Kunz et al. (2020) find associations between food packaging design and consumer perceptions of healthiness, as well as tastiness. The researchers find that past studies have shown attractive package design affects both taste expectations and healthiness perceptions, which proves to be important because “whether a food product is healthy and whether it tastes good are among the most important criteria for consumers when deciding about what to eat” (Kunz et al., 2020). Flavor, however, is not the only factor. Along with labels, color has also proven to be a highly relevant visual cue for consumers, as different hues in packaging and presentation inspire consumers to make different inferences about both the health and taste attributes of food. The researchers believe that this is because colors in product packaging often convey meaning to consumers and stimulate immediate impressions that link to cognitive processing (Kunz et al., 2020). For example, evidence has shown that products are perceived to be healthier when calorie labels are displayed in green rather than in red or white because consumers tend to associate the color green with healthier products. Research has also indicated that colors of food packaging and presentation have a direct impact on the appetite level of consumers (Schlintl & Schienle, 2020). Furthermore, there is a plethora of research demonstrating that people tend to match certain colors with the basic tastes, and that color helps people to correctly identify a food or drink's flavor (Kunz et al., 2020).

This factor of color in food presentation can also help consumers to identify the freshness of foods (Kunz et al., 2020). For example, consumers can look at an apple’s color and tell at first glance whether it is ripe or not. Given that ripe apples are understood to taste sweeter than unripe fruit and to be optimally fresh without being over-ripe, we therefore associate the food product to be both healthier and tastier. This is a relevant example to consider because it shows how these same cognitive processes are used when deciding whether or not to purchase brand products. Kunz et al. (2020) state that peoples’ first visual impressions of a product’s package may determine whether or not they decide to purchase it; furthermore, colors have the potential to immediately evoke emotion and active associations, causing color to be one of the main aspects affecting consumers’ purchase intentions. Pradeep (2010) supports these claims with the psychological explanation of repetition blindness which occurs when “[the] frontal cortex has to process an array of similar visual images all streaming in from the visual cortex.” He goes on to explain how the human brain is neurologically programmed to search for differences, causing us to call upon a mix of memories in our subconscious to rely on product selection (Pradeep, 2010). Therefore, even when we think consumers believe they are selecting a product brand based on one thing, it may also be influenced by memories of something else that was found to be a positive outcome in the past.