Shouting “100%” Can Hurt Your Product


Claiming perfection the wrong way can come off as spin. It feels safe and confident to say “100%.” 100% juice.100% satisfaction.100% natural. It sounds so strong. Totally certain. Absolute. Right? Yet in four experiments, researchers found the opposite effect. A juice labeled “100% juice” was judged 7.5 percent worse than the same juice labeled “99% juice.” Participants somehow believed it contained 13.3 percent less actual fruit juice when it claimed to be 100%. A frozen fruit snack with a...