Influence of a negative movie message on food perceptions

Many food scholars have suggested that popular media messages impact perceptions of foods. In the present study, experimental participants watched a disparaging video clip concerning McDonald's foods as well as a ruse video clip, then were asked to evaluate the healthfulness of 33 named foods as well as their nutrient descriptions. Control participants judged the named foods and their descriptions but saw no videos. The movie clip influenced only named foods that are identifiable with McDonalds and not other fast foods or other named foods that are considered unhealthy.