--- title: What a Snack’s Name Says Below the Surface description: Explore how the sound of snack names influences our perceptions and choices, revealing deeper insights into consumer behavior beyond nutrition labels. image: https://blog.olsonzaltman.com/hubfs/image%20(4).png --- [Skip to content](https://blog.olsonzaltman.com/what-a-snacks-name-says-below-the-surface#main-content) [![Olson Zaltman logo](https://blog.olsonzaltman.com/hubfs/OZ%20yellow.svg)Homepage](https://olsonzaltman.com) - [Industry Gap](https://olsonzaltman.com/industry-gap/) - [Capabilities](https://olsonzaltman.com/capabilities/) - [Our Work](https://olsonzaltman.com/our-work/) - [News And Resources](https://olsonzaltman.com/news-and-resources/) - [News](https://olsonzaltman.com/news/) - [Blog](https://blog.olsonzaltman.com/) - [Articles And Books](https://olsonzaltman.com/articles-and-books/) - [In The Press](https://olsonzaltman.com/in-the-press/) - [Work With Us](https://olsonzaltman.com/work-with-us/) - [Contact Us](https://olsonzaltman.com/work-with-us/) - [Careers and Internships](https://olsonzaltman.com/careers-and-internships/) - [The Team](https://olsonzaltman.com/the-team/) [Contact Us](https://olsonzaltman.com/work-with-us/) - [Industry Gap](https://olsonzaltman.com/industry-gap/) - [Capabilities](https://olsonzaltman.com/capabilities/) - [Our Work](https://olsonzaltman.com/our-work/) - [News And Resources](https://olsonzaltman.com/news-and-resources/) - [News](https://olsonzaltman.com/news/) - [Blog](https://blog.olsonzaltman.com/) - [Articles And Books](https://olsonzaltman.com/articles-and-books/) - [In The Press](https://olsonzaltman.com/in-the-press/) - [Work With Us](https://olsonzaltman.com/work-with-us/) - [Contact Us](https://olsonzaltman.com/work-with-us/) - [Careers and Internships](https://olsonzaltman.com/careers-and-internships/) - [The Team](https://olsonzaltman.com/the-team/) [Contact Us](https://olsonzaltman.com/work-with-us/) ![](https://blog.olsonzaltman.com/hs-fs/hubfs/image%20(4).png?width=437&height=230&name=image%20(4).png) Z-Files # What a Snack’s Name Says Below the Surface ![James Forr](https://7528315.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528315/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-cms-elevate-theme_hubspot/elevate/images/avatar-placeholder.jpg?width=48&height=48&name=avatar-placeholder.jpg) James Forr October 12, 2026 What a Snack’s Name Says Below the Surface 3:11 In consumer research, people often describe going through the supermarket and studying the nutrition labels to ensure they are buying the healthiest options possible for themselves and their families. This always strikes me as rubbish. Anecdotally, I don't see many people reading the back panels when I am in the grocery store. Also, it runs counter to everything we know about human behavior (hello, say-do gap). Life is too busy to compare the sodium content of four different brands of cookies and then five different kinds of chips. Every shopping trip would take seven hours. Instead, we rely on heuristics, unconscious shortcuts that help us make our decisions. Often these are surprisingly arbitrary. We assume foods in[dull packages are healthier](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0148296317302783?via%3Dihub) than those in colorful ones, and that snacks in[glossy packaging](https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/9/1/90) are higher in fat. (If you're into the ways different sensory experiences affect our perception of food, check out the book[Gastrophysics](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0735223467), which argues that all five senses shape our consumption experiences. Want to make your candy seem sweeter? You don't have to add sugar. Just make it round!) The shortcuts that steer a choice in the snack aisle sit below awareness, so asking shoppers about them gets you a rational answer that has little to do with what happened at the shelf. Getting at the real drivers takes methods designed for the unconscious mind. Thanks to Lindsay Zaltman, our CEO, for sharing[new research](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950329326002223?via%3Dihub) in the journal *Food Quality and Preference* that reveals another such heuristic—[the sound of the brand name.](https://theconversation.com/snack-names-influence-how-filling-we-imagine-they-will-be-new-research-291133) Researchers discovered that snacks with "large" names like Norgo or Gawbaw are perceived as heavier and more filling than snacks with "small" names like Teek and Fipee. "Large" and "small" refer to how the names sound. [This is known as the mil/mal effect](https://spsp.org/news-center/character-context-blog/whats-name-it-depends-what-it-sounds), the lesser-known sibling of the[bouba/kiki effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouba/kiki_effect). So-called “high-front” vowels like the "ee" in *neep* are associated with small things, and “low-back" vowels like the "aw" in *nawp* are connected with big things. Some researchers attribute this to the shape our mouths make when saying the words. Others suggest it could be because in nature, large animals tend to make loud, deep noises (the lion goes "ROAAARRRR!"), while small animals make tiny noises (the birdie goes "cheeeeep!"). Interestingly, the study suggests that perceptions arising from the sound [affect purchase intent](https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/mil-mal-effect-food-choices_uk_6ab5073ee4b07f5e6ae0de42) only if the person imagines buying the snack for someone else. If you're buying for a friend you know likes lighter food, you're more likely to buy them the Peefik than the Ombog—and vice versa. When you buy something for someone else, you’re acting on a story you hold about that person (she eats light, he’s starving after practice) and looking for cues that fit it. The name on the bag becomes evidence for the story. For brands, that means a cue can carry real weight in one purchase occasion and barely register in another, depending on who the shopper has in mind. If you’re naming a new product or trying to understand why a better-for-you line isn’t moving, the answer probably isn’t on the nutrition panel. ## Share this post [mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fblog.olsonzaltman.com%2Fwhat-a-snacks-name-says-below-the-surface](mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fblog.olsonzaltman.com%2Fwhat-a-snacks-name-says-below-the-surface) ## Keep reading ### [![](https://blog.olsonzaltman.com/hs-fs/hubfs/specsavers.png?width=2560&height=1308&name=specsavers.png) Z-Files The genius of Specsavers](https://blog.olsonzaltman.com/the-genius-of-specsavers) ### [![](https://blog.olsonzaltman.com/hs-fs/hubfs/c5975de9-9ca8-4887-ac12-86f477a1fe64.jpeg?width=2048&height=1365&name=c5975de9-9ca8-4887-ac12-86f477a1fe64.jpeg) Z-Files Can't look away](https://blog.olsonzaltman.com/cant-look-away) [![Olson Zaltman](https://blog.olsonzaltman.com/hubfs/OZ%20yellow.svg "Olson Zaltman")](https://www.olsonzaltman.com/)        Sign Up For Our Newsletter ### Get Social [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/olson-zaltman-associates)    [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/olsonzaltman/)    [Email](mailto:lzaltman@olsonzaltman.com) If You're Facing A Decision Where The Stakes Are Too High And You Can't Risk Being Wrong, We Should Talk. 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