The Noticeability of Warnings on Alcoholic Beverage Containers

Abstract

A public health warning is currently required for all alcoholic beverage containers in the United States. One factor in the effectiveness of this warning is its noticeability—the characteristics that influence whether or not it is likely to be seen. Three experiments addressed this aspect of the warning. Experiment 1 examined warning design factors on currently available containers and found that the warnings are not very noticeable. Experiments 2 and 3 examined four salience features (pictorial, color, signal icon, and border) and demonstrated that they could improve the likelihood that a warning will be seen. Overall, the research suggests ways of making warnings more salient and thus increasing the probability that they will have the desired effects.