The Impact of Animal Images on Visual Attention: An Eye-Tracking Study on Wine Labels

The visual design of alcoholic beverage packaging plays a decisive role in shaping consumer perception and behavior, yet it remains largely unregulated in most countries. In recent years, alcohol manufacturers have increasingly incorporated images unrelated to the product on labels—most notably depictions of animals, including mammals, birds, or insects—a strategy likely to exploit attentional biases. From an evolutionary perspective, humans have developed heightened sensitivity to animate stimuli, as detecting potential threats or prey was essential for survival. Building on the animate monitoring hypothesis, the study investigates whether wine labels featuring animate objects capture consumer attention more effectively than those depicting inanimate objects. Using a within-subject experimental design, 78 participants were exposed to both label types while their eye movements were recorded using a remote eye tracker. Results show that animate imagery not only attracts attention more rapidly but also sustains it for longer durations than inanimate imagery. These findings highlight how evolutionary mechanisms can be leveraged in marketing strategies and raise significant implications for public health policy. Beyond the inclusion of health warnings, this study suggests that public health policymakers should consider implementing regulatory measures addressing the visual content of alcohol labels.