1 Running head: THE EFFECTS OF CONTRAST AND SPACE ON EVALUATION A product and its setting: the effects of contrast and space on product and brand evaluation through processing fluency

A setting has a key role in providing informational cues to consumers about a product, the subsequent inferences and evaluations and therefore should be seen as an important feature of a product. This research provides a view of how the perception and evaluation of a product can be influenced by the setting elements contrast and space. It is proposed that the use of contrast and space in a setting through processing fluency can positively influence the evaluation of a product or brand. An experiment using a product display closet altering the elements contrast and space reveals the extent to which setting variables are capable of influencing people's product perceptions through processing fluency.