To read this content please select one of the options below:

Food reputation impacts on consumer's food choice

Marino Bonaiuto (Dipartimento di Psicologia dei Processi di Sviluppo e Socializzazione and CIRPA, Sapienza Univeristà di Roma, Rome, Italy)
Pierluigi Caddeo (CIRPA, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy)
Giuseppe Carrus (Dipartimento di Studi dei Processi Formativi, Culturali e Interculturali nella Società Contemporanea and CIRPA, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Rome, Italy)
Stefano De Dominicis (Dipartimento di Psicologia dei Processi di Sviluppo e Socializzazione and CIRPA, Sapienza Univeristà di Roma, Rome, Italy)
Barbara Maroni (CIRPA, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy)
Mirilia Bonnes (Dipartimento di Psicologia dei Processi di Sviluppo e Socializzazione and CIRPA, Sapienza Univeristà di Roma, Rome, Italy)

Corporate Communications: An International Journal

ISSN: 1356-3289

Article publication date: 5 October 2012

3327

Abstract

Purpose

Reputation is conceptualised as the believed effects that any social agent (ranging from a person to a company to a country) can have. Food reputation is beliefs about the effects of food on its consumers. On the basis of a multidimensional construct for food reputation derived from qualitative and correlational studies, this paper aims to test four hypotheses about food reputation dimensions' effects on consumers' food choices.

Design/methodology/approach

A multi‐attribute, multi‐step choice experiment was carried out using a “phased narrowing” procedure. The procedure is based on eight product choices, using four reputation dimensions as manipulated attributes (duration, identity‐territoriality, social and environmental responsibility, psycho‐physiological well‐being); this is replicated on one drink and one food product.

Findings

A pilot study (n=50) checked the manipulation of the four reputation dimensions. ANOVA (n=118) showed the impact of the manipulated reputation features in the food choice process, especially in the final decision‐making phase.

Originality/value

The results confirm that food reputation features impact consumer choice, detailing the relative importance of different reputation features according to choice phase, product category, and individual characteristics.

Keywords

Citation

Bonaiuto, M., Caddeo, P., Carrus, G., De Dominicis, S., Maroni, B. and Bonnes, M. (2012), "Food reputation impacts on consumer's food choice", Corporate Communications: An International Journal, Vol. 17 No. 4, pp. 462-482. https://doi.org/10.1108/13563281211274158

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Related articles