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1 – 10 of over 12000
Article
Publication date: 29 June 2012

Siet J. Sijtsema, Machiel J. Reinders, Sabine R.C.H. Hiller and M. Dolors Guàrdia

To better understand fruit consumption and its determinants this paper aims to explore the relationship between the consumption of different types of fruit and other snacks and…

1947

Abstract

Purpose

To better understand fruit consumption and its determinants this paper aims to explore the relationship between the consumption of different types of fruit and other snacks and consumer taste preferences for sweet, salty and sour is explored.

Design/methodology/approach

Respondents (n=2,083) from Poland, Greece, Spain and The Netherlands filled out an online questionnaire in which the consumption of fresh fruit, sweet snacks, salty snacks, orange juice and dried fruit was measured as well as consumer self‐reported taste preferences and personal orientations towards health, convenience, price and routine behaviours.

Findings

A total of 29 percent of the total sample preferred salty tastes, whereas 21 percent preferred sweet tastes; 1 percent preferred sour tastes, and 39 percent indicated no preference. In contrast with the expectation that people who preferred sweet tastes consume more fruits and fruit products, the results imply that consumers with a sour taste preference consume more fruits and fruit products. In addition, consumers with a sour taste preference seem to be less convenience‐oriented and have more routine behaviours with regard to fruit. In contrast, consumers with a sweet taste preference eat more chocolate bars and are more convenience‐oriented.

Research limitations/implications

The self‐reported measurement of taste preferences requires further justification to be used as a measurement instrument, e.g. formulation of the items, different cultures and linkage with preferences based on sensory testing.

Practical implications

These findings show that the sweet tooth hypothesis is much more complicated if we consider not only consumption, but also self‐reported taste preferences.

Originality/value

The paper explores self‐reported taste preferences, the sweet tooth hypotheses and fruit consumption.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 114 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 September 2011

José Luis Méndez, Javier Oubiña and Natalia Rubio

This paper aims to analyze the relative importance of brand‐packaging, price and taste in the formation of brand preference for manufacturer and store brands in food product…

7846

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the relative importance of brand‐packaging, price and taste in the formation of brand preference for manufacturer and store brands in food product categories.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors first perform a blind taste test of the product using three brands (two manufacturer brands and one store brand) in two categories with differentiated characteristics (cola drinks and olives stuffed with anchovies). They then use conjoint analysis to analyze the influence of the intrinsic cue (taste) and the extrinsic cues (price and brand‐packaging) on consumers' preference for manufacturer and store brands. Finally, after telling the consumers which taste belongs to each brand, the authors study the influence of the extrinsic cues on the consumers' quality evaluations of the real stimuli.

Findings

The results show that not knowing the brand to which the taste tested belongs, leads consumers in general to order their preferences fundamentally by taste. However, the results differ by product category and consumer segment analyzed. Consumers who evaluate the taste of store brands as better change their preferences more when they know which brand belongs to which taste. Further, the change in preference when consumers know the brand‐taste correspondence is clearly greater in the most differentiated category.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitations of this research derive from the factors conditioning the information. A greater number of categories and attributes would enrich the information. In addition, it would be useful to analyze more than one store brand.

Practical implications

The results obtained have interesting implications for manufacturers and retailers concerning management of the brands in their product portfolio and management of their relationships in the distribution channel.

Originality/value

The main contribution of this paper lies in the work methodology used. The paper offers a comprehensive analysis of how the relative importance of brand‐packaging, price and taste affect brand preference for manufacturer and store brands. The study also contributes evidence on how the consumer's knowledge of the correspondence between brand and taste can change his or her brand preferences, an issue of great interest for manufacturers and distributors in managing their product portfolios.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 113 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 January 2011

Johan Bruwer, Anthony Saliba and Bernadette Miller

Exploratory research was conducted in a well‐known Australian wine region to determine the differences in the behaviour dynamics and sensory preferences of consumer groups. The…

20119

Abstract

Purpose

Exploratory research was conducted in a well‐known Australian wine region to determine the differences in the behaviour dynamics and sensory preferences of consumer groups. The overall aim is to gain some insights into the product style preferences of consumers and what this means in practical terms to wine product marketing.

Design/methodology/approach

Information was obtained from a random sample of 150 visitors to ten wineries in the Yarra Valley wine region in Australia. Data were collected by means of self‐administration surveys using a highly structured questionnaire at each of the winery tasting room venues.

Findings

Specific differences exist in the wine consumption behaviour and sensory preferences of males and females and between generational cohorts, specifically Millennial and older consumers. Females drink less wine than males, spend less thereon but tend to “compensate” for this by buying higher priced wine per bottle, which could represent a risk‐reduction strategy. Females are noticeably higher than their male counterparts in white wine consumption, showing a preference for a sweeter wine style at a young age, and reported a strong preference for medium body style wines over light and full‐bodied wines. From a sensory preference viewpoint, fruit tastes and aromas are by far the most important, especially among females, as are vegetative characters, wood/oak, and mouth‐feel characters. More males, on the other hand, preferred the aged characters of wine.

Research limitations/implications

It is possible to target wine consumers in accordance with their gender and lifecycle stage as far as the sensory and certain behavioural aspects of the product are concerned. However, this should not be oversimplified and drive product marketing strategies in the wrong direction.

Originality/value

This study is of value to academic researchers, wine industry practitioners and other wine distribution channel members alike, as it provides insights into consumer behaviour differences and one of the core tangible aspects of a wine product, namely the sensory preferences of consumers.

Details

Journal of Consumer Marketing, vol. 28 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0736-3761

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2001

Len Tiu Wright, Clive Nancarrow and Pamela M.H. Kwok

Examines the influence of culture on food taste preferences and the implications for consumer research. The authors explore the roots of certain national and sub‐cultural food…

20283

Abstract

Examines the influence of culture on food taste preferences and the implications for consumer research. The authors explore the roots of certain national and sub‐cultural food taste preferences and consumption. Examples are drawn from the work of Pierre Bourdieu in particular, in demonstrating how taste is in some respects an expression of cultural capital. Postmodernist interpretations of the fragmentation in taste preferences are also described. This exploration of the deeper layers of our food taste preferences based on cultural setting should alert food marketers to both marketing and marketing research issues and opportunities.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 103 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 October 2019

Letizia Alvino, Rob van der Lubbe, Reinoud A.M. Joosten and Efthymios Constantinides

The purpose of this paper is to assess whether or not electroencephalography (EEG) provides a valuable and substantial contribution to the prediction of consumer behaviour and…

1568

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess whether or not electroencephalography (EEG) provides a valuable and substantial contribution to the prediction of consumer behaviour and their preferences during product consumption. In this study, the authors especially focus on individual preferences during a wine tasting experience.

Design/methodology/approach

A consumer neuroscience experiment was carried out with 26 participants that evaluated different red wines while their brain activity was recorded with EEG. A within-subjects design was employed and the experiment was carried out in two sessions. All participants took part in a blind taste session (no label session), in which information about the wine was not disclosed, and a normal taste session (label session), during which the bottle and its label were visible.

Findings

The findings suggest that EEG is a useful tool to study brain activity during product experience. EEG has high temporal resolution, low costs, small dimensions and superior manoeuvrability compared to other consumer neuroscience tools. However, it is noticed that there is a lack of solid theoretical background regarding brain areas (e.g. frontal cortex) and brain activity (e.g. brain waves) related to consumer preferences during product experience. This lack of knowledge causes several difficulties in replicating and validating the findings of other consumer neuroscience experiments for studying consumer behaviour.

Originality/value

The experiment presented in this paper is an exploratory study. It provides insights into the possible contribution of EEG data to the prediction of consumer behaviour during product experience.

Details

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, vol. 32 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-5855

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2002

Maeve Brady

The Food and Drink Federation carried out a survey in 1999 to clarify the usage and functionality of salt as an ingredient in UK manufactured branded food products. The results…

1787

Abstract

The Food and Drink Federation carried out a survey in 1999 to clarify the usage and functionality of salt as an ingredient in UK manufactured branded food products. The results demonstrate the availability of a choice of labelled products, with a wide range of sodium content within product categories. Salt serves a variety of purposes in manufactured foods particularly as a preservative and flavouring. Many UK manufacturers have implemented recipe alterations to reduce the sodium content of their products or are keeping this possibility under review. In many product categories, there are constraints to reducing the sodium content of products, including detrimental effects on product safety, quality and consumer acceptance. The industry is responsive to consumer demand and is committed to providing nutrition labelling information about sodium content, when practicable, on the pack.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 104 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 April 2018

Naomi Ziv

In many food marketing contexts products are sampled while music is played in the background. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether changing the pleasantness of…

1839

Abstract

Purpose

In many food marketing contexts products are sampled while music is played in the background. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether changing the pleasantness of background music while tasting two identical products in succession may influence the experience of taste and preference.

Design/methodology/approach

Two studies were conducted. In Study 1, 60 participants were asked to taste two identical cookies, one with pleasant and one with unpleasant background music, in differing orders. In Study 2, 60 participants tasted two cookies with two unpleasant musical pieces and 60 participants tasted two cookies with pleasant background music. Participants were asked to evaluate each cookie and indicate which cookie they preferred.

Findings

In Study 1, a main effect of music was found, with cookies tasted with pleasant background music evaluated as better than those tasted with unpleasant background music. In addition, an interaction between presentation order and music was found, with a stronger difference in evaluation between the cookies when the first is tasted with pleasant background music. In Study 2, no main effect of music was found. A primacy effect was found, with higher evaluations for the first tasted cookie.

Research limitations/implications

The studies considered only one type of product, which in itself is pleasant-tasting. Further studies, using other products, are thus needed to allow generalization.

Practical implications

A discerning use of background music in consumer settings involving sampling of a sequence of products may aid marketers in maximizing music’s effect on product evaluation and choice.

Originality/value

Although the effect of music on taste has been previously studied, this is the first research to examine presentation order effects of music pleasantness on the experience of taste. The pleasantness of background music is integrated into the experience of taste, and food marketing strategies should take into account how the order in which different musical pieces are heard may influence consumers’ evaluation and preference for sampled products.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 52 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 September 1993

Gillian Harris

The introduction of solid food to an infant is usually addressed interms of a “correct” time for introduction. There is usuallyalso a discussion of “appropriate” foods which may…

Abstract

The introduction of solid food to an infant is usually addressed in terms of a “correct” time for introduction. There is usually also a discussion of “appropriate” foods which may be introduced to the infant; these foods will change according to prevailing health priorities. Concentrates on the contribution made by the infant to the timing and type of the first foods introduced. Places emphasis on the development of the infant′s taste preferences which determine the infant′s response to foods which may be offered by the parent.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 95 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 February 2020

E.E. Lawrence

Contemporary adult readers' advisory aims to adhere to (what I term) a pure preference satisfaction model in which librarians provide nonjudgmental book recommendations that…

1513

Abstract

Purpose

Contemporary adult readers' advisory aims to adhere to (what I term) a pure preference satisfaction model in which librarians provide nonjudgmental book recommendations that satisfy their patrons' aesthetic tastes rather than improve upon them. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether readers' advisors really ought to treat all such tastes as essentially benign, even when doing so may conflict with core commitments to diversity and social responsibility.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper utilizes a thought experiment to interrogate our intuitions regarding the practice of recommending recreational materials featuring marginalized protagonists. The author also draws on theoretical insights from feminist aesthetician A.W. Eaton's innovative work on taste in bodies to formulate argumentation addressing the ethical dilemma presented here.

Findings

Our reading tastes can, in fact, be oppressive, working to maintain unjust power relations that are often thought to be the product merely of bad beliefs. On the view advanced here, oppressive tastes function as real obstacles to collective self-governance because they systematically distort our judgments of the credibility, empathic accessibility, and fundamental worth of our fellow democratic citizens. Librarians' obligation to protect and promote democracy, therefore, provides practitioners with a crucial justification for recommending diverse books to all readers, even (and perhaps especially) those who actively disprefer them.

Originality/value

The paper illustrates how contemporary work in analytic (and specifically feminist) aesthetics can furnish LIS scholars with the intellectual resources to resolve political problems in the library. The author's analysis also lays the groundwork for further consideration of alternative ideals for readers' advisory that will capitalize on the service's educative and emancipatory potential.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 76 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 July 2014

Christopher Deeming

Our attitudes, values and tastes are shaped by our position in social space. At least, that was the argument Pierre Bourdieu set out in his seminal work, La Distinction. The…

2734

Abstract

Purpose

Our attitudes, values and tastes are shaped by our position in social space. At least, that was the argument Pierre Bourdieu set out in his seminal work, La Distinction. The purpose of this paper is to consider Bourdieu's theory of cultural reproduction and his argument that working-class families exhibit cultural attitudes and tastes for social necessity.

Design/methodology/approach

Attitudinal data relating to social necessity are taken from a national social survey of the British population. The results provide a rich source of data for exploring classed attitudes towards necessity in contemporary Britain.

Findings

Bourdieu's original claims for working-class “choice of the necessary” and working-class “taste for necessity” are based on his observations grounded in social survey evidence drawn from 1960s French society. Analysis of contemporary British social survey and attitudinal data also reveals sharp contours and differences in attitudes and tastes according to class fractions. These are evident in classed tastes and preferences for food, clothes, the home and social life.

Social implications

Within the Bourdieusian theoretical framework, we understand that the tastes of necessity are preferences that arise as adaptations to deprivation of necessary goods and services. La Distinction and Bourdieu's approach to unmasking inequalities and structures in social space continue to be relevant in contemporary Britain. More generally, study findings add to the growing evidence that casts some doubt on current arguments concerning “individualisation”, claiming that social class has ceased to be significant in modern societies.

Originality/value

This paper sheds fresh light on the empirical validity and continuing theoretical relevance of Bourdieu's work examining the role of social necessity in shaping working-class culture. Bourdieu argues that the real principle of our preferences is taste and for working-class families, this is a virtue made of necessity.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 34 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

Keywords

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