Marketing Nutrition
Profiling Taste–Motivated Segments
Summary
Dried soybean, courtesy of USDA–ARS
Early adopters of unfamiliar, but nutritious foods can do so because of a combination of taste–motivations and health–motivations. Taste–motivated preferences are more indicative of long–term dietary change than health–motivations, so to understand why a person incorporates an unfamiliar food into their diet, it is useful to examine those who have already adopted that type of food into their diet for taste–motivated reasons.
Our studies looked specifically at taste–motivation in consumers of soy products. A qualitative study was first conducted with 33 people who had a clear preference for soy foods. We found that both taste–motivation and health–motivation influenced why people evolved into frequent soy consumers. However, the taste–motivated consumers were more adventurous, interested in preparing and eating fine foods, opinionated, and indicated they would continue to eat soy products even if they found out it wasn't a healthy option. We also surveyed 606 North Americans via mail and found that the 71.9% of those who ate soy did so for health–motivated reasons. The other 18.1% of consumers were more likely to believe they were less traditional, more adventurous, more opinionated, and lived with or were good cooks, confirming our qualitative results. The taste–motivated soy eaters were also more likely to eat evening meals out of the home, drink wine with dinner, and appreciate fine food, leading to the conclusion that those motivated by taste have an appreciation for fine dining.
These results lead us to three conclusions, the first being that some individuals are more predisposed to changing their consumption behavior in a desired direction than others. Since taste–motivated consumers tend to be opinion–leaders, these consumers might pass their dietary habits on to others. Lastly, good cooks are food gatekeepers for their families, and they should be encouraged to adopt relatively new or unfamiliar foods in the hopes that their family members will enjoy the taste of soy and incorporate it into their diet in the long run.
For more information, see: Wansink, Brian and Randall Westgren (2003), "Profiling Taste–Motivated Segments," Appetite, 41:3 (December), 323–327. doi: 10.1016/S0195 6663(03)00120–X. www.elsevier.com/locate/appe.
Contact:
Brian Wansink, PhD
Food and Brand Lab, Director
110 Warren Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
Email: foodandbrandlab@cornell.edu
