The Effects of Advertising Copy on Sensory Thoughts and Perceived Taste

We propose that advertisement (ad) content for food products can affect taste perception by affecting sensory cognitions. Specifically, we show that multisensory ads result in higher taste perceptions than ads focusing on taste alone, with this result being mediated by the excess of positive over negative sensory thoughts. Since the ad effect is thoughts-driven or cognitive, restricting cognitive resources (imposing cognitive load) attenuates the enhancing effect of the multiple-sense ad. Our results are exhibited across three experiments and have many implications for cognition and sensory perception research within consumer behavior, as well as several practical implications. Food advertising is big business. Kraft Foods spent 1. 5billion in 2007 on advertising in the United States alone, whereas PepsiCo spent 1. 31 billion and McDonalds spent 1. 14 billion (Advertising Age Data Center 2008). The fi-nancial importance of this domain raises the question, how should one advertise for food? A quick glance at current ads shows the obvious: mention the taste of the food. This is expected since the ad is for food after all. The less obvious and consequently seldom used solution is to bring attention to the unique multisensory aspects of taste perception. In this research, we suggest how and why multisensory ad-vertising for food ads can enhance taste perceptions. In this article we explore whether other senses are so phys-iologically closely tied to taste that mentioning them will make no difference and whether an ad in general can have an impact on taste perceptions. By exploring if the ad can affect taste itself, we test an additional possible effect of the ad. While food advertising is typically used to spark interest in the food or an intention to buy it, it is not usually used for affecting taste perception. Further, if the ad does affect taste, then we are also suggesting that taste is affected by cognition and is not automatically incorporated into percep-tions. Besides looking at the effect of ads on taste perception, *Ryan S. Elder