Playing on the Senses: Taste

This post is a continuation of the previous post I made on using our 5 senses in marketing. I don't pretend to have all the answers when it comes to using our senses for marketing campaigns, but am always interested in how they play a part in every decision we make. Therefore, this post will focus on the sense of "Taste."

Taste

Using a passage from Martin Lindstrum's book, Buyology (a must read), companies have used taste tests to drive customers through their doors for many years. An example from the book is the Pepsi vs. Coke taste tests that proves Pepsi does actually taste better than Coke. However, this is because Pepsi's taste test only had people take a sip of their product versus drinking an entire can. In fact, most people find Pepsi too sweet, but will hands-down pick it over Coke for that initial burst of flavor. So, how do companies lure us into buying their tasty products?

Living in Brazil for three years taught me a lot about taste testing. In fact, everyday I went to the supermercdo, there was always a product for me to taste or sample, followed by a nice coupon to buy said product. I will have to admit that I tried most everything people offered without hesitation. Free food? Sure! So, do taste tests actually make us buy a product we had no intention of buying when walking into the grocery store? 

Using sales reports from three large supermercado's in Curitiba, Brazil, I have seen firsthand how taste tests drive sales. I even have succumb to the almighty product that delighted me with its sweet and spicy flavor; one I had no intention of buying. How can a company that doesn't sell anything related to food take advantage of this concept of taste testing? 

What if a business partnered with a company trying to launch a new, tasty product and could host the tasting? Keep in mind, that this tasty product must really taste good. Would people associate their pleasure for the sampled product with the company sponsoring the testing? Would people actually think of the sponsor company as being a tasty company as well? 

In this new age of consumer-controlled marketing, companies are held at the mercy of their consumers. People aren't as easily convinced something is good because said company says so. We must feel that a company is good, and in this case, we must think it taste good. Thus, is it possible for non-food/beverage company to taste good?