This report is an in-depth examination of the extent to which consumers link different moods or general interests to specific beverage types. Respondents were asked to select, from among twelve different beverage categories, the drinks they would choose to complement a particular feeling or intent. We purposely avoided providing contextual information, such as time of day, meal accompaniments or other cues, in order to reveal the abstract associations that exist between different moods and individual beverage categories. Information was gathered via an online survey of our Hartman Interactive Wellness Panel and case studies of individuals according to their likelihood of choosing selected beverages for different mood states. This report summarizes our findings on three general research questions: 1. What beverages do consumers routinely drink?
2. What beverages do different moods conjure?
3. How well do moods differentiate beverage categories? In order to explore the non-rational basis of consumers' beverage choices, this study examines the extent to which consumers link different moods or general interests to specific beverage types. Rather than catalog the reasons why consumers select different beverages we set out to determine the strength of associations that exist between beverages of a given kind and selected moods, such as feeling bored, or situation-specific interests, such as wanting to appear serious. The purpose of this analysis is to gain a better understanding of the broad categorical distinctions that consumers make between different beverages depending on their mood.
| 