Proustian Products are Preferred: The Relationship Between Odor-Evoked Memory and Product Evaluation

Proustian Products are Preferred: The Relationship Between Odor-Evoked Memory and Product Evaluation

INTRODUCTION: The Proustian memory effect—that fragrances elicit more emotional and evocative memories than other memory cues—is well established. Fragrances also potentiate a variety of psychological states from moods to motivated behavior. Consumer research has shown that pleasant, product-congrue...

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Published in:Chemosensory perception Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 1 - 10
Main Authors: Sugiyama, Haruko, Oshida, Akiko, Thueneman, Paula, Littell, Susan, Katayama, Atsushi, Kashiwagi, Mitsuyoshi, Hikichi, Satoshi, Herz, Rachel S
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: New York Springer US 01-06-2015
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:
Chemistry
Chemistry and Materials Science
Clinical Nutrition
cognition
Consumer behavior
Food Science
Memory
Neurosciences
Odors
Perceptions
product evaluation
Studies
Proustian memory
Odor
Pleasantness
Consumer preferences
Scented products
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Summary:INTRODUCTION: The Proustian memory effect—that fragrances elicit more emotional and evocative memories than other memory cues—is well established. Fragrances also potentiate a variety of psychological states from moods to motivated behavior. Consumer research has shown that pleasant, product-congruent scents enhance product appeal, that products with greater emotional and cognitive involvement are perceived more positively, and that scent can increase recall for product information. However, the effect of Proustian memories on product perception has never been examined. The aim of the present study was to address this issue. METHODS: An extensive pilot test in which the methods for the main experiment were established was first conducted. The main experiment then tested how a product (body lotion) that varied in fragrance pleasantness and Proustian memory potency was perceived. RESULTS: Data analyses from a nationwide study showed that if the lotion fragrance was perceived as very pleasant, and it evoked potent personal emotional memories, that lotion was liked better and judged to be superior on a variety of functional and emotional attributes than the same lotion whose scent was perceived as equally pleasant but was not experienced as evocative. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that it is the personal potency of Proustian memories evoked by a product’s fragrance, more than the hedonic qualities of the scent per se, that drives product perception and has important implications for the development of scented products.
Bibliography:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12078-015-9182-y
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ISSN:1936-5802
1936-5810
DOI:10.1007/s12078-015-9182-y