The Neuroscience of taste
Taste is a multi-sensory sensation. Our taste buds were known to detect only sweet, sour, salty, and bitter tastes. However, taste is not physiologically made up of sensations from taste buds only; it also relies heavily on input from other senses. All senses have a role in driving taste perception: Taste, Touch, Smell, Sight and Sound.
The more positive and distinctive sensory associations come to mind the more likely people are to consider the brand for purchase. Research conducted by Kantar in US, UK and Japan across 38 brands further confirmed these beliefs and found that the more positive and distinctive sensory impressions come to mind the more loyal people are to a brand.
Other ways of amplifying taste based on Neuroscience
Another way to improve taste perception is activating mirror neurons, observing the same action, such as grasping a cup, in different contexts elicits different levels of mirror neuron activity in one area of the brain that belongs to the mirror neuron system (right posterior inferior frontal gyrus). Brands can amplify the three stages of consumption to drive taste. Ads can promote the anticipation of consumption, actual consumption, and post satisfaction of consumption. Seen through dunking an Oreo in milk and breaking off a Kit Kat, some brands create and own a unique signature of consumption.
Find out what how we helped a beverage company evolve the way in which they emphasized taste within their video assets, as they were concerned that the narratives and key visuals that they had relied upon recently were working harder to reinforce tertiary brand benefits like quality and prestige: