Anales del I Congreso Latinoamericano de Ciencias Sensoriales y del Consumidor

One of the most important sensory attributes in food design is color. It has been shown that the color of food could influence the purchase intention and also the sensory perception of other attributes such as flavor. However, the way that colors are perceived between cultures of course differs. Social media has become an open space to connect with others, to share our lives, and express our emotions and feelings. It is an area where we can discover more about current consumer opinions than ever before, the openness and expansion of social media makes it a priceless source of data.
The aim of this study was understand the consumer associations of six different colors (blue, brown, green, gray, red, and yellow) throughout four countries in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico). We collected the information from Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube taking the posts in the period of one year (May 2019 to May 2020). The data was analyzed with the social listening plataform Synthesio by Ipsos.
Specific associations with brands, ingredients, functionalities, and moods were found. Likewise, differences and similarities were detected for each color across Latin America. For example, gray color in all countries studied is associated with sadness and nostalgia moods. It is also strongly related to decoration and fashion, with particular perceptions in each country. Landing the analysis to the food area, gray color is associated with "instagrammable" food phenomenon as a strong need to relieve the feeling of sadness and show “comforting” foods such as coffee and chocolate, or to highlight and give a special place to elegant foods. In contrast, the yellow color, although in some countries it also has a certain linking with fashion and positive emotions, it has a greater association with healthy and natural foods.
As a general conclusion, there are similarities in the perception of colors in the four countries studied but with particular ways of interpreting the same color through the food, products, and consumption moments. Particularly, the found insights in this research could add value to design food, packages, and consumer communications.