: Currently, insects are considered as a promising alternative protein source due to their nutritional content and their environmental sustainability. Notwithstanding this, generally consumers show reluctance towards the introduction of edible insects into their diet, mostly influenced by food neophobia. Persuasive communication strategies (e.g., informational vs. emotional appeals) have been a major topic in consumer behavior research. Scholars often refer to the construct of message sensation value (MSV), which is defined as the intensity of audio, visual, and content features of a message that elicit sensory, affective, and arousal responses. In this work, a computer-based experiment (N = 148) was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of messages based on different levels of MSV in promoting the intention to eat insect-based foods, and interactions between MSV and food neophobia. Results indicate that, MSV, food neophobia, and their interaction significantly affect the willingness to consume insect-based food products with or without visible insects, highlighting novel pathways for segmenting consumers, in order to strengthen the communication effects.

The Interaction between Message Sensation Value and Food Neophobia in Communication about Insect-Based Foods: An Experiment with Italian Consumers / Riverso, Roberta; Amato, Mario; Verneau, Fabio; LA BARBERA, Francesco. - In: NUTRIENTS. - ISSN 2072-6643. - 15:1(2023), p. 191. [10.3390/nu15010191]

The Interaction between Message Sensation Value and Food Neophobia in Communication about Insect-Based Foods: An Experiment with Italian Consumers

Roberta Riverso;Mario Amato;Fabio Verneau;Francesco La Barbera
2023

Abstract

: Currently, insects are considered as a promising alternative protein source due to their nutritional content and their environmental sustainability. Notwithstanding this, generally consumers show reluctance towards the introduction of edible insects into their diet, mostly influenced by food neophobia. Persuasive communication strategies (e.g., informational vs. emotional appeals) have been a major topic in consumer behavior research. Scholars often refer to the construct of message sensation value (MSV), which is defined as the intensity of audio, visual, and content features of a message that elicit sensory, affective, and arousal responses. In this work, a computer-based experiment (N = 148) was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of messages based on different levels of MSV in promoting the intention to eat insect-based foods, and interactions between MSV and food neophobia. Results indicate that, MSV, food neophobia, and their interaction significantly affect the willingness to consume insect-based food products with or without visible insects, highlighting novel pathways for segmenting consumers, in order to strengthen the communication effects.
2023
The Interaction between Message Sensation Value and Food Neophobia in Communication about Insect-Based Foods: An Experiment with Italian Consumers / Riverso, Roberta; Amato, Mario; Verneau, Fabio; LA BARBERA, Francesco. - In: NUTRIENTS. - ISSN 2072-6643. - 15:1(2023), p. 191. [10.3390/nu15010191]
File in questo prodotto:
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11588/909318
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 2
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 1
social impact