This story is not one of our usual topics, but it caught my attention when I was looking for stories to write about. The tagline of the story, and what got my attention is Why Science Doesn’t Help Sell Chocolate Chip Cookies, and the study itself was pretty interesting.

Researchers at The Ohio State University looked at a series of ten studies covering different product types. Taken together, each of these studies came to the same conclusion: people don’t want feel-good things to be sold to them by emphasizing their scientific advantages. However, they do want useful things to emphasize those scientific developments.

Aviva Phillip-Mueller, study co-author said: When pleasure and science are paired together, that feels disjointed to consumers and they aren’t interested in those kinds of products…It seems weird to have the coldness of science try to sell you something pleasurable.

The studies were on things as varied as the cookies in the headline but also smoothies, deodorant, and body wash. The cookie study took 500 students and asked them to rate three different cookie slogans. One slogan mentioned its “luscious chocolatey taste.” The other slogan was, “Scientifically developed to have a luscious chocolatey taste.” Participants rated the first option over the second by 30%.

On the useful product side, another study found that participants preferred a slogan that emphasized its useful properties developed by science, rather than how it smells or feels on the body.

The study also has results beyond marketing; concluding that perceptions about science influence people’s reactions to products with a scientific appeal. Another study co-author, Rebecca Reczek, said: People need a more realistic view of what scientists are really like and how science is a part of our everyday lives, including many of the products we use.

The study was published in the Journal of Consumer Research, and honestly, has made me hungry.

More Information

OSU press release

“Get Your Science out of Here: When Does Invoking Science in the Marketing of Consumer Products Backfire?“, Aviva Philipp-Muller, John P Costello, and Rebecca Walker Reczek, 2022 May 5, Journal of Consumer Research