Relationship Between Brand Presence and Emotions on Overall Acceptance and Purchase Intent of Commercial Chicken Noodle Soup

This study examined the influence of brand presence and discrete emotions on consumer acceptance and purchase intent of commercial chicken noodle soups. A total of 324 evaluations across three soup categories (chunky, low-sodium, condensed) were conducted under blind and unblinded conditions using a 42-term emotion lexicon. Brand presence did not exert moderate-to-large effects, though subtle brand-specific differences cannot be excluded. Instead, three emotions, "satisfied," "disgusted," and, for condensed soups, "bored," emerged as the strongest predictors, together explaining a substantial proportion of variance in liking and purchase intent. Many other positive emotions clustered around "satisfied," highlighting a parsimonious set of dominant drivers. Quiet positive emotions such as contentment, peacefulness, and warmth consistently aligned with both acceptance and purchase intent. These findings extend prior research by showing that consumer responses consolidate around a limited set of emotions, underscoring that evoking subtle, self-focused positive feelings may be more effective in comfort food marketing and product development than reliance on brand identity or nostalgia.