Ding, Liu, and Xu probe sensory associations to gender. They report that “the present research empirically documents the association between gender and taste. . . . Across four studies, we demonstrate that feminine and sweet are cognitively associated (Study 1), and accordingly, products launched by a feminine brand are perceived to be sweeter than those launched by a masculine brand (Study 2). Furthermore, a feminine (vs. masculine) brand leads to a higher preference for its sweet (vs. unsweet) products. . . . the congruence effect between brand gender and product taste holds for traditional brands but is attenuated [reduced] for innovative brands (Study 4).”
Ying Ding, Yanzcheng Liu, and Sunxu Xu. “How Brand Gender Affects Consumer Preference for Sweet Food: The Role of the Association Between Gender and Taste.” Psychology and Marketing, in press, https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21978