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Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice: US Wants More Pumpkin Spice, Study Finds

The impact of pumpkin spice is not limited to the financial and business realms. According to the study, "pumpkin spice is a source of deeper physiological and psychological connection"

NBCUniversal Media, LLC

What to Know

  • A recent study from Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University revealed that people want more pumpkin spice.
  • Montclair State University's study highlights the cultural impact that pumpkin spice -- the distinctive "blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves" -- has on society, particularly among millenials.
  • However, the impact of pumpkin spice is not limited to the financial and business realms. According to the study, "pumpkin spice is a source of deeper physiological and psychological connection."

Fall is here, which means that pumpkin spice is everywhere -- from food to drinks to home products.

The distinctive blend even has its own day! (For those wondering, National Pumpkin Spice Day is Saturday.)

However, despite the ubiquity of pumpkin spice, a recent study from Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University revealed that people want more.

According to the Montclair State University's study, out of the roughly 20,000 Twitter and Instagram posts containing the words "pumpkin spice" or the hashtag #pumpkinspice that were analyzed, more than half (55%) of these posts were positive, while 37% were considered neutral and only 8% were negative.

The study also looked at Google Trends and found that the search for "pumpkin spice" is on track to create more internet activity this year than ever before.

Additionally, according to Montclair State University's study, pumpkin spice services and products are so popular that many small businesses are "trendjacking" by using the term "pumpkin spice" or other related hashtags to sell or drive interests in products that are unrelated to the fall flavor/smell.

“The power of pumpkin and pumpkin spice is clear in the data,” Assistant Professor of Advertising Jin-A Choi, who is one of the faculty members who assisted in conducting the study. “While many assume the topic is polarizing, the vast majority of the social media data we analyzed showed that America and a wide range of companies continue to want more pumpkin spice.”

However, the impact of pumpkin spice is not limited to the financial and business realms. According to the study, "pumpkin spice is a source of deeper physiological and psychological connection."

Montclair State University's study highlights the cultural impact that pumpkin spice -- the distinctive "blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves" -- has on society, particularly among millennials.

"Commonly attributed to the 2003 introduction of “Pumpkin Spice Latte” by the Starbucks company (Nosowitz, 2022), the flavor and market utilization of pumpkin spice branding has been enduring in terms of culture and consumption.  Identification of the impetus for pumpkin spice to become a staple of seasonal transition can be explained by a range of consumer motivations. Millennial preferences appear to be a significant driving factor towards pumpkin spice enthusiasm (Hoffower, 2021). The introduction of the pumpkin spice latte would correspond to the time period where millennials were emerging as a consumer group," the study reads in part.  

According to Montclair State University's study, part of the popularity of pumpkin spice foods and smell, has to do with the nature of pumpkin spice seasonal availability and also because there are positive feelings associated with the smell and taste of the blend.

"The FOMO [fear of missing out] effect on consumer behavior is profound, leading to purchases driven by the perceived time bound nature of pumpkin spice availability. Notably, research on the psychological effects of the smell/taste aspects of pumpkin spice indicates that the additional sensory dimension of the trend leads to associative feelings of nostalgia and warmth (Rosen, 2021)," the study reads in part.

According to Montclair State University, although enthusiasm for pumpkin spice remains high, analysts forecast the trend growing in 2022 due to the pandemic, given that there was "lost shared cultural connection during the COVD-19 pandemic and the desire to participate in communal consumption linked to previous experiences (Hoffower, 2021).  As the consumption of baked goods, coffee, and gatherings related to the fall season were denied to many during the COVID-19 pandemic, the essential element of human connections that are associated with certain consumption behaviors are now top-of-mind for many people (Bauer & Mills, 2021).  With pumpkin spice nostalgically linked to such behaviors, it is unsurprising that growth in an already established trend may be a part of 2022."

The university's research even goes on to say that pumpkin spice may achieve a cultural identifying marker similar to turkey at Thanksgiving or chocolate on Valentine's Day.

"Researchers should explore the extent to which pumpkin spice interest becomes a fully accepted ritualized cultural behavior.  Seasonal events typically have culturally identified markers that extend their impact, from turkey at Thanksgiving to chocolate on Valentine’s Day.  Trends suggest that pumpkin spice may be attaining a similar cultural longevity related to the fall season," the study reads.

Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication, which conducted the study, is Montclair State University -- School of Communication's latest addition. The center provides social media analytics tools and training for faculty and students for classroom learning and research projects. 

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