You Hate What You Drink, You Love What You Don´t

Although a considerable amount of research into beer consumer behaviour has been conducted in several countries, no publicly available such study performed in Portugal has been found. The aim of this research is to understand young consumers' perceptions regarding six brands available in Portuguese retailers and to compare the results with other studies. In this research the author developed a conceptual framework and defined hypotheses, permitting an answer to the purpose of this investigation. Different techniques for collecting data such as surveys and experimentations were used and analysed statistically. The findings suggest that the presence of the brand and packaging are determinant in the formation of consumers' sensorial expectations and play a central role in consumers' evaluation, even if those attributes are not recognized as more important in consumers' perspectives. The majority of participants were unable to recognize their favourite brand in the blind-test evaluation, and the two brands that were rated in last positions in the survey climbed to the top when they were not identifiable, even if in consumers' perspectives the taste is the most important attribute when choosing a beer. The main beneficiaries of the research should be breweries and, more precisely, marketing and brand managers because it provides important insights into the attributes young consumers value most and suggests strategies for marketing and advertising campaigns. The research can also provide an academic contribution because it specifies the processes to conduct blind test experimentations and suggests further studies based on the investigation results.