More than a quarter of global consumers (27%) consider food and drink to be appealing if it is advertised for consumption at a specific time of day, according to Canadean.

The companys latest report states that while demographic segmentation is commonly used in food and drink marketing, brands are increasingly launching products for consumption at particular times of the day.

Tanvi Savara, consumer insight analyst at Canadean, says, "Habitual consumers respond well to daypart specific launches from their preferred brands. Results from Canadeans global consumer survey, conducted across 31 countries in Q4 2015, show that nearly a third of regular soft drink consumers find time specific products appealing.

"Similarly, 34% of regular snackers find themselves tempted by products advertised for consumption at a specific time of the day."

Although time specific products currently appeal very strongly to those who are brand loyal, opportunities do exist for manufacturers to target a wider consumer base.

Savara adds, "Brands seeking to leverage time of day positioning successfully should not just identify the daypart for which a product is formulated, but also address the purchase motivations that are most relevant for that daypart, through formulation and marketing. For example, consumers are more likely to snack on health oriented choices such as fruit and yogurt earlier in the day, wheras indulgence is more likely to be an influence towards the end of the day, with chocolate or savoury snacks preferred late at night."