HOW CAN NEURO RESEARCH BE USED TO BETTER PREDICT THE SUCCESS OF A TASTE OR FRAGRANCE ?

Ludovic Depoortere – ROGIL SENSORY & MARKETING RESEARCH

SENSORY RESEARCH 3.0

PEOPLE MAKE CHOICES RATHER UNCONSCIOUSLY

UNCONSCIOUS BEHAVIOUR = DRIVEN BY EMOTION

“DO AS I DO, NOT AS I SAY”

Neuro-research investigates product empathy and product memory.

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Neuro-research captures short and long term impact of product characteristics.

Neuro-research measures instant arousal (Activation), overall relevance and embedded associations (implicit attitudes) to brands and products.

*(Vickers et al., 1998; chung et al., 2007; zandstra et al., 2000), complexity (berlyne, 1970; jellinek et al., 1979, 1983; levy et al., 2006), or arousal (dember & earl, 1957)

CAN NEURO HELP TO BETTER PREDICT PRODUCT SUCCES ?!

IT HAS BEEN ESTIMATED THAT 70-80% OF NEW PRODUCT INTRODUCTIONS FAIL WITHIN 1 YEAR AFTER LAUNCH!

INITIAL LIKING OF BLIND PRODUCT DOES NOT GUARANTEE LIKING OVER REPEATED EXPOSURE DUE TO CHANGES IN OPTIMAL LEVEL OF INTENSITY*.

OVERVIEW OF NEURO-MARKETING TOOLS

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COMPLEXITY

INFORMATION DEPTH

Reaction Times (RT)

Electro- Encephalogram

(EEG) Galvanic Skin

Response (GSR)

fMRI

Facial coding Eye-tracking

THE ADDED VALUE IS IN THE MIX

NEURO RESEARCH

VERBAL QUANT

VERBAL QUALI

OBSER- VATION

WHAT DOES ROGIL MEASURE ?

EEG GSR ET RT

EEG & GALVANIC SKIN RESPONSE EYE-TRACKING

REACTION TIME MEASUREMENT

THE TEST PRODUCTS ARE ALSO PROFILED

VIA QDA – EXPERT PANEL

RESEARCH PROCEDURE

SENSORY STIMULATION

BIOMETRIC MEASUREMENT

CONSCIOUS & SUBCONSCIOUS EVALUATION - RT

Respondents taste the tested product by eating a small piece of it, drinking a sip of beverage, or smell a prepared sample. The brand of tested product is not known till the end of the study.

Biometric reactions are measured for 20 seconds after eating/drinking. The most important is „the mental aftertaste” – in other words what trace the product is leaving in the brain after the first bite/sip.

Respondents’ conscious opinions as well as automatic, subconscious reactions are measured on the given attributes.

WE TESTED A WIDE VARIETY OF PRODUCTS WITH NEURO-RESEARCH

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FINDINGS

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FINDING 1:

OUR BRAIN SHOWS HUGE DIFFERENCES IN EMOTIONAL REACTION TOWARDS

‘BLIND’TESTED PRODUCTS

OUR BRAIN RESPONDS MORE POSITIVE TO SWEETER PRODUCTS

RELEVANCE INDEX

-15

RELEVANCE INDEX

+38

DIFFERENCE IN POSITIVE BRAIN REACTION IS OBVIOUS

HIGH

LOW

COW

MIL

K

HIGH

LOW

BELL

E-V

UE

THE TASTE PROFILE OF CHERRY BEER (SWEET, INTENSE & PRONOUNCED) IS TRIGGERING THE BRAIN INTENSELY. PRODUCTS WHICH INDULGE, HAVE A LONG LASTING EFFECT IN THE BRAIN: KRIEK & CHOCOLATE DO SO , MILK LESS…

COLOR Deep bright red

AROMA Intense aroma of red cherry sweets

TASTE Pronounced cherry taste

FINDING 2:

MEN AND WOMEN’S BRAIN REACT DIFFERENLTY TOWARDS PRODUCTS

THE BITTER TONES OF BLACK CHOCOLATE IS MORE ENGAGING FOR MEN

RELEVANCE (EEG), ACTIVATION (GSR)

THE SOFT TONES OF MILK CHOCOLATE IS MORE ENGAGING FOR WOMEN

RELEVANCE (EEG), ACTIVATION (GSR)

FINDING 3:

IT ALSO WORKS ON NON-FOOD: OUR BRAIN DOES REACT DIFFERENLTY

ON FRAGRANCE OF FABRIC SOFTENERS

TESTED FRAGRANCES (BLIND SNIFF)

LENOR EINDELOOS FRIS

(ENDLESS FRESH)

ROBIJN PUUR & ZACHT

(PURE AND SOFT)

SILAN FRIS LENTEGEVOEL

(FRESH SPRING FEELING)

FRAGRANCES OBJECTIVE PROFILE

FRAGRANCE

More intense fragrance.

Very light floral. Some green keys.

touch of soap.

Softer and more powdery scent.

Smelling something reminiscent of (soft) soap, baby powder…

Fresh and perfumed Nature perfume

(some flowery, very light fruity).

Slightly more artificial.

MEN REACT MORE POSITIVE ON ROBIJN FRAGRANCE, WHILE WOMEN REACT POSTIVE ON SILAN’S FRAGRANCE

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU?

ITS NOT ONLY ABOUT VERBAL LIKING: NEURO RESEARCH CAN HELP DETECTING THE MOST RELEVANT PRODUCT PROFILE FOR YOUR BRAND