Connecting sensory and behavioral science - a cheesy story.

An effective sensory analysis of a product reveals precisely how consumers perceive it, identifying subtle nuances and tracking any variations in its delivery across different seasons or changes in recipes or production methods.

Behavioral science delves into the consumer's interaction with the product category, explaining why they opt for a particular product and how they react to it.

Unfortunately, these two specialities are often not interconnected in a comprehensive manner.

How does a consumer's past experiences and perceptions of both the product category and brand influence their expectations of the product?

And how do the individual elements of their sensory journey either meet or fail to meet these expectations?

Which specific aspects of their consumption experience—their sensory journey—affect their emotional response to the brand, and why?

When these two disciplines are effectively linked, it reshapes the perception of the brand. It enables a deeper understanding of which sensory elements are crucial to specific aspects of consumer behavior, leading to more effective communication strategies and product development.

We worked with a major UK dairy company with a successful Cheddar Cheese brand. While they were enjoying growth and market share gains, they recognized the need for brand expansion beyond Cheddar to sustain growth.

Their cheese was noted for its "smoother" taste compared to competitors, a key part of their success. But what did this really mean, and how could they extend it into new products?

By analyzing the sensory profiles of their cheese and competitors' offerings, we uncovered how these sensory experiences shaped consumers' emotional journeys.

We pinpointed which features prompted specific responses and why, mapping out the sequence and intensity of emotional reactions and their overall impact on consumer perception.

By aligning the sensory and emotional journeys, we clarified what consumers meant by "smoother taste" and why it mattered emotionally. This insight guided the brand extensions toward mild cheddars and children's products.

But there was a problem: The client already had an extra mature brand extension. Now that we understood the Emotional Journey of the brand, it didn't seem like a good idea, although we didn't know how well it was selling.

So, I went over our findings with the client to talk about why the Extra Mature brand extension might not be working as expected.

As I explained the consumers’ emotional journey with this brand and how and why it was prompted by the sensorial cues, the Marketing Director chimed in, saying, "That's why the Extra Mature product isn't doing well. We should focus on milder products instead."

?

Our client had a solid grasp of their product's sensory attributes and consumer responses, but it was the clear connection between sensory experiences and emotional responses that provided the breakthrough insight.

Now armed with a range of mild and children's cheese products informed by this understanding, the brand has embarked on its next phase of growth with ??confidence.

If you liked this article, you can read more here

?

Chris Lukehurst is a Consumer Psychologist and a Director at The Marketing Clinic:

Providing Clarity on the Psychological relationships between consumers and brands

?

?

?