Sensory Testing: Uses, Opportunities and Limits. Tracey Sanderson

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1 Sensory Testing: Uses, Opportunities and Limits Tracey Sanderson

2 Content Sensory properties, sensory claims and their importance Tools to support sensory claims Considerations for best practice What s new in the toolbox?

3 Is this true? Is this Puffery?...a promotional statement or claim that expresses subjective rather than objective views, which no "reasonable person" would take literally

4 What makes a sensory claim? A claim that is based on the sensory attributes of the product itself e.g. thickness; fragrance strength; orthe sensory attributes of the substrate (skin or hair) that it acts upon e.g. appearance of fine lines and wrinkles; shininess of hair.

5 Trained Sensory: Objective & Analytical Consumer Sensory: Subjective & Emotional

6 Trained Sensory: Objective & Analytical Consumer Sensory: Subjective & Emotional Types of Sensory Measures Objective claims are about product attributes.. Subjective claims are about liking and emotions...

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8 What can Sensory Claims Testing do?...in a nutshell What attributes does the product deliver and how much? What is the consumer perception of the product and its benefits?

9 Implicit measures Resonance/Credibility Qualitative Pack comms Discrimination Matching/Comparison Sensory Tool Box Consumer reaction: Like/dislike Performance Attribute rating Sensory Performance: Sensory characteristics Longevity

10 Discrimination Testing: Can a change be detected? Possible claim support applications: Absorbs faster than Less greasy than Longer lashes than Similarity with leading brand

11 Descriptive Methods: What sensory attributes? How much? Descriptive Sensory Methods: Generate descriptive terms & define (Lexicon) Create protocol Rate intensity of each term Compare data

12 Sensory Profiles of Shampoo Overall Softness (Dry) Body (dry) Ease of Spread Speed of Foam Amount of Foam Greasiness (dry) Tangliness Ease of combing (dry) Speed of Rinsing Advantages : quantitative; reproducible data; low cost Disadvantages : language and sensitivity may not be consumer representative.

13 What makes a good claims test? With the importance of reasonableness, the question remains, What is reasonable? Unfortunately, there is no specific answer to that question. The measure of reasonable depends on the company making the claim and its approach toward advertising.

14 Considerations for Best Practice designing a reasonable test Who? Sensory panellists trained in the product/technique Target consumers demographic; purchase behaviour How many Skin Care Products Skin Type Deodorants Armpit hair Shaving Products Frequency shave/wax Amount of hair Hair Care Products Hair Type Styling

15 Designing a reasonable test Who? Target consumers demographic; purchase behaviour; skin type; hair type Sensory panellists trained in the technique or attribute(s) of interest How many Where? In sensory booths At central location (halls, hotels, specialist facilities) In home In specialist situation e.g. hair salon How? Get the protocol right Representative of normal usage frequency and method; timescale of the test A comparative test or monadic? Cross over or single cell design Wash out (pre use and before each sample) Placebo effect Decide on the claim THEN design the test

16 Example tooth whitening This innovative product is a hydrogen peroxide free, fast dissolving tooth whitening strip that will whiten teeth up to 5 shade changes within just 2 weeks*. After just one course you will have noticeably whiterteeth. It is ideal as part of a smile maintenance programme and was highly recommended by our volunteers.

17 Procedure tooth whitening Desired claim : makes teeth 5 shades whiter after just one week. Who Number: 100 People who expressed an interest in tooth whitening and had teeth where whitening was likely to show a benefit; self assessment of a certain degree of whiteness or less. Design Self assessment of whiteness on day 0; independent assessment of whiteness by a dental nurse (Vita Shade); collect strips; show how to use them; No natural placebo important to have independent assessment. Home placement twice daily use for 10 days; diary questionnaire, daily recording of self assessed whiteness. On days 7 and 10, a series of agree/disagree scales e.g. my teeth look visibly whiter ; this product adds shine to my teeth ; this product removes stains. Visit to test centre on days 7 and day 10. Tooth whiteness independently assessed by the same dental nurse.

18 Summary Is your claim a sensory claim or a hedonic claim? Select the appropriate test Use the right people: sensory panellists; users Design a protocol that reflects typical or intended usage of the product Use a placebo or control where possible (especially in a non-comparative test) Analyse your data statistically to support your claim Evaluate the credibility of your claim refine wording

19 Thank you!