w o r omor of t ew i in v 60

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1 in view of tomorrow 60

2 Sensory assessment and product individualization Mmm, that smells nice like spring. I love that refreshing feeling! In addition to purely rational considerations, sensory impressions, associations and feelings have always influenced consumers decisions to buy a specific product. Such subjective factors are, however, difficult to define. In order to track them down, Henkel researchers are systematically studying what makes consumers tick. The results are equally valuable for the development of innovative product concepts and effective market strategies. From feeling to product Washing with Persil, showering with Fa, bonding with Pritt: brand products from Henkel fulfill very specific functions. To ensure that they satisfy the highest quality standards, their chemical composition is precisely researched and continuously improved. Alongside this research into material-related product proper- ties, Henkel also carries out consumer-related sensory research. This will play an increasingly important role in ensuring future success, and the methods used are steadily being refined. Consumers do not usually have the equipment needed to analyze a product, so they have to rely on their five senses. They look, listen, 61

3 relatively rational grounds. Beyond this, however, it is also judged in the light of ideals of beauty, habits, experience, expectations and wishes. Henkel must also take into account that, as an international group, its products must appeal to different social groups with various ethnic and cultural backgrounds. In Japan, for example, suntanned skin is looked down upon, as the ideal of beauty is a white, two-dimensional face. Europeans, on the other hand, find this too masklike. This demonstrates the diffismell, taste and feel, and then decide whether or not they like the product. We are trying to reconstruct this perception process, which varies from consumer to consumer, from a scientific point of view, is how Dr. Peter Busch describes the task of his interdisciplinary Sensory Assessment team, which includes a chemist, two physicists, a pharmacist, a mathematician and a number of engineers and laboratory technicians. Holistic view of century did the strict separation of the observed and the observer gradually make room for a holistic way of looking at things. Henkel s sensory assessment studies look at how the physical and chemical properties of products are perceived as stimuli and how they are psychologically interpreted. Both conscious and unconscious mental reactions and processes are investigated. A face cream has to satisfy the purely functional requirement of facial care, of course, and consumers assess how well it does this on Different points of view: Cultural and ethnic differences influence how a product is perceived. product and consumer in view of tomorrow The sensory properties of products in general and brand products in particular play a major role in persuading consumers to buy them. All Henkel consumer products detergents, household cleaners, cosmetics, toiletries, and adhesives therefore undergo a sensory evaluation, to determine their exact effect on the human senses. The classic hair combing test, for example, is used to evaluate shampoos, conditioners, and hair treatments. Hair care products should make the hair easy to comb. This is tested with the help of volunteers who provide their subjective assessment, and by carrying out automatic resistance measurements on locks of test hair while a robot repeatedly combs them. People have actually been carrying out sensory assessment since the dawn of time for example, by sniffing and tasting their food. This approach is thus much older than the objective test procedures and knowledge acquisition methods that began to appear at the time of René Descartes and Isaac Newton in the 17th century and have dominated research and shaped our view of the world since then. Only in the 20th 62

4 culties involved in international product marketing. Linguistic analysis throws light on the world of perception An effective method of determining how consumers perceive a certain product is linguistic analysis. Speech is closely linked with perception, states Busch, and the greater a person s vocabulary, the greater is his or her ability to perceive. In the actual test, a volunteer is presented with a certain product, perhaps a hair gel, and asked to describe his or her spontaneous impressions. By compiling and analyzing the expressions used, the team learns a great deal about the feelings aroused by the products. The collected terms can be linguistically differentiated into hedonisms and diagnosticisms. This is basically true of all languages. Hedonisms are emotionally loaded value judgments such as good, cool or super which express whether the product is liked or not and are closely associated with a decision to buy or not to buy. Diagnosticisms are descriptive and differentiating terms, which provide information about how the properties and characteristics of products are perceived by the volunteers. If a product is expected to have certain properties and this expectation is not fulfilled, the product will be rejected. The use of hedonisms and diagnosticisms also sheds light on different consumer groups. Younger people use hedonisms more often, for example, as they have less experience of life and have not yet acquired a very differentiated vocabulary. Linguistic analysis also identifies semantic fields and preconceptions that play a special role in association with brand products. It has been proven that the success of a product largely depends on stimulating the right associations in consumers. For a manufacturer of brand products, this is naturally of considerable economic significance. Linguistic analyses based on sensory assessment provide important insights for market researchers and product developers. Measuring emotions with psychophysiological tests Sensory perception of products can also be measured in terms of Combability: Alongside automated measurement methods, subjective assessment is also of crucial importance. Emotional added value: Decisions to buy depend largely on sensory impressions. 63

5 physical reactions, which are usually unconscious. Special experiments and test methods have been developed to provide a comprehensive picture of such physiological reactions. The measuring instruments are similar to lie detectors and serve to detect emotional responses that occur when, for example, different types of bath foam are applied to the skin. The volunteers are connected to electrodes, making it possible to measure parameters such as skin conductivity, heart rate, and muscular movements at various points on the face and body. Frowns and smiles with which volunteers react to emotional sensory impressions can thus be precisely measured. The term objective emotional assessment is used to describe this type of test. In theory, this method could also be used to test emotional responses to product packaging, total product concepts, or even advertising campaigns, in addition to reactions to the product itself. Checks of physiological reactions in the laboratory at the product development stage enable us to predict whether or not a product will appeal to its intended target group, states Busch. Descriptive linguistics Growing trend toward product in view of tomorrow Branch of linguistics that is concerned mainly with the systematic nature and structure of language, focussing primarily on spoken language. Psychophysiology Field of experimental psychology, devoted to the study of physical and emotional reactions to sensory stimuli. Semantic field A term from semantics, which is the branch of linguistics that researches the meaning of words, sentences and texts. A semantic field contains all terms and statements associated with a specific field of meaning. Sensory assessment Systematic research into the relationship between products and how they are perceived by consumers. Tasting tests dominate in the food and beverage sectors, while odor and tactile tests play a major role for producers of cosmetics, household cleaners, and hygiene products. Sensory tests are also used by automotive manufacturers, e.g. to match the sound of a closing car door to buyers expectations. G L O S S A R Y individualization The importance of an exact knowledge of a product s emotional impact is reflected in the large amounts of money invested in this during the product innovation process. The primary objective is to satisfy the increasing demands of consumers in the developed industrial and information societies. The trend is toward product differentiation in line with individual consumer wishes and needs. This is illustrated by an example from the automotive industry. The buyer of a top-class limousine can select his or her preferred fittings and interior from among 13 million different options. This trend is rapidly spreading to all products and necessities of life. Schwarzkopf & Henkel has made a step in this direction by setting up a hair consultancy site on the Internet, for which the Sensory Assessment team provides the scientific background. The answers to specific questions about hair length, hair color, care habits, problems and skin type are analyzed by the software, which then recom- 64

6 mends a selection of the most suitable products. Such advisory services could also be set up for other applications, producing increasingly individualized recommendations. In the field of cosmetics, for example, the development of completely personalized formulations is conceivable. In theory, the specific care requirements could be determined with suitable analysis instruments. Product fragrances could be composed to suit indi- vidual tastes, and Henkel would be in a position to make products ideally tailored to the consumer. Such methods are very different from today s mass production, of course, and would present enormous challenges, especially in regard to logistics. Busch is certain, however, that anyone who wants to hold a leading position in tomorrow s markets must be prepared to take a close look at ideas that may now seem utopian. Hair advice on the Web: The consumer s individual needs are determined interactively. The analysis is followed by a personalized recommendation. Charting the interior world of the consumer Sensory product properties play a decisive role in consumers decisions to purchase brand products. The sensory effects of all Henkel consumer products detergents, household cleaners, cosmetics, toiletries, and adhesives are therefore systematically studied. Sensory assessment looks at how the physical and chemical properties of products are perceived as stimuli and how they are psychologically interpreted. Both conscious and unconscious mental reactions and processes are investigated. A face cream has to satisfy the purely functional requirement of facial care, of course, and consumers assess how well it does this on relatively rational grounds. Beyond this, however, it is also judged in the light of ideals of beauty, habits, experience, expectations and wishes. Henkel must also take into account the fact that, as an international group, its products have to appeal to different social groups with various ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The insights provided by sensory assessment are invaluable in shaping innovative product concepts and marketing strategies, not least in view of the trend toward product individualization and the influence of the Internet. The Sensory Assessment team (l. to r.): Dr. Thomas Gassenmeier Angela Brands Dr. Peter Busch Dr. Wolf Eisfeld Yvonne Willemsen T H E T E A M 65

7 Credits 66 Published by: Henkel KGaA, Düsseldorf Project Management: Dr. Rolf Schnakig, Dr. Ulrich Zeidler, Knowledge Management; Volker Krug, Petra Goldowski, Corporate Communications English Translation: ExperTeam, Neuss Scientific Consultants: Editing: Copy: Dipl.-Ing. Helmut Blum, Dr. Holger Wildt (combinatorics), Dr. Kai Böge (technical surfaces), Dr. Peter Busch (product individualization), Dr. Peter Christophliemk (nanotechnology), Dr. Thomas Förster (skin care), Dr. Norman Goldberg (computer-aided formulation), Dr. Stefan Müllner (biotechnology), Dr. Wolfgang von Rybinski (smart systems, molecular modeling) Volker Krug, Petra Goldowski, Corporate Communications; Dr. Rolf Schnakig, Dr. Ulrich Zeidler, Knowledge Management Peter Figge, Erkrath; Wolfgang Köhler, Düsseldorf; Jürgen Sterzenbach, Lindlar Design & Layout: Photos: Photo Credits: Illustrations: Design Agentur Achim Grintsch, Cologne Wilfried Wolter, Düsseldorf; Günter Pfannmüller, Frankfurt-am-Main Henkel archives Mauritius, Pictor, Superbild, Superstock, Tony Stone, ZEFA Rainer Ekkert, Essen; Design Agentur Achim Grintsch, Cologne Production Advisor: Klaus Dettmann, Langenfeld Lithos & Printwork: Universitätsdruckerei H. Stürtz AG, Würzburg Most of the product names mentioned in this publication are registered trademarks of Henkel KGaA, Düsseldorf PR /Mat-Nr.: ISBN X Printed on paper made from cellulose bleached without chlorine. This publication was bound with Purmelt QR 3366 IS adhesive from Henkel. For further information please contact: Corporate Communications Phone: +49-(0) Fax: +49-(0) Research & Development Publications Phone: +49-(0) Fax: +49-(0) Mailing address: Henkel KGaA F+E-Publikationen D Düsseldorf Germany Internet site:

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9 The cover illustration shows a nanostructure that was generated on the surface of a crystal. A special technique known as scanning tunnel microscopy makes it possible to view this structure at the atomic level.