Diary of Sensory Evaluation events

21- 23 April 2009
ASTM E-18 Spring Committee Meeting ASTM April 2009 Committee Week meeting of E-18, on Sensory Evaluation. Preregistration cut-off date is April 15, 2009. Hyatt Regency Vancouver; Vancouver, BC, Canada Target audience: Beginner Further information: http://www.astm.org or enter “E18-Sensory Evaluation” in the ASTM meetings page. 22 April 2009 “Sensory and Consumer Research in a Global Marketplace” ASTM Webinar Registration by 15 April 2009-03-30 www.asrm.org.MEETINGS/COMMIT/e19symp0409.htm

22-26 April, 2009
Association for Chemoreception Sciences AchemS XXXI Annual Meeting Hyatt Sarasota, Florida, USA www.achems.org

27 April 2009
Professional Food Sensory Group (PFSG) Conference ‘Measure for Measure’ Fairlawns Hotel and Conference Centre, Aldridge, West Midlands, WS9 0NU United Kingdom A full day programme examining what we capture when we use different scales in Sensory and Consumer Science.
Contact Dr Tracey Hollowood: Tel 01332 814124; tracey@sensorydimensions.com

6-9 June 2009
IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California, United States Further information: http://www.am-fe.ift.org/cms/
Pre-IFT courses: 5 – 6 June 2009 Descriptive Analysis in Sensory Evaluation

9-11 June 2009
Sensory Analysis Techniques –A practical introduction
Leatherhead Food International, United Kingdom
www.leatherheadfood.com

11 June, 2009
Introduction to sensory analysis short courseCampden BRI, United Kingdomtraining@campden.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1386 842104

23 – 24 June 2009
Six Steps to Sensory Evaluation short course
Dept of Food Science, University of Pretoria
Contact marise.kinnear@up.ac.za Tel: 012-420 3238

24 – 26 June 2009
Congress cosmetic and sensory – from neuroscience to marketing
Vinci International Convention Center
Tours, France
www.cosmeticandsensory.com

25 July, 2009
One day course "Landscape Segmentation Analysis® and Other Tools for Product and Concept Testing"Organizer: The Institute for Perception www.ifpress.comLocation: The Grand Hotel, Florence, Italy

26 – 30 July 2009
8th Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium Florence, Italy www.pangborn2009.com

18 - 19 August 2009
Six Steps to Training a Descriptive Sensory Panel short course
Dept of Food Science, University of Pretoria
Contact marise.kinnear@up.ac.za Tel: 012-420 3238

7-10 September, 2009
Sensory Evaluation workshop
Campden BRI United Kingdom
training@campden.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1386 842104

2 - 3 November 2009
Consumer Sensory Evaluation: Step by step short course
Dept of Food Science, University of Pretoria
Contact marise.kinnear@up.ac.za Tel: 012-420 3238

3 November 2009
Foundation Certificate in Sensory Principles
Leatherhead Food International, United Kingdom
www.leatherheadfood.com

December 2009
Australasian Association for ChemoSensory Science (AACSS)Annual Scientific MeetingHeron Island, Great Barrier Reef, AustraliaContact: g.bell@atp.com.au

22 – 26 August 2010
IUFoST 15th World Congress of Food Science and Technology
Cape Town, South Africa
www.iufost2010.org.za

Consumer decision-making

A different perspective?

Consumer decision-making models within the
discipline of consumer science: a critical approach
Source:
http://www.up.ac.za/saafecs/vol29/erasmus.pdf


"Consumer behaviour1 and consumer decision-making2
have become prominent research topics in the various
fields of consumer science in recent years. Consumer
science includes the former discipline of home economics
and refers to a discipline that evolves around
consumer behaviour and decision making concerning
foods and nutrition, clothing and textiles, housing and
interior merchandise in everyday living in order to
meet basic and higher order needs for physical, psychological,
socio-psychological and financial satisfaction
in a complex micro and macro environment. Of
specific importance is that buying and consumer decision-
making are complicated as a result of external
influences that have to be handled within an internal
frame of reference that has come about through consumer
socialization (that may be/have been restricted).
Consumer behaviour within the discipline of
consumer science focuses on consumption behaviour3
where the humane aspect of decision making
and purchasing is of major importance as opposed to
buyer behaviour - the domain of the marketing and
business professionals who wish to understand buyer
behaviour (Schiffman & Kanuk, 2000:5)."

Read more at:
http://www.up.ac.za/saafecs/vol29/erasmus.pdf


cmblignaut@ewklibrary.com
CMB Consultants for Innovation Management

Can you afford not to use sensory research?

Benefits of sensory research

Many company executives will surely agree that sensory research can benefit an organization in numerous ways and help pave the way to more successful products. Such generalized statements seem to be yesterdays’ news. Somewhere along the line the urgency and truth of this message appears to have gotten lost – until now. International consultants are starting to warn companies that their excessive emphasis on price and neglect of a products’ sensory attributes are coming back to haunt many brands. It is becoming clear that negligence and ignorance regarding the sensory appeal of products may damage the brand image and even lead to brand failure. Research published by IMI International in 2006 confirmed that the sensory characteristics of a product are still one of the key motivational drivers for consumers. When consumers were asked 'What makes a new food or beverage product great?', sensory attributes were the most mentioned. In other FMCG categories, sensory attributes were also amongst the top scorers. Even in personal care products, a product's sensory appeal followed closely on the heels of product effectiveness as most important characteristic. In household care, sensory attributes was the third mentioned feature.

How should we interpret these facts?
In the past, sensory research was largely viewed as ‘product testing’, determining customer preference, -acceptability or –liking. Now, more companies seem to be looking to more robust sensory research to add value to their decision-making process and strengthen their brands. Simultaneously, companies are increasingly moving their sensory research allocation from marketing to the technical budget, ensuring a stronger emphasis on actionable information aimed at product development, and more. The reasons for this move seem to be the following:
· Food and beverage manufacturers are increasingly under pressure from marketing, sales and distribution channels to innovate and grow categories and brands, not only to get the product right, but to convince retailers that a product is different and worth listing.
· Today's shoppers are confronted by countless options even when buying everyday items. Thus it is essential for manufacturers to make products stand out at point of selection, purchase and consumption.
· Sensory research can assist companies in finding a competitive advantage where conventional market research may fall short. An excellent example comes from the automotive sector where reliability and safety used to be key selling points. Now that all manufacturers address these essential characteristics, companies are looking to sensory attributes to provide a point of difference. Sensory attributes such as the smell of a car interior, the touch of the dials, comfort in the driver's seat or the sound of the motor are determined, valued and used to distinguish different automobiles and enhance the brand and marketing message.

It is no different in the FMCG sector. Companies have to pay more attention to consumer- and client interaction with product characteristics to ensure a brands’ competitive edge. This requires exhaustive sensory input as early as possible in the development process. The information thus acquired differs from conventional market research and consumer insight in many respects. In the early phase of development, creative combinations of qualitative and quantitative consumer research techniques yield more insightful data than either type, or market research alone. As such, it saves development time and money, while increasing speed to market of products that will not only compete on price, but will become a part of consumer brand perception. Food and beverage products have a special advantage, since they engage all the senses. It is easier to appeal to multiple senses in the formulation and branding of such products to ensure brand loyalty right from the start. When a product and brand can connect with a customer on more than one sensory level, a stronger connection is formed between the consumer, brand and product while love and trust for the brand is enhanced.

Until now, many companies seem to have been unsure about the role of sensory science in brand success, while others have been debating whether they can actually afford it. With the reality of shorter development cycles and more pressure on brands, it seems that companies may pay a heavy price when they ignore valuable sensory insights. The question is indeed, ‘Can you afford NOT to use sensory research’?

Lorraine Geel
Consumers in Focus
lorraine@consumersinfocus.co.za

Sensory Forum committee

The committees are captured here under 'comments':