MICHELLE NIEDZIELA 
HCD Research, Flemington, USA

Marketing and R&D teams often work in silos, contributing to a high failure rate of new market introductions and product ingredient changes and modifications, despite initial successful testing with traditional consumer research. A mismatch between product experience and brand expectations can lead to challenges to product acceptability and liking, begging the development of new approaches and methodologies that can offer more insightful consumer understanding of synergistic effects. 

The most powerful competitive advantage a brand has is its unique personality, setting it apart from competitors and distinguishing products to consumers. Improper alignment of the product experience to consumer expectations of that unique personality leads to consumer disappointment. Understanding the synergistic perceptions of your brand AND your products can provide for better business decision making when it comes to both product design of new innovations and ingredient changes. 

Recently, at the Society for Sensory Professionals annual meeting (2018), a speaker, who was t ...