It is widely recognised that there is correlation between sensory congruency and overall product liking, especially in the context of food and drink products. A range of factors can contribute to a sense of congruency with a product, including the atmospherics within which it is consumed.

In preparation for the launch of Carte Noire Instinct (CNI), MMR and Kraft Foods UK conducted a two-stage research process to optimise the CNI drinking experience by influencing room atmospherics. A research process was developed to understand which stimuli within each of four sensory modalities (vision, odour, touch and sound) had the highest degree of congruence with the sensory qualities of CNI. Through a series of informal tasting sessions, the key sensory qualities of CNI were identified, and it was against these that the stimuli were evaluated. Using a qualitative technique involving sensory articulate consumers, the stimuli were pre-screened and the four most suitable from each modality taken forward for quantitative evaluation. Consumers scaled each of the stimuli based on their perceived congruence with the sensory qualities of CNI. Emotional and functional associations were recorded for the CNI product and for each stimulus, to assist in our understanding of the links between CNI and the stimuli.

This presentation describes the methodology and findings, and explores the future opportunities for product optimisation through the use of sensory congruency and atmospherics.