Scientific Technique Measures Emotional Impact of P-O-P

San Diego -- A proprietary, qualitative research technique called Body Talk, developed by Sensory Logic, uses applied psychophysiology -- better known as biofeedback -- to get at what participants can't or won't say in a focus group."Even the most effective focus group leader can't determine how a participant really feels about a particular stimulus when the participant himself may not know," says Sensory Logic President Dan Hill, Ph.D. "What we do is use proven scientific techniques to measure a participant's involuntary bodily responses to a stimulus. Since the participant cannot consciously control these responses, they are much more accurate indicators of both the impact and the appeal of the stimulus than verbal responses could ever be."Smiles, Frowns and SweatThe technique involves placing a small flexible band around the participant's hand, a small patch over the eyebrow and another on the cheek. "It is well-documented that one of the body's involuntary responses to a stimulus is activation of the sweat glands," Hill explains. "The greater the impact of the stimulus, the greater the response."The small band around the participant's hand measures the electrical conductivity of the skin, which is directly proportional to the amount of moisture produced by the sweat glands, and correlates with the impact of the stimulus. The small patch over the eyebrow measures the contraction of the muscles that produce a frown (corrugator response), while the patch on the cheek monitors those that produce a smile (zygomatic response). The ratio of smile to frown correlates with the appeal of the stimulus.The technique is based on what Hill says are the latest scientific findings. "Until about the mid-1980s, most scientists thought that a purchase decision, which is actually an emotional response to a stimulus, occurred only after a process of conscious and unconscious thought, and that it was heavily influenced by memories already stored in the brain," Hill says. "More current research, however, indicates that a purchase decision is actually a three-part process in which the brain first receives a set of sensory impressions, attaches emotional significance to those impressions, then decides whether or not to make the purchase. Much of the thinking that follows is merely rationalization to make unconscious responses to perceptions acceptable to the conscious mind. Most researchers, however, focus only on the conscious response and completely ignore the emotional responses that so heavily influence the decision."One reason for this, of course, is that until recently, they did not have the tools to measure emotional responses. "Today, however, with accurate sensing devices and powerful computers, we have all the tools we need," Hill says. "In fact, we can measure the impact and appeal of an entire display or just a portion of it and compare the responses with those to alternative designs."This does not mean that Hill and his colleagues ignore the conscious portion of the purchase decision. Rather, after participants are tested one-on-one, using four to 10 stimuli during 25-minute sessions, they are interviewed both individually and in groups. "The data we obtain by combining measurement of involuntary responses with analysis of rational thought correlate very closely with the real world success or failure of the brands we have studied," notes Hill.Getting Into Wal-MartOne recently completed project involved comparing two 8-foot displays for a new line of Disney-themed colors being introduced by paint manufacturer Sherwin-Williams. "We used Sensory Logic to compare alternate ways of presenting paint colors within the displays," says Rich Davis, Sherwin-Williams' manager of market research, consumer products. "We also compared alternative covers for our Color Card brochure. Based on the responses, we selected one that was light and humorous versus another that was more businesslike."The data generated were used not only to make internal decisions, but also to gain the acceptance of the Disney people, according to Davis. "It also helped us put together a really hard-hitting presentation to target accounts," notes Stu Bedford, Sherwin-Williams director of new business development. "That's one of the things that helped get us into Wal-Mart, which was one of our key targets."Since working with Sherwin-Williams and other clients, generating data in a controlled laboratory environment, Sensory Logic has developed a mobile biofeedback testing device that allows the participant to react to a display in an actual retail store setting. "The unit is about the size of a Sony Walkman," says Hill. "The participant straps it onto his or her body before entering the store. The device that measures the smile response looks like a handless cellular phone headset, while the device that measures the frown response looks like a golf visor. A tiny camera under the visor records what the participant is actually looking at."The advantage of the mobile testing technique is that the person being tested can function in a real- life situation, just as an ordinary shopper would. "Anyone watching sees only another person wearing a cell phone headset," notes Hill, "so the participant never feels self-conscious or embarrassed. The only disadvantage is that we can't control the variables as well as we can in the laboratory. We can use either or both techniques, however, depending on the type of data the client is looking for."Hill started Sensory Logic in 1998, after researching the concept for two years. "I did focus groups for a large electric and gas utility in New Jersey," he notes, "but I was unhappy with the results. I thought there must be some way to generate more actionable responses. After talking with some experts in the field, we developed Body Talk. We have applied for three patents and, so far, are the only company doing this type of testing."

Scientific Technique Measures Emotional Impact of P-O-P

P2PI MEMBERS

JOIN P2PI

Related Images

Business Topic