We recently gathered in Savannah at the Society of Sensory Professionals (SSP) annual conference, where we presented three posters:
- “Unfulfilled Aspirations: A New Mindset for Segmentation”
- “How Culinary & Sensory Combine to Jumpstart Innovation”
- “Sensory & Consumer Methods when Facing Reformulation Due to Supply Chain Changes”
Our team had a great time exploring the sessions, viewing the poster presentations, networking with colleagues and clients, and exploring the Savannah area.
The programming at this year’s SSP focused on the theme “Surviving to Thriving: Sensory Opportunity in a Decentralized Age”—celebrating the diversity of technologies, opinions, cultures, and methodologies that has enabled sensory and consumer science to thrive under adverse conditions. Many of the keynote speakers focused on leadership: how to empower self, how to “show up,” and how to lead by leaning into human connection.
A few of our team members attended the scientific session with Alexandra Kuzmina of MMR titled “Can augmented reality (AR) offer greater intimacy of physical presence for sensory research?” Alexandra explored the use of AR in remote quantitative research, concluding that although the technology shows promise for improving the quality of participant engagement, there are still significant roadblocks to feasibility.
Another interesting session highlighted by our team included “How personal relevance of a consumption environment impacts consumer evaluations of granola bars in VR” with Kym Man, Jeremy Patterson and Christopher Simons from Ohio State University. They discussed their recent study where they used a highly interactive, realistic 360° virtual reality (VR) system for consumers to evaluate four commercial granola bars on overall liking, attribute intensity, and Just-About-Right (JAR) of crispiness, chewiness, sweetness, and cereal flavor under two environments. The findings suggested that evaluating products in a more familiar setting allows consumers to draw more stable reference points for comparisons and acceptance. Interestingly, the Ohio State team’s hypothesis was that immersive experience would lead to higher consumer engagement, but this was not validated.
Overall, the theme we heard at the show was “it is so great to be back in-person” and we heartily concur! We had a great week in Savannah sharing our latest projects and experiences, and learning about what is going on in the arena of sensory science.
Want to see the three posters we presented at SSP?
Have questions about the posters presented at SSP? Reach out to us!
