Study of self-reported emotions and facial expressions on consumer acceptability of the energy drinks : A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Food Innovation at Lincoln University

Abstract

Emotional responses elicited by food products are of great interest for marketing professionals and new product developers, as consumer acceptance of the product has been proved to be linked to the emotional response provoked by the product in the consumers. An emotional measurement is a reliable tool which helps in differentiating between the products of the same nutritive value, taste and price. The emotional response elicited by the food product’s taste, recognition of the brand, and the packaging. There are many methods to measure emotions: physiological methods, self-reporting verbal emotion, self-reporting visual emotion measurement, and facial studies. Two studies: 1) tasting session of energy drinks (Rockstar energy drink and V Guarana energy drink) and 2) visual observations of the original and redesigned labels of the energy drinks were conducted. During the tasting session, consumers assessed the liking (9-point hedonic scale), and emotions (EsSense Profile® - CATA questionnaire). Facial expressions of panellists were assessed using Affectiva Affdex software in order to ascertain the unconscious emotional responses elicited by the products. For labels, only liking and self-reported emotions were assessed by the panellists. The familiarity and purchase intent were also assessed in both sessions. The result shows a significant difference in liking between the two brands of energy drink during the tasting session. Rockstar energy drink was liked more than V Guarana energy drink during the tasting session. Facial reactions study indicated a higher level of involvement from the consumer with the preferred product. In the case of labels, panellists liked and were more familiar with original labels than with the redesigned labels of the energy drinks. In conclusion, the study showed the impact of familiarity, liking and emotions on the acceptability and purchase behaviour of the consumers towards energy drinks. The results will also help in better understanding of the effect of unconscious responses on the acceptability of the product.