From Mouth to Mind: Reverse-Engineering Concept and Creative based on the Sensorial Eating Experience

Session Details: Concept tests can fail in two ways: reward concepts that read well but disappoint in market, or undervalue concepts that under-index in research yet succeed on shelf. Ferrara hit the second with Nerds Gummy Clusters in the UK, and wanted forward learnings for the future launches of Nerds and other beloved candy brands.
This session shows how Ferrara and Conveo reverse-engineered the validation process, starting from the sensorial reality of pack and tasting and working back to the product concept. 50 UK consumers bought a Nerds Gummy Clusters SKU, and then in an AI-moderated interview showed the pack and tasted the product on camera, commenting in the moment rather than from recall. Multi-modal video captured verbal and non-verbal reactions. The work uses AI to talk to real people, not synthetic personas.
Audience takeaways
1. Reverse-engineered concept validation, using the lived eating experience as the benchmark for the demo, the advertisement, and the concept, building forward learnings
2. In-moment feedback that replaces incomplete recall with first-hand sensorial description
3. A practical framework for where AI-led research adds value over alternative methods