P & G Rolls Out ‘Genetically Engineered’ Package Design.

Is there a “genetic code” for successful consumer products?

Procter & Gamble believes the answer is yes. The global consumer goods provider recently worked with Cambridge, Mass.-based Affinnova to revitalize the consumer packaging for one of its leading brands, Tampax. P&G wanted to help consumers distinguish the brand from imitators, while at the same time engaging them through a revitalized package design.

“To ensure a successful launch, P&G sought to incorporate the ‘voice of the consumer’ as early as possible in the process, and to identify the most compelling combination of package design and claim elements,” notes Jay Faberman, Associate Director, Consumer and Market Knowledge for P&G. “Using conventional methods, it would have been difficult to obtain in-depth yet broad based consumer feedback on a comprehensive range of design elements. Affinnova’s IDEA technology provided a viable solution.”

The basic principle of Affinnova’s solution is simple: Just as humanity evolves through “survival of the fittest,” so too can any concept, product, package design, or communications message.

In the genetic example, adaptation to environmental conditions determines survival. In the setting created by IDEA, consumer preferences create a “selection pressure” that determines which product designs will endure. Working with any number of consumers, from one to thousands, IDEA’s interactive genetic algorithm automatically turns their responses into the ideal version of the item under development.

For consumer-driven P&G, the idea of bringing the voice of the consumer so fully into the development process was extremely appealing. Its enthusiasm was further enhanced by the holistic, clear results, which allow for objective analysis and decision-making. Finally, they valued the solution’s ability to automatically create a visual image of the “best,” or most-preferred, version of the product. Altogether, these benefits made for an unusually high level of consensus around the new packaging, rolled out in December 2002.