SensoGram 1: You Can't Drink an Image Image building is an important part of marketing.  Good imagery entices the consumer to buy and try.  But product quality is also critical; it induces the consumer to rebuy. If a product is failing, it can be difficult to isolate the cause. Below are scores from a SensoMetrics evaluation of two soft drinks, A and B.  The test involved independent evaluations of brand image alone (no product), product alone (no branding), and image + product (branded tasting).   Product A is a clear winner on brand image.  Its score of 86 is outstanding.  B, however, is a slightly better product (blind tasting).  What happens in the branded tasting, when consumers perceive both imagery and actual product? We see that B still holds the edge.  A's big advantage in imagery has counted for very little. Further research showed that A suffers a flavour defect - specifically, it tends to evoke an off-flavour (see chart below).  If this continues, A's popularity will steadily decline.  This flavour defect has nullified the image advantage; some of A's image-building budget would be better spent on product improvement.    This is a common finding: when we actually come to use a product, product quality outweighs brand imagery.  Over time, the best way to build a good image is to build a good product. It matters not whether we talk food, drink, personal products... even cars!  The American automotive guru, Lee Iacocca, observed: "Styling and value are what sells cars, but quality is what keeps them sold.  When it comes to the public's perception of quality, advertising can't do the job for you.  The only solution is to build good products, price them competitively, and then go out and service them.  If you can do those things, the public will start beating a path to your door." The key is to be able to measure product imagery and actual product quality in a precise and reliable way.  This is a feature of SensoMetrics research.  You get to know the strengths and weaknesses of a product, and how to optimize the allocation of your resources.