Implicit reaction vs explicit emotional response: Protected designation of origin in apple cider

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to determine the implicit and explicit responses of consumers when evaluating two apple ciders of the same brand, being one of the samples a protected designation of origin (PDO) product. Samples were tested in blind conditions to determine if liking was different and was driven by the sensory properties. Then, brand images were also evaluated by consumers. Finally, the products were tested providing consumers with information about the specific cider that they were testing: showing the brand images during the test. The first phase of the study was designed to determine the implicit reaction of 52 consumers, recorded using biosensors capable of measuring skin conductance variations. For this phase, approximately 50% of consumers were familiar with the PDO logo, while the other 50% was not aware of the logo significance, and was clarified before the test. During the second phase of the study, the response of the consumers who were related with the logo significance was further investigated. A total of 65 consumers who were familiar with the PDO significance were recruited, and the same samples than in phase I were assessed. Liking, as well as emotions, using the EsSense25 lexicon, were documented. Significant differences were detected in arousal, and also in impact, between consumers groups. On the contrary, when studying the explicit response, liking and emotions were not significantly different for both cider samples. Implicit reaction might have indicated additional information which was lost when a rationalized response was provided.