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Marketers have always known that packaging is important to consumer decision-making, but only recently have they begun to grapple with the way that colour, texture, sounds and shapes can actually alter the way that we experience flavour. Oxford University professor of experimental psychology Charles Spence has been studying this effect for the last 15 years, sharing his insights with multinational companies, the European Space Shuttle and the chef Heston Blumenthal. His ideas are now filtering through to the mainstream – influencing a new generation of beverage can designers, who are experimenting with tactile coatings, removable can ends, and novel shapes and sizes.“There’s more innovation in the marketplace now,” Spence says. “You just have to look at all the new shapes of cans and bottles in the➤ EUROPEAN CAN MARKET REPORT 2016 05SENSORY PACKAGING