If U.S. manufacturers, marketers and branding experts want to know if consumers are emotionally connecting with their products, then they can look to the results of the Most Memorable New Product Launch survey, conducted by Sentient Decision Science and Schneider Associates. The 2013 MMNPL survey uses cutting edge research methodologies to measure emotional connections consumers have to new products. The top 10 products that ranked highest over their competitors have consumers exactly where brands want them: significantly more likely to purchase products that evoke a positive emotional connection.

2013 Most Memorable New Product Launch Top 10 Announced (Photo: Business Wire)

And the results may shock you.

The highest ranked product launches in the 2013 MMNPL survey are Windows 8 (#1), Twinkies (#2), iPhone 5C (#3), Taco Bell Doritos Locos Tacos Cool Ranch (#4 - tied), Wendy’s Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger (#4 - tied), Burger King Satisfries (#4 - tied), iPad Mini (#5), Microsoft Surface (#6), Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer (#7), McDonald’s Steak, Egg & Cheese Bagel (#8), 2013 Dodge Dart (#9), Nintendo 2DS (#10 - tie), and 2013 Toyota Corolla (#10 - tie). You can view the full research summary in e-book format, available here.

The research validates the link between emotions and memory for successful product launch marketing, and is significant because each year of the survey’s 12-year history has continued to emphasize the difficulty consumers have in recalling products (55% couldn’t name a single new product in 2013, an improvement from 67% in the election year of 2012), according to Joan Schneider, author of the New Launch Plan and CEO of SA.

Other findings include:

• Among grocery products, the re-launch of Twinkies ranked the highest in terms of both awareness and purchase conversion, indicative of the emotional response consumers experienced when the product disappeared from shelves for a brief period
• Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and Burger King are in a dead heat when it comes to awareness. However, the new Doritos Locos Taco had a higher conversion rate than either of its competitors
• Gender differences are falling away when it comes to recalling new products; there is now no statistical difference between men and women, compared with an 11 percent difference just two years ago
• Recognition for products is generally much higher than actual purchase conversion. Only Windows 8 showed a notable conversion rate (15%) compared with the next top tech product, the iPhone 5C (4%)
• Awareness of products increases significantly among consumers citing more media sources of information: 71 percent of those who processed six or more sources recalled a new product, compared with 55 percent on average

The Most Memorable New Products evoked strong emotions in consumers. In fact, there is an extremely high correlation between the emotional association with a new product and the likelihood of purchasing the product.

“As marketers we've always known that emotion is key to moving consumer behavior. What is different today is that we now have neuromarketing research techniques that can quantify the degree of emotion consumers are feeling," said Chief Behavioral Scientist at Sentient Decision Science, Aaron Reid. “This year we used Sentient Prime implicit research technology to measure the automatic gut reaction of consumers. The results were striking. There is nearly a one-to-one relationship between the emotional associations with a new product and its degree of memorability in the marketplace."

“On the surface, this research makes intuitive sense, but when you dig deeper, what we’ve uncovered has profound importance to marketers,” said Schneider. “Marketers should study what drives their consumers and develop campaigns that connect with them emotionally in conjunction with looking for ways to deepen this impact across converged media.”

The online MMNPL survey, conducted by Schneider Associates and Sentient Decision Science during October of 2013, polled a national, census-balanced sample of consumers age 18 and up, and uncovered data related to awareness of new consumer product launches, influential trends, media usage, and purchasing behavior. This is the twelfth consecutive year that the Most Memorable New Product Launch survey has been conducted.

To download a copy of the research summary in e-book format, please click here. To learn more about the Most Memorable New Product Launch survey, visit www.mmnpl.com

To interview Joan Schneider, CEO and founder of Schneider Associates, and/or Aaron Reid, Chief Behavioral Scientist at Sentient Decision Science about the findings, please contact Alexis Walkenstein, Director of Media Relations at Schneider Associates at [email protected] or 561-445-5409.

About Schneider Associates

Schneider Associates is an integrated marketing communications and public relations agency that launches and sustains products, services, companies and communities. www.schneiderpr.com

Sentient Decision Science, LLC is a full service market research and consulting firm. The firm was founded by Aaron Reid, Ph.D. in 2007 in response to a need for more advanced, practical and precise research methods in the market research industry. www.sentientdecisionscience.com

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