Case study: Measuring the emotional impact of packaging sounds on the product experience

In a world where every sensory detail can influence the perception of a product, sound often remains under‑exploited. With its exclusive protocol based on spontaneous consumer reactions, Repères offers an agile and robust solution for measuring the emotional impact of sounds and helping brands design globally consistent sensory experiences.

Why measure the sounds of a product, packaging or experience?

When building an optimal multi‑sensory experience, sound is an essential lever for:

• Creating a strong emotional connection with the consumer,
• Reinforcing the brand's sensory signature,
• Optimising the consistency of the marketing full mix (product, packaging, brand image, sound environment, advertising, etc.).

Whether for a packaging, a product, a digital interaction or a retail environment, it is crucial to understand how consumers perceive and feel the associated sounds, far beyond purely rational judgements.

Our approach: measuring the spontaneous emotional activation of sounds

The R3m Score approach is based on a simple yet powerful principle:

• A single question is asked to the consumer:
  ‘Spontaneously, without thinking, what are the three words that come to mind about this sound?'
• A collection of spontaneous language, unfiltered by cognitive reflection: brain System 1 is activated, i.e. immediate, instinctive and emotional reactions.

This projective method allows us to directly capture the emotional impact of sounds and get closer to the reality of future behaviours.

The verbatim responses collected are analysed using a proprietary algorithm developed over three years of R&D and validated in more than 3,000 tests worldwide. The result is a quantitative emotional activation score (R3m Score), providing a discriminating measure of the intensity and valence of emotional reactions.

Case study : evaluation of makeup packaging sounds

• Client objective: to evaluate the differentiation and emotional impact of 11 makeup packaging closure sounds (mass market and luxury).

• Methodology: blind auditory test, solely on the soundtracks of makeup packaging closures

Based solely on the three spontaneous words generated for each packaging sound, our analysis enabled us to:

1/ Easily distinguish between the different packaging sounds 

 with some sounds generating very positive responses and others strongly negative, even though they were premium brand packaging.

2/ Identify the associated functional and emotional evocative territories. 

Beyond the description of the sound (high or low‑pitched, short, light, metallic, etc.), what images does it evoke (modernity, femininity, premium) and what functional associations (quality, solidity, practicality, reassurance about the effectiveness of the closure, etc.)?

3/ Understand which emotional drivers to activate or avoid

For clear, actionable recommendations to guide the development of distinctive packages that are consistent with the targeted positioning.

An agile, international and predictive solution

With R3m Score, Repères offers brands a unique tool to manage the sound dimension of their product experiences, combining emotional richness and operational efficiency.

The R3m Score approach can be applied at all stages of product or experience development:

• Testing prototypes or existing products,
• Supporting R&D teams in developing promising sounds,
• Validating multi‑sensory consistency in the marketing mix,
• Application in many fields: packaging, automotive, household appliances, brand sound, digital UX, advertising, etc.