System1 Launches Test Your Innovation Platform

System1, the Creative Effectiveness Platform, has today launched Test Your Innovation, a new platform that measures consumers’ emotional responses to predict the commercial success of new products, taglines, brand characters, logos, and more. With its validated Star Rating system, Test Your Innovation provides a clear measure of in-market potential using a 1.0 to 5.9-Star scale. 

In addition to detailing the types and intensity of emotions that consumers feel about ideas, Test Your Innovation offers reasons for emotion, main advantages, suggestions on how to improve the idea, a price sensitivity meter, implicit brand attributes and more. Additionally, users can benchmark performance across a vast database of over 54,000 ideas and test with specific target audiences in addition to a nationally representative sample.  

To highlight Test Your Innovation’s capabilities, System1 put five of the latest ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails to the test to with consumers. Taking the #1 spot with an ‘Exceptional’ 5.0-Star Rating, Absolut Vodka & Sprite showcases the power of 'Fluent Innovation' which follows the 80/20 rule of creating ideas that feel 80% familiar and 20% new. White Claw’s Tequila Smash line, which is soon to be launched in the UK, earns the #2 ranking with a 3.7-Star Rating. Additional key findings include: 

• The more people feel, the more they buy. Absolut Vodka & Sprite elicited the highest levels of happiness, the most powerful emotional driver of commercial success. More than half (52%) of the general public noted the emotion, while 16% felt surprise. Meanwhile, more than four in five consumers (82%) felt the drink is ‘easy to understand’, aligning with the 80/20 principle.   
• Appeal to the senses. The White Claw Tequila Smash range of seltzer cocktails offers a variety of flavours, like Pineapple Passion Fruit and Strawberry Guava, which appealed to consumers. A watch out even for established brands – the wrong flavour profiles (‘too sweet’ or too specific) can turn away consumers, even if they know and love the brand. 
• Packaging plays a big role. Compelling design helps grab attention and elicit positive emotion. Respondents noted that the colourful and modern design of the White Claw Tequila Smash cans caught their attention and that Absolut Vodka and Sprite looks refreshing.  
  
• Aim for broad acceptance. System1 tested the innovations with both the general public and a custom sample of alcohol non-rejectors and found similar results among both groups. It’s a reminder for brands to aim for wide appeal and acceptance, which will naturally lead to positive feelings among the target audience.  

The Star Rating is derived from how ideas perform on Emotional Response, Share Trading indicators and Decision Speed: 

• Emotional Pull: Measured by System1's FaceTrace tool, Emotional Pull gauges the emotional response to ideas, indicating their potential to resonate with consumers. The happier people feel, the better an idea will sell in the market. In addition to the types of emotions, Test Your Innovation also measures the intensity of feelings like happiness, surprise, disgust and contempt. 
• Share Trading: This metric predicts market success by assessing whether respondents would 'Probably Buy' or sell shares in each idea, providing valuable insights into consumer behaviour and preferences. 
• Decision Speed: Decision speed in the trading game measures how easy an idea is to understand and the likelihood of being chosen. Fast ideas receive positive weighting, while slower ideas are penalised, offering a nuanced understanding of consumer engagement. 

Jon Evans, chief customer officer, System1 said, "Emotion is the key to unlocking whether an idea has commercial potential because purchasing decisions are largely driven by how we feel. It’s why we designed Test Your Innovation to deliver emotional response insights to brands. The platform not only predicts the success of ideas, but helps organisations further improve their concepts before launching so they can grow profits and market share.  

“This particular report showcases that Vodka and Sprite can go from the clubs to cans, as the combination evokes high levels of happiness in consumers. It’s just the right balance of familiarity and novelty."