Marketing communication is necessary to inform and attract consumers. When we consider specialty coffee, it is indeed a challenge to communicate a complex product to the amateur consumer. In this course, we will explore the differences between B2B and B2C communication methods for specialty coffee. We will discuss how the product ‘specialty coffee’ should be presented to consumers, from coffee lovers to regular-coffee drinkers. How to translate complex and technical information about a product to the consumer? Which factors impact the decision making process at the moment of purchase? What is ‘quality’ for the consumer, and how does it relate to the definition of ‘quality’ for the expert? How can the specialty coffee industry make use of multisensory design to communicate flavours and add value to the product?

The course is composed of two live sessions:

• Theoretical session (2h): presentation and discussion of the main concepts and scientific investigations of the topics mentioned above.
• Applied mentorship session (2h): presentation of real life examples of specialty coffee companies that effectively communicate their product. Exercises on multisensory symbolism and communications. Discussion of methods to translate the technical information into meaningful communication to the consumer.

INSTRUCTOR:

Fabiana Carvalho, PhD

Fabiana Carvalho is a Brazilian neuroscientist who received her MSc in Biochemistry and her PhD in Psychobiology studying neural processes of perception and memory. She has also worked as a postdoctoral researcher on a project investigating sensory perception as an anticipatory and constructive process instead of a mere passive and reactive process.

She is currently a collaborating researcher at the University of Campinas, Brazil. Her research project “The Coffee Sensorium” is focused on understanding multisensory flavour perception, particularly the influence of extrinsic factors (that is, ambiance) on the expectation and perception of flavour in specialty coffee. This research project has been conducted in collaboration with Prof Charles Spence at University of Oxford, UK.