Chapter 6: Consumer-designed Features for the Labeling, Packaging, and Advertising of Insect-based Proteins. A Practical Application of the Design of Ideas

This study is based on the on-line experiment tool Mind Genomics and aims to map the mind of consumers about the marketing possibilities of insect-based food products. Mind Genomics is an approach in which various messages (e.g., vignettes) are presented on a specific topic to the respondents. Here, the vignettes are various statements (e.g., elements) about the marketing possibilities of insect-based products including, but not limited to, the types of advertisements, distribution channels, etc. Respondents are asked (1) to rate the messages as a whole concept on a 9-point scale by answering a question about willingness to buy, and (2) to indicate how they feel about the concept by selecting one of the seven listed emotions. We present the results of 106 respondents from the USA, looking at the linkages between willingness to buy and neophobia and other demographic factors such as gender. A model is generated for each subgroup (level of neophobia, gender, etc.), showing how the respondent in the given group is willing to buy the presented concept and how each particular element within the messages is related to willingness to buy.