Decoding the Taste of Culture

In an industry where product experience is often reduced to a checklist of metrics, Kenyan consumers remind us that quality can’t just be measured - it’s also felt. It’s in the smooth glide of a tube, the pop of a lid, the mint that lingers just long enough to make you smile. It’s the trust in a product that feels like it was made with care, the confidence to speak freely, the joy of brushing, and yes, there can be joy in brushing. Just wait and see! To truly understand this felt experience, we needed a tool that could listen with empathy and precision. That is where Sensory Bot™ comes in: a sensorially fluent AI moderator trained not to just record, but to actively listen, probe and decode.

This paper tells the story of how it helped us uncover the emotional and cultural texture of toothpaste experience in Kenya. Rather than rating mint intensity or foam volume, we invited consumers to talk, and they did, richly, uniquely, and with sensorial nuance. What emerged was more than data; it was a vivid portrait of what quality means to Kenyan consumers that challenges conventional product testing paradigms and urges us to rethink how we design, communicate and connect through product. In Kenya, quality is not a checklist. It is a feeling, a signal of care, a reflection of trust. Therefore, when we listen closely, we begin to understand not just what people want from a product, but what they need from an experience.

For too long, brands have relied on fragmented data and gut instinct to shape product experiences. Isolated measurements (flavour intensity, foam volume, packaging appeal) collected through surveys or in the lab have their place, but struggle to capture the interconnected lived product experience. While intuition reflects deep tacit knowledge of marketers and designers, it is based on interpretation, not evidence. Both approaches have value, but both fall short when it comes to understanding how a product truly feels in the lives of real people. What’s missing is emotional resonance, i.e., the feeling your product leaves behind and/or the sensory signature that makes it unforgettable.

We believe the future of product success lies in emotionally intelligent design and that starts with understanding how your product feels in the hands, mouths, and minds of real consumers. Sensory Bot™ was created to meet this challenge. Connecting the dots across the consumer journey, it bridges the gap between lab insights and lived experiences. It listens, learns, and translates real consumer language to map the hidden connections within products, showing how even the smallest tweak, like a softer texture or milder mint, can ripple across emotional and functional dimensions. In Kenya, this approach revealed that a simple click of the lid could signal trust -a detail that would have been missed through conventional research.

This isn’t simply better data or more data. It’s actionable sensory intelligence that unlocks what matters most for consumers without the constraints of a predefined survey, to reveal the core human truths behind product success. It transforms how teams understand product experiences, delivering clarity, confidence, and consumer closeness to guide smarter design decisions. Moreover, it does so at scale without sacrificing nuance. In Kenya, this approach revealed something remarkable: a toothpaste experience that was not just a daily functional task, but a deeply emotional ritual. A product that didn’t just clean, but connected. Also, a market that didn’t just respond to claims but resonated with care, comfort, and cultural meaning.

Sensory Bot™ is not just another chatbot. It is a strategic AI-powered solution designed to decode a product's full sensory and emotional experience across every touchpoint. It doesn’t just collect data; it listens, learns, and adapts with the expertise of a sensory scientist. Trained on thousands of hours of sensory qualitative research and shaped by the robust deconstruction used by trained sensory panels, our bot guides consumers through the full product experience in a dynamic, conversational format. It probes not only what is perceived, but how it is felt and what it means to the consumer.

Our approach is anchored in three key objectives for deconstructing the holistic product experience journey:

1. Reveal the multi-sensory experience: Consumers engage all their sensory systems when interacting with a product. In toothpaste, every sense is involved. We see and feel the packaging, hear the click of the lid, smell the minty scent, taste the flavour and experience the texture as it transforms into foam. These sensory cues create a rich and complex web of interactions across touchpoints.
2. Uncover the interplay of perception and meaning: Sensory input tells only part of the story. Consumers layer sensory details with thoughts, memories and prior experiences, shaping interpretations of functional and emotional benefits. This perceptual reality is where meaning emerges.
3. Expose the dynamic interconnectedness between sensory attributes: In the moment of use, sensory experiences interact with each other and with the consumer’s perceptual reality. Mapping this interconnectedness is essential to understanding the total product experience. It is what helps us understand the impact of one attribute like sweetness or thickness on others across touchpoints. Historically, this required blending sensory profiling with qualitative research. Today, our AI models synthesise these dimensions at scale.

Embedding these principles into our AI models allows us to leverage the nuanced depth inherent in the product experience data captured through Sensory Bot™. In turn, this helps us to explore and uncover how sensory cues connect and interact with memory, context and culture, in turn shaping perception and behaviour.

Applied in this way as a discovery partner, Sensory Bot™ transforms how we understand product experience and ultimately helps clients design with greater intention. It combines the diagnostic precision of sensory science with the emotional nuance of qualitative research, stepping beyond the old trade-off between scale and richness. In doing so, it opens a window into the lived reality of product use, revealing the full constellation of the product experience, making every sensory, emotional, functional and perceptual connection visible and actionable.

Why focus on quality in understanding Kenyan consumers’ emotional connection to toothpaste? Because it surfaced organically. We didn’t ask consumers to rate or define it. Yet across 11 touchpoints, from packaging to after-effects, Kenyan participants repeatedly used language that signalled quality. Not as a functional claim, but as a feeling. This made it a compelling lens through which to explore how product experience is culturally constructed and emotionally interpreted.

While 50% of consumers in Kenya explicitly referred to product quality, many more described it indirectly. Indeed, what emerged was not a checklist of attributes, but a constellation of meanings. In Kenya, quality is relational. It is the level of care you can see and feel. It is confidence you can carry into the day. It is comfort that makes a product feel like a companion, not a chore. Three themes stood out:

Kenyan consumers didn’t just notice the packaging; they interpreted it. Phrases like “professionally packed”, “well-made and sealed”, “made with passion”, and “carefully designed to protect the user” were not technical observations. They were signals of trust. The hygiene of the lid, the integrity of the security seal, the reassuring click when the tube opens that “makes you trust the product”- each detail was interpreted as evidence of care and intention.

Here, quality is not just about technical superiority. It is about the process. Effort is noticed. Care is felt. In Kenya, these cues carry even more emotional weight. Mentions of QR codes, KEBS approval and tamper-proof seals were frequent and often linked to authenticity and peace of mind:

• “The QR code for easy verification makes it authentic”, (woman consumer, aged 18-45, Kenya);
• “The toothpaste is well-sealed giving assurance and originality of the product”, (woman consumer, aged 46-65, Kenya);
• “The sound of originality to prove it hasn't been opened before hence more legit”, (man consumer, aged 46-65, Kenya).

This reflects a cultural reality: concerns about counterfeit or grey trade elevate packaging security from a functional feature to a marker of respect and reassurance. A well-sealed pack is not simply functional, but a promise that the product is genuine. In this way, signals that communicate authenticity become the physical proof of quality, and quality becomes an emotional experience of trust.

Feeling the fresh cleaning power at work is not merely a sensory quality. It reflects a moral and cultural value. Oral health in Kenya is a cultural mirror intimately linked to themes of dignity, social confidence and personal empowerment. This explains why consumers spoke about feeling “proud and clean”, “fresh and relaxed”, “happy and soo fresh”, indeed so fresh that “talking to people doesn’t make me feel shy”. These expressions tell us that quality is not just about the product’s performance. It is felt through the confidence it creates. Confidence becomes the emotional proof of quality. It signals that the product has delivered on its promise in a way that matters culturally: enabling dignity, social ease and readiness to engage. In this sense, quality is not just functional; it is relational, embodied in the consumer’s ability to feel good about themselves in social contexts.

Kenyan consumers frequently describe the toothpaste in a fascinating way: as “friendly”, “mouth friendly”, “friendly to my teeth”, “friendly to my nose.” In this context, “friendly” functions as a sensory descriptor (akin to “soft”, “gentle” or “not harsh”), reflecting a culturally embedded expectation of mildness and approachability. It signals a preference for balance and sensory comfort over intensity and novelty. Alongside “friendly”, we also found repeated use of the word “tender”. Yes, a word used globally often as a synonym for soft or caring, but is that what it means in Kenya?

“The teeth and mouth felt the tender touch of the toothpaste and left a fresh sensation… a warm, fresh, lasting sweet sensation”, (woman consumer, aged 18-45, Kenya).

In Kenya, in this context, “tender” appears to carry a deeper sensory-emotional resonance. It’s used to describe both the physical texture and the emotional experience of the product, from the tender feel of the tube to the tender texture and sensation in the mouth. It blends gentleness, care and warmth, suggesting that comfort is not just a functional benefit, but a felt emotional state. In Kenya, “friendly” and “tender” become linguistic markers of quality. Consumers are telling us that sensory comfort is not a secondary benefit; it is a defining feature of quality. This linguistic nuance reinforces the idea that quality is relational, not just functional. It positions the product as a familiar daily-life companion rather than a clinical task, and it offers a powerful lesson: to engage authentically, we must listen not just to what consumers say, but to how they say it.

To explore how these themes relate more holistically, we created a conceptual map of the attributes that signalled quality to consumers. Using frequency of mention and co-occurrence patterns in the language, we clustered descriptors along two dimensions: functional trust and emotional resonance. The resulting map (see Figure 4) reveals a striking pattern: craftsmanship clusters around functional and perceptual signals, confidence leans strongly into emotional outcomes and comfort occupies a sensory middle ground. This continuum underscores that quality in Kenya is not a single attribute, but a multi-dimensional experience, spanning functional trust, sensory gentleness and emotional empowerment.

As we’ve seen in Kenya, quality is fundamentally relational. It is care you can see and feel - the seal that signals respect, the click that promises authenticity. It is confidence you can carry into the day, clean fresh breath as a social passport and a marker of dignity. Moreover, it is comfort that makes a product feel like a companion, not a task.

US: Quality is clinical

In the US, consumers leaned into clinical efficacy, often articulating quality in terms of sensitivity protection and whitening power, emphasising clinical claims, professional endorsements and measurable outcomes:

“It looks high quality…The claims listed feel believable. I like how much detail and information is available, from what you can expect from the product to the facts it's been clinically test and dentist recommended”, (man consumer, aged 18-45, US).

“A subtle, minty aroma…the type of smell that I expect…It gives me confidence that the toothpaste will be of a high-quality taste and be very effective”, (man consumer, aged 18-45, US).

“I felt it provided good protection and made brushing gentle and pain-free…This felt comfortable and created a good enough foam…and left a deep cleansed feel”, (man consumer, aged 18-45, US).

Here, confidence is rooted in functional performance and professional validation. Sensory comfort is pragmatic: gentle, pain-free, yet effective. Few metaphors, little cultural symbolism, and technical competence are what matter most.

China: Quality is harmony

In China, the vivid language revealed a strong connection between quality and balance, nature and harmony, elevating oral care into a symbolic experience of purity and renewal.

“The mint scent emanating from the toothbrush rose in the air like wisps of green smoke, forming a curve that seemed to make people feel the coolness”, (woman consumer, aged 46-65, China).

“My mouth feels very fresh, just like a stream of fresh water...I feel very confident”, (man consumer, aged 46-65, China).

“The fresh taste left in my mouth is just like the spring breeze gently blowing across my face. It not only brings me a fresh taste but also makes me feel a sense of inner peace and satisfaction” (woman consumer, aged 18-45, China).

Freshness here is a state of being, and sensory comfort is immersive, evoking balance, vitality, and emotional calm. Unlike the US, toothpaste experiences are shared through nature-related metaphors that are so vividly descriptive they feel almost tangible. This poetic phrasing also reflects Daoist values of effortless action and natural harmony, positioning oral care as a ritual in tune with nature. Leaning slightly more towards the metaphor-rich language of China than the clinical precision of the US, Kenya’s quality signature remains distinct in its emphasis on relational trust and everyday approachability.

For Kenyan consumers, quality is not a static benchmark, it is a living, breathing experience, reinforced across all touchpoints as a signal of care, confidence, and comfort. This comparison reveals that consumer language is not just a vehicle for feedback; it is a mirror of cultural values and emotional expectations. For global brands, this means that success depends not only on product performance, but on the ability to decode and reflect the emotional and linguistic texture of local experience. Resonant messaging doesn’t just speak to a market, it speaks its language.

Quality is not a universal, one-dimensional metric. It is culturally constructed and contextually experienced. In Kenya, quality is not defined by premium claims or technical superiority alone. It is signalled through care, expressed through comfort and validated by confidence. These codes matter because they challenge the assumption that global products can simply be “lifted and shifted” across markets. Consider the tamper-proof seal. In some contexts it’s a functional feature, expected and assumed, yet hardly noticed.

In Kenya, it becomes a symbol of respect, a promise of authenticity and safety. Similarly, a gentle sensory balance is not just a preference; it is culturally valued. Products that are “friendly” and “tender” aren’t just liked, they are trusted, embraced and integrated into daily life. Emotional outcomes such as confidence, happiness and social ease further elevate the experience beyond function, embedding oral care within cultural narratives of dignity and empowerment.

Contrary to the view that language merely reflects sensory experience, our findings show that language actively reveals cultural codes and emotional meaning. When consumers are given the opportunity to describe their experience fully, in their own words, captured at scale, language becomes a powerful lens through which to understand engagement with products. Suddenly, it becomes possible to uncover the hidden connections between sensory perception, language, and culture. Through Sensory Bot™, we learned just how much consumer language in the lived product moment reveals - not only about sensory experience, but about the deep-seated, often unarticulated cultural values and expectations that shape it.

The findings from Kenya (and their contrast with the US and China) are not just interesting. They are actionable. They challenge us to rethink how we design, test and communicate products in a world where cultural nuance shapes every sensory cue.

Design for experience, not just function

We cannot design an experience, but we can design for experience. This means creating conditions for emotional engagement. It requires moving beyond isolated attributes to craft a connected sensory journey, where sight, sound, smell, taste and touch collectively shape perception and meaning. Each cue reinforces the same message, the same feeling, at every point of interaction. Sensory Bot™ provides the holistic understanding needed to embed emotional depth into everyday rituals, helping brands design products that don’t just perform, but connect.

Cultural and linguistic depth for resonant design

Our bot captures the rich, nuanced language consumers use to describe their experiences, revealing deep-seated cultural values and expectations that shape product meaning. This linguistic depth allows designers to incorporate cultural nuance into product development, ensuring that every sensory interaction resonates. In Kenya, this means prioritising cues of care, comfort and confidence, signals that elevate quality from a technical claim to an emotional reality.

Craft cohesion in a fragmented brand landscape

In today's low attention economy, where siloed messaging, inconsistent touchpoints and fragmented brand experiences are the norm, consumers often encounter brands in disjointed ways. A compelling, integrated narrative, grounded in common human truths can unify the experience across touchpoints, from social media to online platforms to in-store interactions. When sensory and emotional cues are aligned across the product journey, they set the right expectations and reinforce brand meaning with consistency and clarity.

Align insight-driven storytelling across functions

The consumer language captured by Sensory Bot™ bridges product design and marketing. When consumers describe a toothpaste as “friendly”, “tender” and “trustworthy”, these words can inspire authentic narratives that align technical performance with emotional benefit. Insight becomes inspiration, transforming fragmented messaging into a seamless brand story; a shared language, that speaks to both heart and mind.

Empower localisation without compromise

Access to rich local nuance enables sensitive localisation, ensuring products resonate deeply in every market. Our bot reveals the experiences, expectations and cultural codes consumers bring to the product moment, helping brands adapt to a local market without diluting their core promise. This is not about token adaptation. It is authentic co-creation.

Reframe success metrics for the future

Future success metrics must go beyond technical product performance to include emotional resonance, cultural fit and sensory harmony. Sensory Bot™ makes these dimensions visible and measurable, enabling brands to protect what creates delight, elevate what matters most and even reduce cost without eroding experience. In a world of global brands and local expectations, with heightened competition even from private label, product success depends on much more than efficacy. It depends on the ability to listen deeply, decode the intricate interplay between product and consumer and design with cultural fluency. Sensory Bot™ equips brands to do just that: to create products that connect deeply and sustainably, where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

At the start, we asked: “Can there be joy in brushing your teeth?” Kenya answers with a resounding “Yes!” Here, quality is not just measured - it’s felt. Kenyan consumers didn’t just describe a product, they described a feeling: “It makes me feel amazing”; “I feel like I have received new teeth”; “It makes me feel great, free and confident”; “It makes me feel joyful”. These are not just testimonials; they are emotional signatures, proof that the product connected, resonated and mattered. Figure 6 shows how one consumer captured it perfectly.

Thus, even the most ordinary product, a toothpaste, can tell an extraordinary story. When we truly listen, we discover that joy can live in the smallest of rituals, and that is where design begins.