Firms Partner for Child and Parent Product Targeting

US marketing and communications specialist HCD Research has partnered with kids and families research, brand and product innovation firm PlayCollective, to provide a specialist service for clients targeting flavour and fragrance products at children and parents.

The partnership will combine HCD's sensory science measurement expertise with PlayCollective's experience in family-focused research and product development, to help clients better understand and adapt to changes in consumer trends and preferences among families. In addition, PlayCollective's New York-based PlayLab research and testing facility, which is fully equipped with biometric capabilities, will be used as a venue for collaborative sensory research projects for HCD's clients.

Leading the HCD Research team is neuroscientist Michelle Murphy Niedziela, who has helped the firm develop a methodology that integrates traditional cognitive measures with applied neuroscience techniques to deliver deeper insights into what consumers experience, the nature and strength of reactions to that experience, and their implications for product success.

Glenn Kessler (pictured), President and CEO of HCD Research, comments: 'We are very excited to be working with industry leader PlayCollective and its highly regarded research arm, PlayScience. There are significant unmet needs across many important CPG areas, and with the unique strengths of our two companies combined we will provide the solutions our clients are seeking.'

Web sites: www.hcdi.net and www.playcollective.com .