Fraser Lewis talks at Digital Henley #4 on Wednesday 4th May regarding how RB as a FMCG business utilises (or doesn't) utilise digital data to help guide their commercial decision making.

1. Fast-moving consumer
goods: data and decisions
Research & Development
@RB
1

2. Menu
2

3. Menu
Research and Development
3
Menu

4. Menu
Market insights
What new products do consumers want?
New sources of data – social media, Big Data
Challenges:
How to extract commercial value, i.e. make
informed evidence-based decisions, => more data
can just mean a lot more noise!
How can “new” IT/analytics help here?
Product insights
What do consumers like about a specific new
prototype product?
Making decisions based on small
amounts of very product-specific data
Challenges:
How can we assess whether inferences made
from the data are “robust”?
Can elicitation tools be standardised to enable
inferences across multiple products? i.e. address
robustness and get extract max. value from data
4
Insight Harvesting
Fast-moving consumer goods: data and decisions

5. Menu
Market insights
What new products do consumers want?
New sources of data – social media, Big Data
Challenges:
How to extract commercial value, i.e. make
informed evidence-based decisions, => more data
can just mean a lot more noise!
How can “new” IT/analytics help here?
Product insights
What do consumers like about a specific new test
product?
Making decisions based on small amounts of very
product-specific data
Challenges:
How can we assess whether inferences made from
the data are “robust”?
Can elicitation tools be standardised to enable
inferences across multiple products? To address
robustness and get extract max. value from data
5
Insight Harvesting
Fast-moving consumer goods: data and decisions

6. Menu
6
Fast-moving consumer goods: data and decisions
Product Claims
We want a consumer to choose our products over a competitor’s product
This is achieved through product differentiation
We make claims about a product, e.g. Lasts up to 2x longer than antacids
A CLAIM REQUIRES SCIENTIFIC DATA
e.g.
• Laboratory experiment
• Clinical trial
• Consumer study
• Review of scientific literature
And crucially…
DATA from the consumer
Any claim must resonate strongly with
the consumer regardless of science

7. Menu
7
Fast-moving consumer goods: data and decisions
Product Claims
Determining a claim is a complex decision process as it needs to be:
i) backed by science
AND
ii) of direct appeal to the consumer and credible to the consumer
AND
iii) acceptable to relevant competent authority in each individual country [if applicable]

8. Menu
8
Fast-moving consumer goods: data and decisions
Product Claims
What claims are acceptable to a competent authority vary:
• from market to market e.g. China, US, Russia, Germany, India, UK
• By product type, e.g.
Nurofen Pain Killers
Finish Dish Washer Tablets
Durex Condoms,
Repelex Mosquito repellent
Clearasil face cream
Air Wick freshener
Schiff MegaRed vitamins
Broad classes include:
Medical products [pharmaceuticals]
Medical devices
General products
Cosmetics
Insecticides
Vitamins and minerals
Some areas are highly regulated, others less
so, e.g. Pharmaceuticals v Vitamins

9. Menu
9
Fast-moving consumer goods: data and decisions
Summary
• Given a few examples of how data is used at RB
(many other examples e.g. developing manufacturing processes, commercial analytics)
• R&D at RB is science-led
• DATA-based decisions are central to our business
• Complex mix of different data sources and types of decisions