THE CLIENT: Food Producer
THE INDUSTRY: Food & Beverage
THE CHALLENGE
A specialty food producer was struggling with low brand awareness and stagnant category growth. Their goal was to elevate their product from a seasonal filler commodity to a premium household staple recognized for its health benefits, much like the successful market transformations seen in the pomegranate and cranberry categories.
THE SOLUTION
Our team conducted a deep-dive qualitative study using In-Depth Interviews (IDIs) to move beyond surface-level data and understand the emotional and functional drivers of the consumer:
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Sentiment & Awareness: We utilized IDIs to benchmark existing familiarity with the brand, while uncovering deeper perceptions of the specific food category. This allowed us to identify what was preventing the product from being viewed as a daily health essential.
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Narrative & Messaging: Rather than simple likes and dislikes, we used the interviews to explore how different health claims (e.g., antioxidant properties, anti-inflammatory benefits) resonated with participants’ existing wellness routines.
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Perception Deep-Dives: We explored the knowledge gap between the client’s internal brand vision and the consumer's reality, looking for the specific language that moved the needle on purchase intent.
THE IMPACT
The research provided the client with the strategic clarity needed to overhaul their marketing approach and identify high-growth opportunities for their product roadmap.
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Strategic Pivot to Education: The research proved that consumers were interested in the product's benefits but just didn’t know about them. As a result, the client redirected their marketing spend toward a wide-scale consumer education campaign.
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Informed R&D Pipeline: After the results informed messaging, the client initiated further research into new product offerings (e.g., dried vs. juice vs. fresh) to ensure future portfolio expansions matched actual consumer usage needs.
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Messaging Hierarchy: By isolating the most sticky claims during the interviews, the client was able to build a validated messaging framework that serves as the foundation for all future packaging and campaign assets.
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