A CPG food brand had well established success in the US but seemed to be missing the mark with European and Asian audiences. The team needed to understand the cultural nuance and preferences that could be impacting this to better position the brand in Europe and Asia to accelerate sales growth and customer adoption.
The Solution
Our holistic approach included both qualitative and quantitative research in Japan and the EU to understand unique difference in each market and how to bridge the gap between consumers’ expectations for the category and what the US oriented product delivered.
Qualitative research tapped into behavioral science inspired projective exercises to help illuminate culturally influenced deep-seated category expectations that otherwise would have been difficult for consumers to articulate. These techniques revealed cultural differences in textures, flavors and expected use cases.
Quantitative research helped size the opportunity and define the most critical gaps to fill between the brand today and local audience expectations.
The Outcome
Armed with deep insight, we worked with the client team to partner with their local agencies to reposition the message more effectively in the local markets while maintaining connection to the core brand identity. The insight also informed the formulations group at the US company to deliver tailored products / product line that provided more culturally relevant flavor / texture profiles.