CBD was all the rage, but very undisciplined. A new CBD player needed guidance to navigate this new marketplace that was already approaching saturation, with the worry being marketspaces were fully occupied with limited revenue potential for new players.
We needed to find a category opportunity that was expansive but also defensible.
The Solution
We began by diving into the CBD market, across all use cases, forms, and types of users. We built upon this phase with digital diaries and consumer journeys to better understand consumers’ relationships with CBD. Once we had direction for the company, we identified ownable brand names, created logo options and defined the look/feel. These assets were paired with the brand platform and validated as a winning strategy. We wrapped up with volumetrics to fully understand how high we can take this new venture.
As an emerging category, we focused our efforts on two key constituents: general consumers and prosumers. The prosumers leading the way provided key insights into the expected adopted behaviors by the broader general consumer population.
This required an iterative learning agenda, running multiple qual and quant studies.
- Buyer and market profile – took a detailed examination of the CBD market – across use cases and form factors, as well as amongst prosumers and consumers to define opportunity categories and an SVT to drive growth for the brand
- Customer journey – defined and prioritized the unmet need states (rational/emotional, stated/non-conscious) and define the pathway from interest to purchase of CBD
- S+R BrandGPA™ – deep exploration of prioritized categories. Defined the existing competitors, their strengths and weaknesses, and opportunities within the category worth exploiting…the IdealSpace.
- S+R BrandImpact™ – validated the brand value proposition idea with consideration and preference data to understand potential market impact
- Naming Research – understood fit and desire of potential brand names with consumers tied to the category.
- Packaging Research – with the goal of standing out on shelf, packaging design was tested in an evaluative and iterative research design that allowed us to fine tune the look and feel to not only stand out but to clearly deliver on message and brand
- Volumetrics – defined this rapidly growing market opportunity and specifically the potential of our new brands given the power of our platform and unique product offering
The Outcome
We identified and sized a gaping hole to fill, one that took advantage of an existing market (pet anxiety) to disrupt the crowded CBD market with a distinctive offering that was profitable and, more importantly, delivered an end benefit that truly mattered. We found an SVT who would drive our growth by helping to reconnect them with the pets that they love. We were also able to help redesign the packaging to be more impactful and connect with consumers on a far more emotional level than from the designs originally pushed by management.
With a compelling brand positioning, communication and activation plan, the brand was able to get distribution in one of the nation’s top pet retailers within a few months of launch. The brand has also launched a successful DTC website to support business.