KEY CLIENT QUESTION

“WE NEED HELP DISCOVERING the creative platform that resonateS with our core consumer”

SPRINT CHOICE

DESIGN PLATFORM

INNOVATION STAGE

THE CHALLENGE

The Special Projects team of a legendary Fortune-500 beverage company was tasked with launching a new product category for the brand. They didn’t have a legendary budget or a luxurious timeline, but they did have an abundance of data as well as previous efforts that didn’t work out. This time, they needed to make sure they had a creative platform that would truly resonate with their target consumer AND deliver on a complex business strategy. They needed actionable insights with enough clarity and confidence for their commercialization team to build the right product, as well as design direction to build the right experience for the consumer.

THE SOLUTION

We based our approach on our Design Platform Sprint, with an emphasis on listening and learning from the target consumer. Along with the Special Projects team, we brought consumer groups into our studio to hear first-hand what they wanted, what they thought, what they liked, and what they didn’t. Even with a small sample size, hearing directly from our consumers was a powerful unlock for our clients and our team of designers. We paired those learnings with the big data the brand already had to create multiple creative platforms. In a highly iterative process, we brought our small groups back in to get their feedback on creative platforms and concepts, and had a bit of co-creation session with them to fine tune the ideas. It was an agile, design-to-learn approach that gave the Special Projects team clear ways forward as well as guiding principles to shape the product development and creative launch.

THE WAY FORWARD

The Special Projects team ended up getting clarity and insights from a fast-paced, iterative, sketch-level chaos. The syndicated data they had was useful, but also led to a bit of paralysis and indecision. Getting close to the consumer, building empathy, and iteratively building the creative platform together proved to be an invaluable exercise for the team. They were able to confidently report back to Big Brand Leadership with strong evidence and data, both syndicated and qualitative. They were able to brief their commercialization team and then quickly pivot to a national launch in both retail and at stores.

MORE CASE STUDIES

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