Hacking Boring Categories With Flavor

Challenge

Testing the boundaries of flavor for Popcorn and Pretzel sub-lines to inform the flavor refresh charter for 2025+.

Our client, a major snack brand, needed to test the boundaries of flavor for their popcorn and pretzel sub-lines to inform their flavor refresh charter for 2025 and beyond. The goal was to explore flavor expectations across various snacking occasions and formats.

Approach

We began with a deep dive into the client’s vast snack portfolio, exploring the boundaries of potential flavor camps and innovation areas. Our research centered on in-person group pairs, allowing us to gain a deeper understanding of snacking occasions. We explored emotional needs, expectations, delights, and pain points across sub-lines, providing a comprehensive view of consumer preferences and behaviors in the snacking category.

Outcome

Our work significantly helped the team hone in on strategic categories for snacking innovation. The insights we gathered contributed to the development of internal strategic pillars, guiding the client’s future product development efforts. We created guardrails for various flavors and brands within the client’s portfolio, ensuring a cohesive and targeted approach to innovation. These learnings enabled our client to refine their innovation strategy and create more appealing flavor profiles across their snack lines, positioning them to meet evolving consumer tastes and preferences in the competitive snack market.