Context: LouAna is known as a main staple oil brand used for cooking & deep frying and not a brand keeping up with today’s cooking trends.
Program Goal: Make the LouAna brand the go-to specialty oil and cooking brand online and in-store.
Program Outcome: A strategy that outlines brand and product architecture with a clear horizon where LouAna has permission to stretch.
DEFINE + FRAME
Consumer Trends
Changes in consumer behaviors, technologies, and services are creating shifts affecting the cooking oil category. We wanted to look at the broader category and provide an outsiders perspective
Competitive Audit
Unpack the competition, highlighting their key messages, products, promises, stories, and brand equity.
Stakeholder Interviews & Immersion Session
I interviewed 7 team members and facilitated an immersion session to understand internal perspectives on the brand and business, including their perceptions of the competition and their aspirations for the future. I probed for previous success stories, sacred cows, rabbit holes, and institutional barriers.
Positioning Hypothesis
Consumers see conventional cooking oil brands as interchangeable everyday workhorses. LouAna sits here today.
I combined my understanding of the company, category, and consumer to show how LouAna can reposition itself as a specialty oil and cooking brand.
LEARNINGS
Qual Interviews
I conducted in-depth ethnographies with 13 consumers and spoke to 3 SMEs to better understand people’s relationship with oil and cooking.
Pre-work Activities
I wrote the research plan, handled recruiting, and developed the pre-work assignments.
Discussion Guide
The interviews were aligned with the pre-work assignments and featured 12+ interactive stimulus activities.
Positioning Evaluation
During the interviews, I tested three positioning directions. They ranged from a narrow and more focused heritage story to a broader cooking story. The goal was to test hypotheses around consumer appeal and drivers for interest, trial, and purchase.
Nationwide Survey
To validate the insights and positioning hypothesis, I launched a nationwide survey. I wrote the questions, programmed the logic, and visualized the results.
Strategic Target
A strategic target crystallizes qualitative and quantitative research insights into an inspiring brand muse that LouAna will use to focus innovation and marketing efforts. The goal of the strategic target is to identify the mindset and needs of the audience that will be most receptive to our future positioning and offering. We call them...the Everyday Savorist.
STRATEGY
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brand frame
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brand positioning and architecture
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key pillars
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architecture strategy
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horizon goals
