What was the 'magic' in the original commercial? Did it lie in the storyline, the setting, the character, the choice of talent, the humour…..what was at the core of its appeal?

An intense qualitative project with carefully selected respondents revealed the commercial had 'connected' at a fundamental and emotional level within the male psyche. They loved the commercial because it portrayed an aspect of masculinity that they enjoyed and appreciated. Funnily enough, women recognised the same trait, and loved the commercial too!
Three campaigns later, the campaign is still selling beer, and the brand still leads the category.

An understanding of cognitive psychology and semiotics allowed us to explore the power of imagery in the wine market when looking at packaging, and help our client understand why certain types of consumers react in the way they do.
Understanding these principles gave us a real flavour for packaging rules that had implications not only for the brand researched, but beyond.

Yet, after spending a few days immersing ourselves in each community, the better choice is always clear. We convene discussion groups and depth interviews with a cross section of the community, to understand the history, the loyalties, the sub cultures, the attitudes, and ultimately the potential of the new retail offer.
Right down to recommending key staff to 'target'.

In order to truly understand the toilet cleaning category, we had to get deep down and dirty. To understand this world of toilet cleaning products we undertook ethnographic interviews in home. Respondents were observed, questioned, filmed in great detail regarding their toilet cleaning behaviour. This covered products used, processes undertaken and cleaning schedules and led to revelations regarding the diversity of behaviour and attitudes.

We aimed to understand, at first hand, both the functional and emotional benefits that consumers were looking for. Respondents were also filmed while cleaning, so that actual behaviour could be illustrated in the presentation to bringing the behavioural typology's found to life.

The problem was, our client had to find a way to introduce a new variant into this 'sea of red', and be noticed with a relatively modest development and communication budget. By maintaining our perspective on the task, we were able to identify a parallel opportunity. Still an Italian meal solution, but bypassing the pasta sauce paradigm, to create a new segment within the category.

Paraphrasing Ries & Trout, 'if you cant be first in the category, create a new category, and be first in that' .

Yet how we think about flavour has changed very little - we still think of it as a beauty contest. Which flavour sounds the best? Which flavour tastes the best?

Using a innovative approach to flavour development and evaluation we go beyond this superficial look at flavours to unlock the strategic flavour profile of a brand and use it to develop a distinctive approach to flavour development and evaluation within a broader context.