hot dog introduction 11 april as released
DESCRIPTION
Writing Sample For Senior Brand Strategy / Innovation JobTRANSCRIPT
AVID™ New Product Development Process
Reinventing The Hot Dog Category
J.B. DavisApril 11, 2013
AVID™ New Product Development Process
Assignment
AVID™ New Product Development Process
Smart Thinking + Client / Market Loops = Speed, Emotional Relevance That Wins
AVID™ New Product Development Process
Smart Thinking + Client / Market Loops = Speed, Emotional Relevance That Wins
1. Assume
A. Employ Desk Research and Some Field Research
B. Develop Draft Strategies
C. Present Production Schedule
D. Gain Client Feedback
E. Modify Strategies Based On Client Feedback and Create Concepts for Testing
2. Validate
A. Using Concepts As Primary Stimuli, Employ Suite of Protocols to Understand Relevance to External Stakeholders
B. Codify Feedback
3. Invest
A. Based On Feedback From External Stakeholders, Refine and Extend Strategies and Concepts
B. Solicit Client Feedback
C. Finalize Strategies and Concepts
4. Deploy
A. Develop Touchpoints (Egg and / or Partners, Client Agencies)
B. Modify and Finalize Touchpoints
C. Launch
AVID™ New Product Development Process
Assumptions Will Underpin Draft Strategies / Concepts
AVID™ New Product Development Process
Desk and Select Field Research Provided Sense Of Category Dynamics
1. Assume
A. Employ Desk Research and Some Field Research
B. Develop Draft Strategies
C. Present Production Schedule
D. Gain Client Feedback
E. Modify Strategies Based On Client Feedback and Create Concepts for Testing
2. Validate
A. Using Concepts As Primary Stimuli, Employ Suite of Protocols to Understand Relevance to External Stakeholders
B. Codify Feedback
3. Invest
A. Based On Feedback From External Stakeholders, Refine and Extend Strategies and Concepts
B. Solicit Client Feedback
C. Finalize Strategies and Concepts
4. Deploy
A. Develop Touchpoints (Egg and / or Partners, Client Agencies)
B. Modify and Finalize Touchpoints
C. Launch
AVID™ New Product Development Process
Desk and Select Field Research Provided Sense Of Category Dynamics
Category’s Packaging Creates
Opportunity
Products For Moms, Dads Should Be
Branded Differently
Category’s Merchandising
Creates Opportunity
Category’s Nomenclature
Creates Opportunity
Category Trends Will Impact Path to
Purchase
Digital Trends Will Impact Path to
Purchase
Within Digital, Gender Trends Will
Impact Path to Purchase
Our Research Has Led Us to Assume That…
AVID™ New Product Development Process
Desk and Select Field Research Provided Sense Of Category Dynamics
More Premium Hot Dogs on Restaurant Menus Indicates + More Types of Meats Available to Grill + Continued Regional Flavors (In the Face of American Homogenization) + New SKUs At Grocery = Interest in Dogs Beyond Ball Park Fare and Backyard Grilling But Not At Scale of “Better Burger Craze – So Important to Carefully Select Target (s), SKUs, and Branding
Channels Such As Food Trucks and Mash-Ups Like Korean Ingredients on Dogs Might Be Disruptive – So to Achieve Same Type of Clutter Breakthrough, Have to Make Available Touchpoints (e.g., Naming, POS) Work Harder
Hot Dogs Remain Both “American” and “Comfort Food” – So While Opportunity to Tap Into Big Themes of Family, Community, and Authenticity Exists, Corporate Branding Has to Be Carefully Managed (e.g., Miller and Leinenkugel Have An Unknown Connection, Except For Beer-Involved Consumers Who Care)
Category Trends Will Impact Path to Purchase
Hot Dog Newness = Going Out
Healthy, Premium
Talk Pretty Low
AVID™ New Product Development Process
Desk and Select Field Research Provided Sense Of Category Dynamics
New Path to Purchase – (1) Overwhelming % Of Consumers Researching Products, (2) Utilizing Multi Channels to Get Job Done, (3) Number Of Sources Has Doubled, With CPG Shoppers Consulting 7 Types, (4) Sources Varied (e.g., Using Search Engine to Participating In Online Discussion), (5) Mobile Growing (But Be Wary of Hype), and (6) Purchase Consideration Lengthening, With Several Days Of “Thoughtful” Pre-Purchase Behavior Common – So Developing A Content Strategy That Delineates Role of Web Sites / Social Sites and Distributing Relevant Content / Links Is Crucial
Our Research Has Led Us to Assume That…
Category’s Packaging Creates
Opportunity
Products For Moms, Dads Should Be
Branded Differently
Category’s Merchandising
Creates Opportunity
Category’s Nomenclature
Creates Opportunity
Category Trends Will Impact Path to
Purchase
Digital Trends Will Impact Path to
Purchase
Within Digital, Gender Trends Will
Impact Path to Purchase
AVID™ New Product Development Process
Desk and Select Field Research Provided Sense Of Category Dynamics
Within Digital, Gender Trends Will
Impact Path to Purchase
Prominent Web Sites / Blogs Targeted to Women Exhibited Three Dynamics Relevant to This Introduction – (1) An Emphasis On Dinner As a Challenge to Be Dealt with, (2) A General Lack of Organic Conversations About Hot Dogs, and (3) The Appearance of Hot Dogs In the Context of Dressing Them Up Rather Than Buying Better Underlying Meat… So While There Are Places Where “Premium” / “Better Hot Dogs” Could Be A New Topic of Conversation, To Fit Within the Conversations The Introduction Might Be Framed As (1) A Dinner Solution and / or (2) Healthy (Where Premium Becomes Crucial Reason-to-Believe)
AVID™ New Product Development Process
Desk and Select Field Research Provided Sense Of Category Dynamics
Within Digital, Gender Trends Will
Impact Path to Purchase
Additionally, Several Gender-Specific Trends Impact This Introduction
Huge % Of Overall Spending Validates A Gender-Based Strategy Previously Referenced Use Of Various Sources To Research Products Seem To Skew Female Specific Rise Of “Social Shopping” (Where Women Check-in With Friends Before Or During
Purchases) Expected To Continue Mobile As In-Store Aid – Even When Taken With A Grain Of Salt – Also Expected To Grow Permission, Whether Implicit or Explicit, Crucial Dynamic In Marketing To Women
Suggests Rapidly Shifting Path To Purchase for Women – So It’s Essential That (1) Introduction Be Optimized for Mobile In the Short-Term, (2) Functionality Accommodate Social Shopping Over Mid-Term, and (3) Certain Opt-In Digital Tactics (e.g., Display Ads and Influencer Outreach) Might Be More Effective Than More Invasive Tools (e.g., Re-Marketing)
AVID™ New Product Development Process
Desk and Select Field Research Provided Sense Of Category Dynamics
Products For Moms, Dads Should Be
Branded Differently
Just As Desk Research Revealed Dynamics Of How Women Research Products, Think About Hot Dogs, and Employ Various Devices, Men Share Some Similarities (e.g., Jumping From One Type of Device to Another Through The Day) But Their Conversations About Hot Dogs Focused More On Ingredients and / or New (and Noveau) Hot Dog Restaurants – So to Sync With the Way Men Are Already Engaging with Encased Meats, “Premium” Might Have to Connect with Their Sense of Adventure and Individuality
AVID™ New Product Development Process
Desk and Select Field Research Provided Sense Of Category Dynamics
Though Not The Result Of An Exhaustive Audit, The Category Appears To Heavily Use Proper Names In Their Names…New Products That Speaking To Functional Benefits (e.g., Healthy Hot Dog!) or Emotional Benefits (e.g., Your Hot Dog!) Might Be Able to Use Naming To Break Through
Category’s Nomenclature
Creates Opportunity
AVID™ New Product Development Process
Desk and Select Field Research Provided Sense Of Category Dynamics
Category’s Packaging and Merchandising
Creates Opportunities
While Packaging Technology Is Beyond The Scope of This Assignment, There Are Few Brands Using Package Design / Mixed Substrates to Create Evocative Looks and Fewer Still That Are Actually Merchandising At Shelf …So To Break-Through In A Low Involvement Category (With, Presumably, Budgets Available Primarily For Below-the-Line Investments), Presenting 4 – 8 Dogs In Plastic and Leaving Them At The Mercy of Channel Partners Might Not Do The Trick
AVID™ New Product Development Process
Assumptions Underpinned Draft Strategies
1. Assume
A. Employ Desk Research and Some Field Research
B. Develop Draft Strategies
C. Present Production Schedule
D. Gain Client Feedback
E. Modify Strategies Based On Client Feedback and Create Concepts for Testing
2. Validate
A. Using Concepts As Primary Stimuli, Employ Suite of Protocols to Understand Relevance to External Stakeholders
B. Codify Feedback
3. Invest
A. Based On Feedback From External Stakeholders, Refine and Extend Strategies and Concepts
B. Solicit Client Feedback
C. Finalize Strategies and Concepts
4. Deploy
A. Develop Touchpoints (Egg and / or Partners, Client Agencies)
B. Modify and Finalize Touchpoints
C. Launch
AVID™ New Product Development Process
Assumptions Underpinned Draft Strategies
Important to Carefully Select Target (s), SKUs, and Branding
To Achieve Same Type of Clutter Breakthrough, Have to Make Available Touchpoints (e.g., Naming, POS) Work Harder
While Opportunity to Tap Into Big Themes of Family, Community, and Authenticity Exists, Corporate Branding Has to Be Carefully Managed (e.g., Miller and Leinenkugel)
Developing A Content Strategy That Delineates Role of Web Sites / Social Sites and Distributing Relevant Content / Links Is Crucial
While There Are Places Where Premium / Better Hot Dogs Could Be A New Topic of Conversation, To Fit Within the Organic Conversations The Introduction Might Be Framed As (1) A Dinner Solution and / or (2) Healthy (Where Premium = Crucial Reason-to-Believe)
It’s Essential That (1) Introduction Be Optimized for Mobile In the Short-Term, (2) Functionality Accommodate Social Shopping Over Mid-Term, and (3) Certain Opt-In Digital Tactics (e.g., Display Ads and Influencer Outreach) Might Be More Effective Than More Invasive Tools (e.g., Re-Marketing)
To Sync With the Way Men Are Already Engaging with Encased Meats, Premium Might Have to Connect with Their Sense of Adventure and Individuality
New Products That Speak To Functional Benefits (e.g., Family Dog!) or Emotional Benefits (e.g., Your Dog!) Might Be Able to Use Naming As A Tool To Break Through
To Break-Through In A Low Involvement Category (With, Presumably, Budgets Available Primarily For Below-the-Line Investments), Presenting 4 – 8 Dogs In Plastic and Leaving Them At The Mercy of Channel Partners Might Not Do The Trick
Path to Purchase
Naming, Look & Feel
Positioning
SKUs & Package Design
POS
Digital
AVID™ New Product Development Process
Assumptions Underpinned Draft Strategies – Slide 1 of 4
Strategy: Branding and Channels
Through Enshrined At Ball Parks and Back Yard BBQs, Overall Category Conversation Low and Not Very Involved, So Change the Conversation
Mom Brand – Healthier Dogs = Weekday Solution for My Family w/ Flavors They’ll Either Recognize or Try / Moreover, On A Continuum of Full Fat, Nitrate-Laden Hot Dogs On One End and Tofu Dogs On The Other (With Turkey Dogs In The Middle) Perhaps Testing Will Show That Just Being Healthier Is Enough To Win
Dad Brand – Premium Dogs = Weekend Supplement to What I Usually Grill, Allowing Me To Experiment Beyond Marinades and Sides – with the Meat Itself / Moreover, On A Continuum of Store Brand Hot Dogs On One End and Lobels of New York On The Other (With Whole Foods In The Middle) Perhaps Testing Will Show That Just Being More Premium Is Enough To Win
Bricks and Mortar - Busy Moms, Smartphone and Kid In Tow, Isn’t Interested In Ordering Online – She Wants Dinner for Tonight
Bricks and Clicks – Gods of the Weekend BBQ, with Their Planning and Rituals, Might Be Willing to Buy In-Store and Online – and Online Might Open-Up Long Tail Opportunities As Cross-Sells, Up-Sells, and / or Cross- Promotions (e.g., “Got The Meat, Now Get the Whole Kit”)
AVID™ New Product Development Process
Assumptions Underpinned Draft Strategies – Slide 2 of 4
Strategy: Touchpoints
Category Cluttered and Same, So Make Laser-Focused Investments In Touchpoints That Work Harder
Naming - Beyond Comfort Level, Possibly Evoking Functional Benefit (s) for Women (e.g. Healthy Dog!) and Emotional Benefit (s) for Men (e.g., Your Dog!)
Look and Packaging – To Extend Consistent with Positioning, Use As Bold A Look As Can Tolerate + To The Extent Operationally Possible, Use Multiple Substrates to Break-Away From Encased Meat In Plastic Bags Sameness + Consider Individually Wrapped Dogs (Cheese Sticks Have Already Proven This Value Proposition)
SKUs – Too Many and You’ll Get Channel Push-Back, Two Few and You Look Small (But Not Necessarily Artisan Small) / Six Might Do It With More Close-In Flavors for Mom and More Experimentation for Dad
Merchandising – No Reason Cross-Selling Has To Be Same-Old (e.g., Continue Vibe for Mom w/ Coupons for Whole Wheat Buns and Steamed Green Beans to Create A Healthy Night In – Perhaps Add Skinny Girl Promotion to Make it An Multi-Family Dinner After Soccer Practice) / For Dad, Experiment with Ideas That Make Hot Dogs Center of Attention w/ “Box of Grilling” (Cardboard Box to Use When Shopping for All the Fixings)
Messaging - While the Category Steeped In Heritage of Family, Community, and Authenticity – and Might Widen Its Vocabulary With Conversations About Healthier / Premium Dogs – Don’t Overplay “Background Conversation” Because Corporate Connection Could Dilute Brands
AVID™ New Product Development Process
Assumptions Underpinned Draft Strategies – Slide 3 of 4
Strategy: Marketing
Marketing Strategy (Online and Off) Should, Of Course, Support Different Envisioned Trajectories of Brands
Mom – In Addition to Branding, Channel, and Touchpoint Strategies, Marketing Tactics Might Include
As Long As Each Digital Platform Plays A Distinct Role (e.g., Social Shopping On A Micro Site, Family Meal Photos On Pinterest, Daily Deals Via Twitter), Which Platform Plays What Role Will Be Less Important Than Synergy and Non-Duplicative Efforts
Influencer and PR Campaign to Begin Changing Category Conversation
Display Ads On Appropriate Sites (e.g., Moms Who Think and Cooking Light) to Drive Traffic to Site
Content Strategy To Ensure Relevance and Stickiness For Site Visitors
SEO to Boost, Over Longer Term, Organic Results
PPC to Boost Short Term Traffic (Perhaps At Launch Or Seasonally)
Immediate Mobile Optimization to Accommodate New Path to Purchase (Particularly Given That Consumers Are Starting Journeys On One Device and Finishing Them On Another)
Mobile Functionality, Down the Line, Devices Encourage Social Shopping
Given Inclination Toward Permission, Remarketing Feels Wrong for the Target
AVID™ New Product Development Process
Assumptions Underpinned Draft Strategies – Slide 4 of 4
Strategy: Marketing
Marketing Strategy (Online and Off) Should, Of Course, Support Different Envisioned Trajectories of Brands
Dad - In Addition to Branding, Channel, and Touchpoint Strategies, Marketing Tactics Might Include
As Long As Each Digital Platform Plays A Distinct Role (e.g., The Guys Grilling On You Tube, Daily Grilling Tips Via Twitter), Which Platform Plays What Role Will Be Less Important Than Synergy and Non-Duplicative Efforts
Influencer and PR Campaign to Begin Changing Category Conversation
Display Ads On Appropriate Sites (e.g., Details, Golf Digest) to Drive Traffic to Site
Content Strategy To Ensure Relevance and Stickiness For Site Visitors
SEO to Boost, Over Longer Term, Organic Results
PPC to Boost Short Term Traffic (Perhaps At Launch Or Seasonally)
Sponsorships / Promotions (Think More Food & Wine Than Road & Track)
AVID™ New Product Development Process
Budget and Production Would Drive Initiative to Completion Within Time Frame
1. Assume
A. Employ Desk Research and Some Field Research
B. Develop Draft Strategies
C. Present Production Schedule
D. Gain Client Feedback
E. Modify Strategies Based On Client Feedback and Create Concepts for Testing
2. Validate
A. Using Concepts As Primary Stimuli, Employ Suite of Protocols to Understand Relevance to External Stakeholders
B. Codify Feedback
3. Invest
A. Based On Feedback From External Stakeholders, Refine and Extend Strategies and Concepts
B. Solicit Client Feedback
C. Finalize Strategies and Concepts
4. Deploy
A. Develop Touchpoints (Egg and / or Partners, Client Agencies)
B. Modify and Finalize Touchpoints
C. Launch
PHASES 1 – 3April 8th Through May 16th
PHASE 4A (Parallel To 4B)May 17th – July 15th
PHASE 4B (Parallel To 4A)May 17th – July 15th
AVID™ New Product Development Process
Client Feedback Particularly Crucial Given 90 Day Timing of Project
1. Assume
A. Employ Desk Research and Some Field Research
B. Develop Draft Strategies
C. Present Production Schedule
D. Gain Client Feedback
E. Modify Strategies Based On Client Feedback and Create Concepts for Testing
2. Validate
A. Using Concepts As Primary Stimuli, Employ Suite of Protocols to Understand Relevance to External Stakeholders
B. Codify Feedback
3. Invest
A. Based On Feedback From External Stakeholders, Refine and Extend Strategies and Concepts
B. Solicit Client Feedback
C. Finalize Strategies and Concepts
4. Deploy
A. Develop Touchpoints (Egg and / or Partners, Client Agencies)
B. Modify and Finalize Touchpoints
C. Launch
AVID™ New Product Development Process
After Today We’ll Modify The Strategies and Create Concepts for Testing
1. Assume
A. Employ Desk Research and Some Field Research
B. Develop Draft Strategies
C. Present Production Schedule
D. Gain Client Feedback
E. Modify Strategies Based On Client Feedback and Create Concepts for Testing
2. Validate
A. Using Concepts As Primary Stimuli, Employ Suite of Protocols to Understand Relevance to External Stakeholders
B. Codify Feedback
3. Invest
A. Based On Feedback From External Stakeholders, Refine and Extend Strategies and Concepts
B. Solicit Client Feedback
C. Finalize Strategies and Concepts
4. Deploy
A. Develop Touchpoints (Egg and / or Partners, Client Agencies)
B. Build, Modify, and Finalize Touchpoints
C. Launch
Thank you.