How Brands Are Diving into New Categories to Solve For Consumer Needs

To remain relevant with consumers in a perpetually changing landscape, brands across categories are leaning into ideas rooted in consumer needs, including digital experiences, collaborations, and adjacent category executions. As Gus Rios-Raggio, Sr. Shopper Marketing Manager, Coca-Cola, shared in our most recent CMO conversation, customer need is the top priority for innovation:

“In terms of innovation, and I think we’ve all experienced this in all of our brands: consumer need is first. I think that is what I would tell the audience today is that no matter what you do, really try to understand from a brand agnostic point of view, what is the job that you’re trying to do for your consumer?” –Gus Rios-Raggio, Sr. Shopper Marketing Manager, Coca-Cola

Below, we take a look at recent examples of adjacencies which have solved for relevant consumers Jobs To Be Done:

• For consumers who aren’t willing to compromise quality in adult beverages, Spindrift® sparkling water introduced Spindrift Spiked, a hard sparkling water which is lightly carbonated and made with real ingredients only– and without synthetic natural flavors, sweeteners, or additives.

Job To Be Done: Give me real, quality ingredients even when I want an adult beverage.

• Greek yogurt maker Chobani sidestepped into an adjacent category when it began making oat milk and creamers. Its recent launch, Chobani Coffee, puts it in another adjacent and crowded space. The challenger brand is not deterred by the competition in the RTD iced coffee cooler, believing that consumers want what it brings to their tables: “Ready-to-drink cold-pressed coffee. Crafted from good, only natural ingredients.”

Job To Be Done: Help me consistently enjoy the tastes I love from pure ingredients in a convenient way.

• Dove Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer launched in November of 2020. It is 99.99 percent effective against germs and bacteria and also clinically proven to moisturize the skin for up to eight hours after application. At $4.99 for an 8 oz. bottle, this double-duty product has consumers rejoicing.

Job To Be Done: Help me protect my hands continuously, even when I am battling germs and dryness at the same time.

During our recent CMO chat on keeping brands relevant amidst uncertainty, we also heard from brand manager Brianna Picciuto shared some insight into the development of the product and how it came to bear the Dove brand name:

“We didn’t choose Dove until we understood the consumer need, which was moisturizer. If the equity doesn’t match for what consumers are expecting, then it is not always the right fit. There were brands who wanted to get on the bandwagon of hand hygiene, and we had to turn them away because they didn’t have equity for care or hygiene the same way Dove did.” – Brianna Picciuto, Global Skin Cleansing Brand Manager, Unilever

Are you gaining an actionable understanding of consumer needs to solve for? What adjacent category product launches are in your pipeline? 

At The Garage Group, we’re all about equipping corporates with an entrepreneurial mindset to navigate uncertain challenges with agility, help solve for consumer-focused Jobs to Be Done, and grow robust innovation pipelines. Get in touch with Jason Hauer, Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer here at The Garage Group >>>