We connect with consumers, position brands, design retail experiences and change the culture.
Case Studies
We connect with consumers, position brands, design retail experiences and change the culture.
Case Studies
A Cultural Conversion
at Nestlé
Processed
Natural
Qualitative research and design semiotics, we helped Nestlè define the cultural positioning and packaging strategy for Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss® coffee creamer, an all-natural alternative to Nestlé’s famous processed brand. The team embarked on a cultural conversion that aligned Natural Bliss® with growing market demands for healthier, all-natural products without tarnishing Coffee-Mate’s® strong equity in the processed creamer space.
*The cultural conversion was so successful that Nestlé extended Natural Bliss into plant-based and organic product lines.
A Cultural Conversion at Nestlé
Qualitative research and design semiotics, we helped Nestlè define the cultural positioning and packaging strategy for Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss® coffee creamer, an all-natural alternative to Nestlé’s famous processed brand. The team embarked on a cultural conversion that aligned Natural Bliss® with growing market demands for healthier, all-natural products without tarnishing Coffee-Mate’s® strong equity in the processed creamer space.
*The cultural conversion was so successful that Nestlé extended Natural Bliss into plant-based and organic product lines.
Reimagining
Pick-Up Service
Transaction Site
Pizza Theater
We helped Domino’s develop the Pizza Theater design strategy to improve the customer experience at their service sites. At the time, pizza pick-up sites were bland transaction stations where customers faced rows of boxes, the back of the oven, exposed maintenance and garbage bins in back, and an indifferent service staff. Inspired by the semiotics of spectacle and the old arch surrounding the payment window, we reimagined the service model into a destination characterized by the spectacle of pizza making and the sensations of pizza coming out of the oven.
*Domino’s Pizza Theater campaign more than doubled Domino’s stock value within six months of the launch.
Reimagining Pick-Up Service
We helped Domino’s develop the Pizza Theater design strategy to improve the customer experience at their service sites. At the time, pizza pick-up sites were bland transaction stations where customers faced rows of boxes, the back of the oven, exposed maintenance and garbage bins in back, and an indifferent service staff. Inspired by the semiotics of spectacle and the old arch surrounding the payment window, we reimagined the service model into a destination characterized by the spectacle of pizza making and the sensations of pizza coming out of the oven.
*Domino’s Pizza Theater campaign more than doubled Domino’s stock value within six months of the launch.
Rethinking
the Cheap Car
Simple
Track Star
We helped Ford develop the positioning platform and creative direction for the U.S. launch of the Ford Focus, an economical subcompact sedan slated to replace the Escort, a no frills, low priced sedan. To management’s surprise, we found that drivers who buy cheap cars are looking for excitement, speed and fun, like everybody else. Findings inspired a brand transformation. Ford turbocharged the engine, upgraded the sound system, sponsored live music concerts and used new media to capture this audience. They created a blockbuster brand that sold lots of cars and edged Ford into the new millennium.
*Awarded Car and Driver “Car of the Year” 3 years in a row.
Rethinking the Cheap Car
We helped Ford develop the positioning platform and creative direction for the U.S. launch of the Ford Focus, an economical subcompact sedan slated to replace the Escort, a no frills, low priced sedan. To management’s surprise, we found that drivers who buy cheap cars are looking for excitement, speed and fun, like everybody else. Findings inspired a brand transformation. Ford turbocharged the engine, upgraded the sound system, sponsored live music concerts and used new media to capture this audience. They created a blockbuster brand that sold lots of cars and edged Ford into the new millennium.
*Awarded Car and Driver “Car of the Year” 3 years in a row.
A New Cultural Paradigm
for Public Policy
Conservatory
Community Garden
In an extended ethnography of African American community gardeners on Chicago’s West Side, I discovered cultural barriers between the local gardeners and the Garfield Park Conservatory, an elite horticulture and plant preservation institution. Local families had migrated north from the deep south during the Great Migration and rejected the Conservatory’s free programs because they didn’t identify with the elite culture of horticulture. I became a researcher-advocate for the local community and advised the Conservatory board to integrate the local culture into their programs and also share their skills with local gardeners.
Results: Today the Conservatory embraces public service and co-operates with local gardeners, offering classes and service jobs to local teens and holding farmers’ markets to distribute local produce. They even built a community garden on Conservatory grounds. The case illustrates that public policy succeeds when it aligns with the culture and values of the populations it serves.
A New Cultural Paradigm for Public Policy
In an extended ethnography of African American community gardeners on Chicago’s West Side, I discovered cultural barriers between the local gardeners and the Garfield Park Conservatory, an elite horticulture and plant preservation institution. Local families had migrated north from the deep south during the Great Migration and rejected the Conservatory’s free programs because they didn’t identify with the elite culture of horticulture. I became a researcher-advocate for the local community and advised the Conservatory board to integrate the local culture into their programs and also share their skills with local gardeners.
Results: Today the Conservatory embraces public service and co-operates with local gardeners, offering classes and service jobs to local teens and holding farmers’ markets to distribute local produce. They even built a community garden on Conservatory grounds. The case illustrates that public policy succeeds when it aligns with the culture and values of the populations it serves.