The challenge.
Blue Diamond is a well-established almond brand in the USA and was looking to build its sales in the UK.
The UK savoury nuts market is dominated by peanuts – almonds have had very little presence in this sector…
“So how do we convince the UK retailers to stock our brand of savoury flavoured snacking almonds?”
In the UK almonds were not really thought of as a snacking option.
“Those useless bags of coated almonds people hand out at weddings and then promptly put in the bin”.
“I buy them ground and flaked and use them in cooking, but it wouldn’t occur to me to buy a bag for snacking”
Our thinking.
We could have undertaken two or three phases of focus-group research, supplemented by some ethnographic work and accompanied shop depth interviews.
The smarter approach was to conduct an online forum for two weeks (and it was a lot cheaper too!)
In the UK almonds were not really thought of as a snacking option.
Our response.
We recruited 30 regular nut eaters to participate in the forum.
We took them on a ‘journey’, exploring their views on nuts and almonds as they were provided with a range of stimulus.
– Which nuts do you eat and why?
– What do you know about almonds?
– Almonds have a range of health benefits – how do you feel about this?
– Try these – what do you think of them?
– What about the brand and packaging?
– What’s the best way to sell them to you?
Our research highlighted the opportunity to position almonds as a wholesome alternative to peanuts.
Yielding rich insight.
“Samples have arrived and I have to say I thought they were the tastiest snack I have had in a long time. I think this range would go down a storm in pubs and wine bars. This could definitely replace crisps for me and I would ather have these healthier options when out with friends for a drink than going for the default purchase of salted or dry roasted peanuts.”
The result.
The research highlighted the opportunity for Blue Diamond to position its snacking almonds as a tasty, wholesome alternative to peanuts and other savoury snacks. The brand is now well-established in the UK.