CLIENT CHALLENGE
To stay ahead of competitive threats, the client team from a leading global pizza chain needed to unlock new growth opportunities—both by reigniting relevance in their current pizza crust portfolio and by imagining bold, new offerings that could inspire future demand.
OUR APPROACH
- Acknowledging that the brand faced pressure to compete amidst evolving consumer expectations and a crowded crust landscape. At the same time, a core crust offering was underperforming and facing discontinuation.
- Selecting the right project phases — including analysis of current internal knowledge, qualitative research, and co-creation workshops, as well as big idea development and strategic positioning.
- Isolating a key insight gleaned from qualitative research to guide our solutions: crust was no longer just a base, it had become a flavor carrier, brand signature, and a source for emotional connection.
- Embracing pizza as a “Cheat Meal,” prioritizing the preferred bold and flavorful crusts, and recognizing that the characteristics of the current crust failed to meet expectations.
- Supporting our key insight with data; over 50% of customers cited crust quality as a driver of pizza satisfaction, but the brand had no product pipeline in place which opened the door to a robust innovation pipeline to be developed.
THE OUTCOME
The project identified pizza crust as a strategic growth lever, illustrating how the brand is distinct and innovative while also getting ahead of customer desire.
Ultimately, our team delivered a two-pronged growth solution:
- The current crust option was repositioned for better alignment of its characteristics and benefits with customer expectations, which significantly improved customer feedback.
- A multi-year innovation pipeline of new crust options spanning everyday uses and opportunities to experiment with flavor and texture. The pipeline included new ingredients, new forms, craveable seasonings, and flavor enhancers.
