Deciding whether to enter a fast-growing dog treat segment

The question

One segment of the dog treat market was growing fast, and the company had a new treat of its own in development.

Leadership wanted to decide with confidence whether to enter now or hold. Behind that was a development question: what did the products already on shelf offer owners and their dogs, and was there room for something different?

Our approach

We examined the products already in the segment as closely as the people who buy them, so the competitive picture and the owners’ views could be read side by side.

The co-creation brought together owners of small, medium and large dogs, because a treat may be judged differently depending on the dog it is for.

The stimulus was the segment’s real shelf, from familiar branded formats to emerging premium products, with early prototypes alongside. Owners examined each one for texture, hardness, shape and appearance, and set it against what they wanted and what the product promised.

Packaging had its own phase, with owners working on the pack and a map of the competitive aisle in front of them.

What the team came away with

The development team had product design guidelines, each written as what the product should be, could be and should not be.

They covered every part of the format, so development had a clear standard to work to. The packaging work added a view of the pack built with owners, with the competitive aisle in view.