Source: DELIGHT FOODS, INC. submitted to NRP
PACKAGING AND MARKETING OF DOMESTIC VEGETABLE SOYBEAN
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0203022
Grant No.
2005-33610-15481
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
2005-00453
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
May 1, 2005
Project End Date
Oct 31, 2005
Grant Year
2005
Program Code
[8.9]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
DELIGHT FOODS, INC.
1317 COPLAND OAK DRIVE
MORRISVILLE,NC 27560
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Marketing and packaging are key steps in introducing a new product to consumers. Delight Foods has done four years of research into the Domestic Production of Vegetable Soybeans in partnership with crop scientists, food scientists and a cooperative of farmers. Now, this team will move into commercialization. This research will develop a powerful brand platform, including the story about North Carolina small farmers, for promoting domestically grown vegetable soybeans. The research will inform efforts to quantify and develop an innovative packaging strategies that effectively communicate the brand platform to consumers, and will be leveraged for further development of the brand platform. This research aims: (1) To conduct qualitative consumer tests of the overall unique selling proposition and brand platform for Delight Soy's vegetable soybeans. (2) To conduct qualitative consumer tests of specific branding elements, including, but not restricted to, the image, the logo, the story on the package, the nutritional information, the health benefits, and the value proposition.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
60418203010100%
Knowledge Area
604 - Marketing and Distribution Practices;

Subject Of Investigation
1820 - Soybean;

Field Of Science
3010 - Economics;
Goals / Objectives
To conduct qualitative consumer tests of the overall unique selling proposition and brand platform for Delight Soy's vegetable soybeans, specifically to conduct qualitative consumer tests of specific branding elements, including, but not restricted to, the image, the logo, the story on the package, the nutritional information, the health benefits, and the value proposition.
Project Methods
Delight Foods will begin testing its brand platform to achieve an in-depth understanding of consumer attitudes and perceptions toward packaging. Consumers will often prefer a certain brand message, yet fail to translate that into action at the point of purchase. The test package will provide a tangible link between an actual product and the brand message. Phase I will tell us how positively consumers accept our branding platform. This will be crucial before beginning Phase II, when we must develop a branding and marketing system based on the unique selling proposition validated in Phase I. This empirical study will be the foundation of our future advertising and marketing decisions. Phase I research is crucial for Phase II marketing planning and brand development work. Because the brand platform we are testing is completely new, we would like to have sound information about consumer perception, so we can determine the brand's feasibility. Well-designed focus group research will help us gain a deeper understanding about Delight Foods' proposed branding platform and packaging design. The focus group is an exploratory research method used to help companies gain a deeper understanding of their customers' and prospects' perceptions, feelings, motivations and desires. Focus groups are an established, well-respected means of gathering in-depth, qualitative information such as opinions and attitudes. Focus groups typically bring eight to twelve people together for a round table discussion lasting from one to two hours. Qualified participants are most often recruited by telephone and offered an incentive to attend each group. Participants can be qualified by specific segments or drawn by random selection to match targeted demographics. The project plan includes the following steps: 1. Develop Creative Brief and Research Design: Write the Brand Brief and the Creative Brief that will provide direction regarding Delight Food's unique selling proposition and brand identity. In this phase, we will develop the research design which will direct all research activities. 2. Develop Packaging Design and Begin Recruitment of Participants: Once the team has reviewed the Creative Brief together, the design team will begin work on the package design considering issues such as shape of the package, re-sealability, display issues, and consumer behavior in the frozen food aisles. We will also leverage secondary research (both qualitative and quantitative) that studies consumer behavior and retailer requirements for frozen food products. The research team will begin to pre-qualify candidates for the research as soon as the package design is ready for production. 3. Organize Four Focus Group Sessions: The research team will facilitate and moderate four groups of participants at focus group facilities. 4. Analyze and Present Results: The analysis will delve into the ramifications of the findings to Delight Foods brand and packaging strategy and provide recommendations for future research and development.

Progress 05/01/05 to 10/31/05

Outputs
For more than four years Delight Foods, Inc. has been the recipient of USDA SBIR funding to conduct research on the domestic production of vegetable soybeans. Marketing and packaging are key steps in introducing a new product to consumers. As the first step in developing a strong marketing capability, we conducted a Phase I SBIR research project entitled, "Packaging and Marketing of Domestically Grown Vegetable Soybeans." The focus of this Phase I SBIR was primarily focused on developing a packaging strategy. Delight Foods achieved its research goals for this project using focus groups (two sessions in Raleigh NC on September 22; two in Charlotte, NC on October 6) as outlined in the original proposal and the mid-term report. Results With Respect to Original Workplan: The team completed the project within six months allotted (on schedule). We did not encounter any major problems. We learned a lot more than we expected from the focus groups. Though soybeans are new to U.S. consumers, participants provided extremely nuanced feedback about the way they incorporate them into their diets, the decision making process as they shop for produce, and the way soybean (edamame) fits into their lifestyles. Most importantly, the participants gave us specific direction about our various packaging options. Gathering consumer feedback about package designs was an iterative process. Six initial package designs, representing distinct themes were presented to both heavy and light users at the first two focus groups in Chapel Hill. Following receipt of initial feedback, additional packages were developed and, at the third and fourth focus groups in Charlotte, both the original and revised packages were presented to consumers. The focus groups discussed a number of issues around the branding and packaging of domestically grown soybeans, including (but not restricted to): o Usage behavior (cooking with soybeans, snacking, eat at restaurants) o Occasions (frequency, timing, location) o Naming ("Edabeanies" brand name, Delight Soy, soybeans versus edamame) o Packaging preferences (pouch, bag, tray. need for resealable container, etc.) o Product acceptance (perceptions, attitudes, associations, etc.)

Impacts
Commercialization Prospects: Phase I marked an important step in developing Delight Foods' ability to successfully bring North Carolina green soybeans from the field to the dinner table. Phase II will build on the results of Phase I to develop an integrated marketing system, including branding, consumer research, distribution, and promotional elements. After Phase II is completed, Delight Foods will be ready to roll out a nationwide launch of its green soybeans.

Publications

  • No publications reported this period