Drake’s, a maker of high-end stuffed pasta, was looking to expand beyond their successful food service core into the more lucrative retail business. When we began our partnership, Drake’s had distribution in only 400 regional doors of grocery and featured a dated, lackluster package. They were looking for a path to growth.
INSIGHTS
With frozen pasta in decline overall, both category managers and consumers were looking for a better tasting, restaurant-quality product to elevate a segment which was filled with lower-end, commodity, side dish products. Consumers’ perceptions about these frozen pasta products ran from “over-processed” to just plain “bad.”
GROWTH DRIVER
SHIFT MODEL
Drake’s needed to shift their business model from being heavily dependent on food service and private label, to migrating into higher-margin, branded CPG.
STRATEGY
We decided to capitalize on consumer macro-trends around convenience, clean label, quality and authenticity. Additional primary research identified an opportunity and clear path to take the brand into an existing whitespace for a higher quality, higher priced pasta line; one with a compelling brand story.
CREATIVE
Concentric created and launched Parla: A fresh-looking, authentic Italian label in a segment lacking clear brand positioning or meaning. Our packaging, website, marketing and in-store POS delivered distinct design, tone and messaging, while Parla’s taste and quality met consumer skepticism about frozen pasta head-on.
