Pillsbury
Really seeing your audience is the key to connection.
PILLSBURY / AUDIENCE EMPATHY
Made at Home
Pillsbury has been a legendary brand for half a century. But how could we make sure it was standing for relevant things that connected deeply with the moms of middle America today?
JOAN undertook a significant research journey, travelling to the homes of the women we needed to reach to create a documentary about their lives. We followed this process up with national quantitative research to verify at scale what we heard on the ground.
Our brand platform, Made at Home, was born from what we heard.
What we found was illuminating. It was just after the 2016 election, and with so much anger in the world, our audience was choosing to instead focus their energy on the things in their control. Namely, what was happening within the walls of their home, and the memories and values they could instill in their kids. As a brand that is baked in your very own kitchen, Pillsbury had a voice.
The creative campaign, “House Rules,” was inspired directly by our in-home visits.
At almost all of the homes, we observed signs on the wall that laid out families’ personal commitments to each other. These signs hinted to both good times and bad times, and so our campaign did, too. And in lieu of polished kitchens and bite and smiles, we celebrated life in all of its messy glory. The House Rules campaign was able to stretch between brand comms, product news comms, original IP and brand publishing.
Knowing this audience, we spread a message that our research told us would hit:
The most important things about the holidays can’t be bought.
Together, JOAN and Pillsbury took this brand into a new era.
An era where honesty and vulnerability reign, and where what matters most is made at home.
