SARA LEE
When younger generations are not adopting your brand the way their parents did, what can you do to win them over?
Sara Lee frozen desserts enjoy a strong Boomer and reliable GenX market share. Alternately, Millennials and GenZ show less affinity for the frozen dessert aisle, favoring refrigerated, fresh-baked, and local treats. But with new product forms, a brand refresh focused on the expectations of a younger market, and reaching the consumer through natural social media channels, Sara Lee is coming home again to a new generation of dessert lovers.
Client
Sara Lee
Category
Food | Frozen Desserts
Services
Consumer Insights
Landscape Assessment
Naming, TOV & Messaging
Package Design
Digital, Motion & Video
Realization & Commercialization
Awards
GD USA | Graphic Design Award
Background
Research showed that 70% of Millennial consumers weren’t shopping in the frozen dessert aisle. Sara Lee didn’t feel relevant to them, and they saw the products as highly processed. They also felt full-size frozen desserts were for larger traditional occasions and desired individual servings for a little daily indulgence or to share casually with a few friends. The brand responded with a line of less processed, single-serve frozen miniature cheesecakes with simple ingredients.
Brand Strategy
Our landscape audit revealed that Sara Lee was getting lost in the competition, and when noticed, the brand wasn’t sending the fresh and delicious cues critical to the category. To drive a successful product launch, we would need a memorable name, breakthrough package design, and meaningful social media to help drive awareness with the target consumer.
Product Naming
Through proven processes, we explored multiple territories and generated over 250 potential names. Cross-functional input, Saegis screening, and linguistic checks focused efforts on a handful of finalists. From these, COHO arrived at Sara’s Selections—an ownable name feeling personal, memorable, shareable, single-serve, and less processed.
Social Media
To get Millennials to discover Sara’s Selections, we reached out on social media where we knew they’d be. Campaigns across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook made a young market aware that a new and delightful daily indulgence was awaiting them in the freezer section.
Design
Sara’s Selections had to stand out and feel fresh, delicious, and relevant in a competitive freezer. We increased the brand’s red equity to draw attention while communicating richness. New product photography was key for a clean, playful, and indulgent feel. The sub-brand logo became a signature, as on a note from a friend. COHO crafted the Sara’s Selections story for the back panel and adorned individual wrappers inside with kind words for an extra touch of personal attention. Finally, the design incorporated scalability to accommodate future innovation. Before and after heat mapping of the package told the story—consumers couldn’t miss it!
Complications
A worldwide pandemic chose this moment to hit, presenting both challenges and unexpected opportunities. Consumers began seeking greater comfort in indulgence, but launching a product when sales visits were prohibited was a problem. COHO pivoted fast-tracking beautifully compelling video sales tools that could be Zoomed with prospects worldwide.
Results
Sara’s Selections have become a hit, delighting established consumers and forming new connections with Millennials and GenZ. The brand enjoyed a bump at launch, and COHO was recognized with a GDUSA award in the process.
