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CATEGORY: FOOD

A premium protein competes with conventional brands and wins over shoppers

True Story Foods logo

COMPANY SIZE

High Growth

CATEGORY

Meat

USE CASE

New product launch

RETAILERS

True Story Foods retailers

IMPACT AT A GLANCE

4,200

community members engaged on offer, 86% of whom were new to the brand

84%

of consumers intend to purchase the product again

60%

redemption rate on initial offer

1,790

reviews created for syndication with an average 4.6/5 rating

Where quality meets integrity

In a world where food culture often prioritizes convenience over taste and efficiency over sustainability, True Story Foods took a different path. As a family-owned business, they are committed to producing naturally delicious meats that support both the health of consumers and the land, with a strong commitment to sustainability.

With a broad lineup of premium products, True Story Foods has gained traction in major retailers, including Sprouts and the California-favorite, Pavilions. Recently, the brand expanded its offerings by launching a new line of uncured, organic grass-fed beef hot dogs—furthering their mission to create sustainable, high-quality products while supporting farmers and producers working for a better future.

True Story Foods grass-fed uncured beef hot dog

Beefing up visibility in a crowded aisle

Like many natural brands, True Story Foods faced the challenge of standing out in a crowded, price-sensitive market dominated by conventional products with greater brand recognition. 

As a premium offering, their Organic Grass-Fed Uncured Beef Hot Dogs faced challenges in attracting new shoppers unfamiliar with the brand’s unique value. The brand not only sought to boost sales and strengthen relationships with key retailers like Sprouts through a successful product launch, but also aimed to prove that, as a newcomer to this niche category, they had a deep understanding of consumer preferences and behavior within the space.

True Story Foods grass-fed uncured beef hot dog

In order to do that, True Story Foods needed to drive targeted trials, get shopper feedback and access actionable data to better understand what marketing strategies would be most effective with attracting the right shoppers to their new product. 

As McKiernan Flaherty, Brand Manager explains, “This campaign was aimed at expanding household penetration, boosting unit velocity, and gathering actionable consumer data that could guide our marketing strategy and improve future performance.”

The meat of the matter

True Story Foods partnered with Social Nature to design a campaign tailored to their specific challenges, focusing on driving trials, acquiring new customers and building product awareness in key regions

Social Nature’s ability to deliver hyper-targeted trials enabled the brand to collaborate on an intake questionnaire that qualified only consumers predisposed to the product category who aligned with the brand’s values. This approach ensured that the most relevant consumers participated in the trial, optimizing the use of marketing dollars and increasing the likelihood of converting new shoppers into long-term, loyal customers.

In addition, True Story Foods worked closely with Social Nature to develop a comprehensive post-trial survey aimed at gathering crucial insights into how consumers perceived the product’s quality, taste, and potential barriers to repeat purchases. These insights would be vital for refining the brand’s product positioning and messaging, particularly regarding price sensitivity and how their premium offerings compared to conventional competitors.

Sizzling sales and standout stats

Primary objective: True Story Foods partnered with Social Nature to launch a highly targeted campaign that drove a 90% redemption rate at Sprouts, boosted unit velocity, and secured 84% purchase intent from consumers, providing invaluable insights for future growth and retailer engagement.

The results were impressive. The campaign drove a significant spike in unit velocity at a key retailer, with about 90% of product redemptions occurring at Sprouts. This surge in product movement helped True Story Foods bolster its relationship with the retailer and supplied the brand with concrete data, consumer feedback and purchase intent metrics that would aid their future buyer meetings

Social Nature’s targeted trial approach also proved successful, with 84% of shoppers expressing purchase intent and 81% rating the product favorably against competitors. These stats were a game-changer for True Story Foods, allowing them to highlight their product’s value and unique attributes in a crowded category. And with 86% of the campaign’s audience sharing they were new to the brand, True Story Foods was able to capture the attention of new shoppers, seeing a boost in shopper loyalty and success acquiring new customers for life.

The shopper feedback the brand received shed light on the importance of educating consumers on the benefits of organic and grass-fed meats to justify the premium price point. 

True Story Foods found it helpful to compare and contrast shopper insights across regions where the product was sampled, using the feedback to enhance the brand’s messaging and in-store promotions. Taking a more geo-targeted approach to their marketing resulted in instant improvements in their consumer engagement.

In the end, True Story Foods not only saw an increase in sales but gained thousands of new loyal new customers and valuable insights that will continue to inform their future marketing strategies and retail expansion plans. As a result of the campaign, the brand now feels more confident in their ability to compete, grow, and continue delivering high-quality products to new and existing customers alike.

What’s next for this hot dog newcomer?

Next steps for True Story Foods will be to re-engage shoppers from this campaign with two additional retargeting offers for their Organic Grass-Fed Uncured Beef Hot Dogs. Encouraging the new-to-brand customers to try the product multiple times (we recommend three!) and driving them into the store with additional offers will significantly increase the shopper’s likelihood of making True Story Foods their go-to brand. 

To help increase the likelihood of acquiring new customers for life, Social Nature offers brands the opportunity to retarget shoppers with additional campaigns – it’s a great way to continue to boost your sales, support your key retail relationships and build that brand loyalty.

True Story Foods grass-fed uncured beef hot dog

Key takeaways

✔️ Strengthened Retailer Relationships: With 90% of product redemptions at Sprouts, the campaign not only drove strong in-store sales velocity but also provided concrete consumer data on feedback and purchase intent metrics. This data offered strong proof of concept, strengthening True Story Foods’ relationship with retailers and enhancing future buyer discussions.

✔️ High Trial Success: Social Nature’s hyper-targeted approach led to 84% of consumers expressing purchase intent and 81% rating the product favorably against competitors. This high engagement demonstrated the product’s potential to attract new shoppers to the category and establish a loyal shopper base in a competitive market.

✔️ Valuable Consumer Insights: Shopper feedback on taste, product attributes, and price sensitivity allowed True Story Foods to refine their marketing messaging, enabling a more geo-targeted approach across regions. These insights will guide future marketing strategies to improve consumer engagement and sales growth.

Aid your future buyer meeting with concrete data.

Speak with a CPG Growth Strategist to discuss strategies.