64 best analytical questions for your brand

1. 64 best analytical
questions to lead
a brand audit
At Beloved Brands, our Marketing Training teaches how the
best marketers use brand analytics, strategic thinking, brand
positioning, brand plans, and marketing execution

2. 5 4
3
2
1
The Brand Funnel
Awareness
Familiar
Consider
Purchase
Repeat
Loyal
Unknown
Indifferent
Love It
Like It
Beloved
The Brand Love Curve
Brand Funnel
Marketplace Consumers Channels
Purchase Journey
Macro view of overall category
performance with economic,
consumer, tech, shopping, regulatory.
Understand consumer beliefs, habits,
and trends via consumption data,
funnels, tracking, and VOC feedback.
Evaluate channels, customers,
strategy alignment, tool
utilization, program effectiveness.
Growth Tracking
Deep-dive business review
Brand
Review Summary
Profitability
Evaluate the brand through the
lens of consumer, customer,
competitor, and employee. Use
data, research, and analysis.
Take each section conclusion, draw out a brand
challenge to summarize the entire review
Execution Tracking Competitive pricing analysis
Competitors
Analyze competitors using
brand, performance, pricing,
innovation, distribution, and
perceptions. Anticipate response.
Competitive funnel analysis
Customer scorecards
Customer A Scores
Overall Sales Dollars 39
Share of Category 11%
% dollar change +19.1%
Your Brand Share 33%
% change +3.3 points
Share Index 105
Your brand’s avg Price $6.33
% change +3.3%
Price Index 125
Share of Co-Op Ads 33%
% change +18%
Co Op Index 143
Share of Merch 25%
% change -2%
March Index 111
Customer Scorecards Distribution Gaps
Pricing Differences by Channel
First, look at the average price and change versus year
for each channel. Match up the data to what the sales
colleagues are saying about the different prices for each ch
Depending on channel/brand, you should be looking at
deal pricing, % on deal and coop ad points. Compare ea
the channels and compare to prior years.
Food Drug Mass Clu
Avg Price $6.55 $6.47 $6.62 $6.5
% change vya -6.4% -2% +3.1% -1.9
Avg Price on Deal 5.99 6.59 5.29 5.4
% change vya +8.3% -12.3% +1.7% +2.7
% on deal 32% 22% 38% 20%
+/- vya +7 pts +1 pt +10 pts -2 p
A
B
We mak
We make bran
Distribution gap analysis
Tops Kroger CVS Club A&P Safeway 7
Gray’s
8 ct Choc Chip
Gray’s
16 ct Choc
Chip
Gray’s
8 ct Mint Chip
Gray’s
16 ct Mint Chip
Gray’s
8 ct Lemon
We m
Distribution gap analysis
Tops Kroger CVS Club A&P Safewa
Gray’s
8 ct Choc Chip
Gray’s
16 ct Choc
Chip
Gray’s
8 ct Mint Chip
Gray’s
16 ct Mint Chip
Gray’s
8 ct Lemon
• Market: As eating habits are changing the
cookie category is shrinking, while the
good-for-you segment thrives.
• Consumer: New consumers attracted to
Gray’s “guilt free” positioning, but the great
taste drives loyalty
• Channels: Gray’s needs to close
distribution gaps but must maintain
advertising investment to drive trial.
• Competitors: Gray’s has an opportunity
to dominate the “good for you” segment
before traditional brands enter segment.
• Brand: Gray’s growth due to taste quality,
but new “guilt free” positioning will connect
deeper and fuel new demand.
Themes from each section
It is time to transition Gray’s from a
product-led brand into an idea-led
brand to connect with consumers
by owning the idea of “guilt free”
snacking, rather than just selling a
great tasting cookie. Gray’s needs
to begin to dominate and lead the
“good for you” cookie segment.
Brand Challenge
B U S I N E S S R E V I E W S U M M A R Y
beloved brands
Consumer Journey
Aware
Consider
Search
Buy
Satisfied
Repeat
Loyal
Fan
1. Create an idea that attracts
consumers to drive mass
awareness and consideration.
2. Use insights to connect, listen to
their needs, provide the right
information to help them decide
3. Earn their trust, to give them the
comfort they need to help close the
deal to turn them into buyers.
4. Use high-touch service to create
an exception experience and turn
them into a happy consumers
5. Delight your most loyal consumers
so they influence their peers to
become new prospects
Think of inbound marketing as a self-serve type journey for those consumers
who trust themselves to do the work. Don’t be offended by underestimating
consumers who want to search, learn, and decide on their own.
The Omnichannel Marketing approach guides the creation of
valuable, relevant and consistent content that move consumers
6
GRAY’S
Cookies
How to
lead a
deep-dive
business
review

3. We start with 10 analytical questions per section
10 best marketplace questions
1. How is the category doing relative to the economy?
2. Look at the last 3-5 years and explain each of the ups and
downs in the category.
3. What is the overall value of the category? Any price
changes? Major cost changes?
4. Which sales channel, regional, or geographic trends do
you see? Which are growing and which are in decline? Is it
a unit or price decline? Explain any underlying regional
causes for the numbers you are seeing.
5. What category segments are growing, declining, or
emerging?
6. Explain the role of each type of innovation: product
extensions, product improvements, new formats, brand
stretching, game-changing technology, or blue ocean.
7. What are the macro factors driving category growth? What
is holding the category back? What are the significant
open opportunities you can use to your advantage? What
are the risks to the categories in the next few years?
8. What are the macro trends influencing or changing this
category? What is the political, economic, social, or
technological impact on the category?
9. Who holds the balance of power in the category: brands,
suppliers, channels, or consumers?
10. Look at other marketplace issues regarding operations,
inventory, mergers, technology, innovation, investments,
and global trade.
Analyzing the
Marketplace
10 best consumer questions
1. Who is your current target? How have you determined the impact
of demographics, behavioral, psychographic, geographic, or
usage occasions? Lifestage trends?
2. Who are the consumers most motivated by what you have to
offer? Who are your possible target consumer segments? Are they
growing? How do you measure them?
3. What drives consumer choice? What are the primary need states?
How do these consumer needs line up with your brand assets?
Where can you win with consumers?
4. How is your brand performing against key shopping patterns,
looking at penetration rates, buying rates that include purchase
frequency, and sales per trip?
5. How is your brand performing against key segments about share
and sales by channel or geography? Look at your brand
performance over the latest 4-weeks, 12-weeks, and year-to-date
compared to competitors.
6. Map out the path to purchase and use brand funnels to assess
your brand’s performance in each stage. Are consumers changing
at stages? Are you failing at stages?
7. What are the consumer’s perceptions of your brand and your
competitors? Voice of the consumer.
8. How do consumers shop as they move through each stage of the
brand funnel?
9. What are the emerging consumer trends? How does your brand
match up to potentially exploit them? Where would your
competitors win?
10. What are the consumer’s ideal brand experiences and unmet
needs we can address?
Analyzing
Consumers
10 best competitor questions
1. Who are your main competitors, both direct and indirect? How
do they position themselves?
2. Describe your competitor’s operating model, culture, and
organizational structure. What is the culture of your
competitor, and what is culture's role in their brand?
3. What are your competitor’s strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, threats?
4. Map out the competitor’s brand plan: vision, goals, key issues,
strategies, and tactics.
5. What are your competitor’s use of communication, new
products, and go-to-market strategy? How are they executing
against each other?
6. Explain all the ups and downs over time, looking at your
competitors' micro and macro performance.
7. What is your competitor's investment stance and expected
growth trajectory? How much and where do they invest? What
are the marketing and commercial focus? What is their ROI?
8. How is your competitor doing regarding market share,
customer market shares, investment, margins, innovation,
culture, share of voice, or any regulatory advantage?
9. How do the competitor prices match up? How does each
competitor use price?
10. Are there any public materials about the competitor, including
strategy and financial results?
Analyzing the
Competitors
10 best channel questions
1. What is your business model? Do you use multiple models?
B2C, B2B, SaaS, DTC, Retail, or through distributors?
2. How is your brand doing in each of the channels? Are there
any regional differences by channel? Channel shifts? Are
there new and emerging channels? Are there new channels
on the horizon yet to be developed?
3. What are each channel's strengths, issues, opportunities, and
risks to identify where you can have the most impact?
4. Do you understand the strategies of your retail customers?
5. Do you have the competencies to service your customers?
6. Who are the top 5 customers? What are their main
strategies? How does your brand fit into that plan? Create a
scorecard to highlight how well you are aligned with their
performance.
7. How is your brand doing with each customer? What are your
brand’s channel-related strengths and weaknesses?
8. Who are your primary and secondary customers? Have you
segmented and prioritized growth versus opportunity? How
large are they? What are their growth rates?
9. How is each customer performing? How profitable is that
customer?
10. How is the relationship with the customer? Who is the
category captain of your key accounts, and why?
Analyzing the
Channels
1. What consumer benefits can your brand win that are ownable,
unique, and motivating for consumers? How far can you “stretch”
your brand into other opportunities?
2. What is your market share? Regionally? By channel? Where is your
strength? Where is your gap? What is your biggest gain versus prior
periods? What is your most enormous gap?
3. How is your brand performing on key brand tracking data?
Penetration? Frequency? Sales per buyer or trip? What are your
brand’s scores on the brand funnel?
4. What is driving negative perceptions that cause consumers to leave
your brand?
5. How is your communications program tracking data doing? Where
could you improve?
6. What are the underlying attitudes about your brand, and how does it
fit in with the consumers’ lives? Where do consumers see you about
your competitors?
7. What is your culture? Do you have alignment with the brand story
and your employees?
8. What is your freshness index of new products and services
measuring a consistent exploration, testing, and delivery of product
extensions, product improvements, new formats, brand stretching,
game-changing technology, and blue ocean exploration?
9. Are you aligned with the brand story that attracts consumers and
your employees who deliver the desired consumer experience? Is
there alignment with operations, sales, and innovation that have the
brand idea?
10. How does your production process, sourcing, forecasting, supply,
shipping, servicing, tracking, and measurement give you a
competitive advantage?
10 best brand questions
Analyzing the
Brand
10 best marketing finance questions
1. What is your brand’s compound annual growth rate (CAGR)? Explain
the ups and downs over the past five years.
2. What are your gross margins and contribution margins over last five
years? Can you break it out by product line? Is there more pressure
from price or the cost of goods?
3. What is your brand’s marketing budget breakout? Variable direct
costs versus indirect fixed dollars? What is the break between media
and creative production? Consumer spend versus trade spend?
4. Have you completed any pricing elasticity studies? What did you
learn about your brand? If you did increase your price, what did you
see in the marketplace?
5. How is your brand’s overall strategy impacting your brand’s profits?
How do your decisions on your brand’s core strength, consumer
connection, competitive pressures, and situation impact your
financials?
6. How are your current brand/business performance metrics, brand’s
market goals, and financials linked?
7. Over the past 5 years, what are the programs that drive the highest
and lowest ROI?
8. How does your business model impact your overall profit? What is
your focus now?
9. What are your forecasting error rates? Is there a seasonality impact?
What economic factors impact your brand’s financials? How
reasonable are your inventory levels?
10. What financial pressures do you face on an annual or quarterly basis?
Analyzing the
Brand
Finances

4. 10 best marketplace questions
1. How is the category doing relative to the economy?
2. Look at the last 3-5 years and explain each of the ups and downs in the category.
3. What is the overall value of the category? Any price changes? Major cost
changes?
4. Which sales channel, regional, or geographic trends do you see? Which are
growing and which are in decline? Is it a unit or price decline? Explain any
underlying regional causes for the numbers you are seeing.
5. What category segments are growing, declining, or emerging?
6. Explain the role of each type of innovation: product extensions, product
improvements, new formats, brand stretching, game-changing technology, or blue
ocean.
7. What are the macro factors driving category growth? What is holding the category
back? What are the signi
fi
cant open opportunities you can use to your
advantage? What are the risks to the categories in the next few years?
8. What are the macro trends in
fl
uencing or changing this category? What is the
political, economic, social, or technological impact on the category?
9. Who holds the balance of power in the category: brands, suppliers, channels, or
consumers?
10. Look at other marketplace issues regarding operations, inventory, mergers,
technology, innovation, investments, and global trade.
Analyzing the
Marketplace

5. 10 best consumer questions
1. Who is your current target? How have you determined the impact of demographics,
behavioral, psychographic, geographic, or usage occasions? Lifestage trends?
2. Who are the consumers most motivated by what you have to o
ff
er? Who are your
possible target consumer segments? Are they growing? How do you measure them?
3. What drives consumer choice? What are the primary need states? How do these
consumer needs line up with your brand assets? Where can you win with consumers?
4. How is your brand performing against key shopping patterns, looking at penetration
rates, buying rates that include purchase frequency, and sales per trip?
5. How is your brand performing against key segments about share and sales by channel
or geography? Look at your brand performance over the latest 4-weeks, 12-weeks,
and year-to-date compared to competitors.
6. Map out the path to purchase and use brand funnels to assess your brand’s
performance in each stage. Are consumers changing at stages? Are you failing at
stages?
7. What are the consumer’s perceptions of your brand and your competitors? Voice of the
consumer.
8. How do consumers shop as they move through each stage of the brand funnel?
9. What are the emerging consumer trends? How does your brand match up to
potentially exploit them? Where would your competitors win?
10. What are the consumer’s ideal brand experiences and unmet needs we can address?
Analyzing
Consumers

6. 10 best competitor questions
1. Who are your main competitors, both direct and indirect? How do they position
themselves?
2. Describe your competitor’s operating model, culture, and organizational structure.
What is the culture of your competitor, and what is culture's role in their brand?
3. What are your competitor’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats?
4. Map out the competitor’s brand plan: vision, goals, key issues, strategies, and
tactics.
5. What are your competitor’s use of communication, new products, and go-to-
market strategy? How are they executing against each other?
6. Explain all the ups and downs over time, looking at your competitors' micro and
macro performance.
7. What is your competitor's investment stance and expected growth trajectory?
How much and where do they invest? What are the marketing and commercial
focus? What is their ROI?
8. How is your competitor doing regarding market share, customer market shares,
investment, margins, innovation, culture, share of voice, or any regulatory
advantage?
9. How do the competitor prices match up? How does each competitor use price?
10. Are there any public materials about the competitor, including strategy and
fi
nancial results?
Analyzing the
Competitors

7. 10 best channel questions
1. What is your business model? Do you use multiple models? B2C, B2B, SaaS, DTC,
Retail, or through distributors?
2. How is your brand doing in each of the channels? Are there any regional di
ff
erences by
channel? Channel shifts? Are there new and emerging channels? Are there new channels
on the horizon yet to be developed?
3. What are each channel's strengths, issues, opportunities, and risks to identify where you
can have the most impact?
4. Do you understand the strategies of your retail customers?
5. Do you have the competencies to service your customers?
6. Who are the top 5 customers? What are their main strategies? How does your brand
fi
t
into that plan? Create a scorecard to highlight how well you are aligned with their
performance.
7. How is your brand doing with each customer? What are your brand’s channel-related
strengths and weaknesses?
8. Who are your primary and secondary customers? Have you segmented and prioritized
growth versus opportunity? How large are they? What are their growth rates?
9. How is each customer performing? How pro
fi
table is that customer?
10. How is the relationship with the customer? Who is the category captain of your key
accounts, and why?
Analyzing the
Channels

8. 1. What consumer bene
fi
ts can your brand win that are ownable, unique, and motivating for
consumers? How far can you “stretch” your brand into other opportunities?
2. What is your market share? Regionally? By channel? Where is your strength? Where is your
gap? What is your biggest gain versus prior periods? What is your most enormous gap?
3. How is your brand performing on key brand tracking data? Penetration? Frequency? Sales
per buyer or trip? What are your brand’s scores on the brand funnel?
4. What is driving negative perceptions that cause consumers to leave your brand?
5. How is your communications program tracking data doing? Where could you improve?
6. What are the underlying attitudes about your brand, and how does it
fi
t in with the
consumers’ lives? Where do consumers see you about your competitors?
7. What is your culture? Do you have alignment with the brand story and your employees?
8. What is your freshness index of new products and services measuring a consistent
exploration, testing, and delivery of product extensions, product improvements, new
formats, brand stretching, game-changing technology, and blue ocean exploration?
9. Are you aligned with the brand story that attracts consumers and your employees who
deliver the desired consumer experience? Is there alignment with operations, sales, and
innovation that have the brand idea?
10. How does your production process, sourcing, forecasting, supply, shipping, servicing,
tracking, and measurement give you a competitive advantage?
10 best brand questions
Analyzing the
Brand

9. 10 best marketing finance questions
1. What is your brand’s compound annual growth rate (CAGR)? Explain the ups and downs over
the past
fi
ve years.
2. What are your gross margins and contribution margins over last
fi
ve years? Can you break it
out by product line? Is there more pressure from price or the cost of goods?
3. What is your brand’s marketing budget breakout? Variable direct costs versus indirect
fi
xed
dollars? What is the break between media and creative production? Consumer spend versus
trade spend?
4. Have you completed any pricing elasticity studies? What did you learn about your brand? If
you did increase your price, what did you see in the marketplace?
5. How is your brand’s overall strategy impacting your brand’s pro
fi
ts? How do your decisions
on your brand’s core strength, consumer connection, competitive pressures, and situation
impact your
fi
nancials?
6. How are your current brand/business performance metrics, brand’s market goals, and
fi
nancials linked?
7. Over the past 5 years, what are the programs that drive the highest and lowest ROI?
8. How does your business model impact your overall pro
fi
t? What is your focus now?
9. What are your forecasting error rates? Is there a seasonality impact? What economic factors
impact your brand’s
fi
nancials? How reasonable are your inventory levels?
10. What
fi
nancial pressures do you face on an annual or quarterly basis?
Analyzing the
Brand
Finances

10. Strengths: What’s driving growth?
• Factors of strength or inertia that accelerate your brand’s
growth. The driving factors could be related to brand assets,
successful programs working, and favorable market trends:
new products, advertising, and channels.
• Keep fueling these growth drivers.
• A maximum of three bullet points forces debate, decisions,
and focus.
Building a SWOT analysis
Weaknesses: What’s inhibiting growth?
• Factors of weaknesses or friction that slow your brand down,
a leak that needs
fi
xing Achilles heel, competitive pressure,
unfavorable market forces, channels, speci
fi
c segments.
• Find ways in your plan to minimize going forward.
• No more than three inhibitors.
What are the biggest threats?
• Changing circumstances, including consumer needs, new
technologies, competitive activity, distribution changes, or
potential trade barriers, create potential risks to your growth.
• Minimize the impact of these risks.
• Three bullets only.
What are the biggest opportunities?
• Speci
fi
c untapped areas in the market that would fuel future
growth, based on unful
fi
lled consumer needs, new
technologies on the horizon, regulation changes, new
distribution channels, or the removal of trade barriers.
• Find ways to take advantage.

11. One-page business review summary and SWOT summary

13. “Beloved Brands is the best marketing
training that I’ve ever attended”
When you invest in our marketing training, you will see your team get
smarter and produce better work, so they drive stronger results.
✓ Focus on essential marketing skills: We make your marketers smarter with brand
analytics, strategic thinking, brand positioning, brand plans, and marketing execution.
✓ We push marketers to be better: We use real-life case studies and examples for
your marketers to follow so your marketers can see the level they should deliver.
✓ Train-and-deliver: We use workbook experiences to get your marketers to apply
every new tool, method, and skill directly to the brand they work on.
✓ Coaching is like having a VP in the room: Simulates the pressure to deliver best-
in-class versions of business reviews, brand positioning presentations, brand plans,
and creative briefs. We provide detailed feedback to help them improve.
✓ Tailored Training Programs: We provide specialized marketing training tailored to
different business models, including Consumer, B2B, Retail, and Healthcare brands,
using speci
fi
c examples that highlight the unique challenges and opportunities.

14. When your marketers do not analyze deeply
enough, they will write or speak with random
opinions rather than a reality of what’s happening.
When your marketers jump straight to tactics, they
miss the underlying issues holding the brand back.
If your marketers make the mistake of trying to be
everything to anyone, you will see a brand that
ends up being nothing to everyone.
When your marketers try to do too many things in
their plans, every idea lacks enough resources to
make the impact they expect.
When marketing execution is not aligned with
strategy, everyone works in silos, and consumers
see a disjointed and confused brand.
We designed our Marketing Training program around
the 5 pain points that today’s marketing leaders face
1
2
3
4
5
Focuses
on Target
Fits brand
Brand
Positioning
Brand
Plan
Brand
Analytics
Marketing
Execution
Brand Plan
Analysis Issues and Strategies Execution Plans
P&L forecast
• Sales $30,385
• Gross Margin $17,148
• GM % 56%
• Marketing Budget $8,850
• Contribution Margin $6,949
• CM% 23%
Drivers
• Taste drives high conversion of Trial to
Purchase
• Strong Listings in Food Channels
• Exceptional brand health scores among
Early Adopters. Highly Beloved Brand
among niche.
Inhibitors
• Low familiar yet to turn our sales into loyalty
• Awareness held back due to weak Creative.
• Low distribution at specialty stores. Poor
coverage.
• Low Purchase Frequency among most loyal.
Risks
• Launch of Mainstream cookie brands
(Pepperidge Farms and Nabisco).
• De-listing 2 weakest skus weakened our in-
store presence
• Legal challenge to taste claims
Opportunities
• R&D has 5 new flavors in development.
• Sales Broker gains at Specialty Stores
• Use social media to convert loyal following.
Key Issues
1.What’s the priority choice for growth: find new
users or drive usage frequency among
loyalists?
2.Where should the investment/resources focus
and deployment be to drive our awareness and
share needs for Gray’s?
3.How will we defend Gray’s against the
proposed Q1 2014 ‘healthy cookie’ launches
from Pepperidge Farms and Nabisco?
Strategies
1.Continue to attract new users to Gray’s
2.Focus investment on driving awareness and
trial with new consumers and building a
presence at retail.
3.Build defence plan against new entrants to
defends with consumers and at store level.
Goals
• Increase penetration from 10% to 12%,
specifically up from 15% to 20% with the core
target. Monitor usage frequency among the
most loyal to ensure it stays steady.
• Increase awareness from 33% to 42%,
specifically up from 45% to 50% within the core
target. Drive trial from 15% to 20%. Close
distribution from 62% to 72%.
• Hold dollar share during competitive launches.
Grow 11% post launch gaining up to 1.2%
share. Target zero losses at shelf.
Advertising
• Drive awareness and trial of Gray’s. Target
“Proactive Preventers”, suburban working
women, 35-40. Main Message of “guilt-free
snacking, so you can stay in control of your
health.” Media uses 30/15-second TV,
specialty health magazines, health event
signage, digital, and social media.
Sampling
• Drive trial with in-store sampling at grocery,
Costco, health food stores and event sampling
at fitness, yoga, women’s networking, new
moms.
Distribution
• Support Q4 retail blitz with message focused
on holding shelf space during the competitive
launches. Q2 specialty blitz to grow
distribution at key specialty stores.
Innovation
• Launch two new flavours in Q4, improved
taste for 2025, convenience pack for 2026.
Explore popup cookie shoppe for 2027.
Competitive Defence Plan
• Pre-launch sales blitz to close distribution
gaps. At launch, TV advertising, heavy
merchandising, locking up key ad dates,
BOGO. print, coupons, in-store sampling.
• Sales story focuses on "any new healthy
cookies should displace under-performing and
declining unhealthy cookies.”
Brand Vision: Be first ‘healthy cookie’ to generate craving, popularity and sales of a mainstream cookie. $100 Million by 2030.
GRAY’S
Cookies
Gap -4% + 6% -9% -23% -51%
Use ratios and compare to other brands,
so you can discover gaps that need fixing
Aware Familiar Consider Purchase Repeat Loyal
Gray’s
Cookies
93 87 82 63 16 2
Devon’s
Cookies
98 96 85 73 35 20
Ratio
Scores
Ratio
Gaps
Analyzing the
biggest gaps
C
94% 94% 77% 25% 12%
98% 88% 86% 48% 63%
E
D
(-4 = 94-98)
Use brand funnels to look beneath the
surface and see the health of the brand
Ratio
Scores
93%
87%
82%
63%
16%
2%
Awareness
Familiar
Consider
Purchase
Repeat
Loyal
94%
94%
77%
25%
12%
Absolute
Scores
A
B
(87/93 = 94%)
Marketing PlayBox
IDEAS
Executes strategy
Delivers
message
!
Main
Message
X
X
How the best marketers analyze,
think, define, plan, and execute
1
2 3
5
4
Strategic
Thinking
Find best
execution
ideas
Marketing PlayBox
Think and
Feel the
decision
Trust
throughout
execution
Use brand
analytics
to dig in
Strategic ThinkBox
Discover
key issue
questions
Make
decisions on
strategy
Strategic
ThinkBox
Core Strength
Consumer
Competitor
Situation
Adjusting your thinking style as you
move from strategy to execution
Strategic
Thinker
Instinctual
Thinker
Consensus
Socializer
Taskmaster
1
2
3
4
Brand Plan
The guilt-free pleasure
Do you feel guilty when you stick your hand in the cookie
jar? Wouldn’t it be great if you could sneak a cookie without
worrying that you have gone off your diet?
Gray’s Cookies are the best tasting yet
guilt free pleasure so you can stay in
control of your health.
That’s because Gray’s is low in fat and calories yet still
tastes great. In blind taste tests, Gray’s cookies matched
the market leaders on taste, but has only 100 calories, with
2g of fat and 3g of sugar. In a 12-week study, consumers
using Gray’s once a night as a dessert lost 10 pounds.
Try Gray’s Cookies and find
your way to stay healthy
GRAY’S
Cookies
GRAY’S
Cookies
The guilt-free pleasure
Do you feel guilty when you stick your hand in the cookie
jar? Wouldn’t it be great if you could sneak a cookie without
worrying that you have gone off your diet?
Gray’s Cookies are the best tasting yet
guilt free pleasure so you can stay in
control of your health.
That’s because Gray’s is low in fat and calories yet still
tastes great. In blind taste tests, Gray’s cookies matched
the market leaders on taste, but has only 100 calories, with
2g of fat and 3g of sugar. In a 12-week study, consumers
using Gray’s once a night as a dessert lost 10 pounds.
Try Gray’s Cookies and find
your way to stay healthy
GRAY’S
Cookies
GRAY’S
Cookies

15. Strategic Thinking &
Brand Analytics
Brand Positioning
to define a brand
Building a Plan that
everyone can follow
Decision-making on
Marketing Execution
Strategic Thinking
• How you think and decide.
• Elements of strategic thinking.
Using our Strategic ThinkBox
• Brand’s core strength.
• Consumer strategy.
• Competitive strategy.
• Situation strategy.
Deep-dive business review
• Elements of analytics
• 64 best analytical questions
• Finding the brand’s key issues.
Defining the consumer target
• Defining consumer needs.
• Consumer insights and their enemy.
• Building a consumer profile.
Building the brand positioning
• Functional benefits.
• Emotional benefits.
• Features and claims.
• Final brand positioning statement.
Defining the brand idea
• Brand Idea map to touchpoints.
• Brand concepts, credo, story.
Building the strategy
• Vision, purpose, values.
• Analytical summary and key issues.
• Organizing brand strategy statements.
Execution Plans
• Brand communications plans.
• Innovation plans.
• Sales, pricing, retail plans.
Brand planning process.
• Rough draft of plan.
• Structuring the plan presentation.
• Building each strategic slide.
Creative development process.
• Marketing PlayBox.
• Writing the Creative Brief.
Advertising decision-making
• Understanding Ads that get attention,
brand link, communicate, and stick.
• Using our Creative Checklist.
• OmniChannel Media planning.
Innovation decision-making
• Innovation planning
• Innovation process
• Using our Innovation Checklist
Day
1
Day
2
Day
3
Day
4
Beloved Brands
Marketing Training
Bootcamp Agenda

16. Brand Analytics
Our Marketing Training sharpens analytical skills for in-depth business
reviews, covering market trends, consumer insights, channels,
competitors, and brand analysis. Marketers must learn to use analytics
to uncover unique brand situations and inform strategic planning by
identifying strength drivers, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
How we make your marketers smarter at analytics
1. Your marketers must understand how to use all brand data sources
and knowledge.
2. In our sessions, we teach how to dig deep into data and draw out
comparisons and insights to build an analytical story.
3. Your marketers will learn how to lead a best-in-class deep-dive
business review.
4. We teach how to analyze the brand's profitability and write analytical
performance reports of in-market consumption and sales.
1 • Market: As eating habits are changing the
cookie category is shrinking, while the
good-for-you segment thrives.
• Consumer: New consumers attracted to
Gray’s “guilt free” positioning, but the great
taste drives loyalty
• Channels: Gray’s needs to close
distribution gaps but must maintain
advertising investment to drive trial.
• Competitors: Gray’s has an opportunity
to dominate the “good for you” segment
before traditional brands enter segment.
• Brand: Gray’s growth due to taste quality,
but new “guilt free” positioning will connect
deeper and fuel new demand.
Themes from each section
It is time to transition Gray’s from a
product-led brand into an idea-led
brand to connect with consumers
by owning the idea of “guilt free”
snacking, rather than just selling a
great tasting cookie. Gray’s needs
to begin to dominate and lead the
“good for you” cookie segment.
Brand Challenge
B U S I N E S S R E V I E W S U M M A R Y
beloved brands
beloved
The starting point is the P&L
Year 3 Year 4 Year 5
$ g% $ g% $ g%
Net Sales 21,978 8% 24,616 12% 27,354 11%
Cost of Goods Sold 12,496 9% 14,754 18% 17,129 16%
Gross Margin 9,482 49% 9,862 4% 10,225 4%
GM % 43% 40% 37%
R&D 200 3% 352 76% 352 0%
Marketing Budget 3,519 22% 4,266 21% 5,101 20%
Advertising 2,000 22% 2,000 0% 2,712 36%
Research 125 55% 60 -52% 100 67%
Packaging 133 66% 30 -77% 50 67%
Trade Expense 250 44% 1,000 300% 1,250 25%
Other SG&A 1,011 22% 1176 16% 989 -16%
Contribution Margin 5,763 22% 5,244 -9% 4,772 -9%
CM % 26% 21% 17%
Brand Financial Statement
To assess the
and begin kno
start by looki
1. Understand
to the econ
2. Look at the
3. Dig into the
percentage
4. Do a quick
growth rate
SWOT Analysis
• Market: As eating habits are changing the
cookie category is shrinking, while the
good-for-you segment thrives.
• Consumer: New consumers attracted to
Gray’s “guilt free” positioning, but the great
taste drives loyalty
• Channels: Gray’s needs to close
distribution gaps but must maintain
advertising investment to drive trial.
• Competitors: Gray’s has an opportunity
to dominate the “good for you” segment
before traditional brands enter segment.
• Brand: Gray’s growth due to taste quality,
but new “guilt free” positioning will connect
deeper and fuel new demand.
Themes from each section
It is time to transition Gray’s from a
product-led brand into an idea-led
brand to connect with consumers
by owning the idea of “guilt free”
snacking, rather than just selling a
great tasting cookie. Gray’s needs
to begin to dominate and lead the
“good for you” cookie segment.
Brand Challenge
B U S I N E S S R E V I E W S U M M A R Y
beloved brands
Business Review
The Brand Funnel
Awareness
Familiar
Consider
Purchase
Repeat
Loyal
Unknown
Indifferent
Love It
Like It
Beloved
The Brand Love Curve
Marketing
Funnel
Consumer
Journey
Consumer Journey
Aware
Consider
Search
Buy
Satisfied
Repeat
Loyal
Fan
1. Create an idea that attracts
consumers to drive mass
awareness and consideration.
2. Use insights to connect, listen to
their needs, provide the right
information to help them decide
3. Earn their trust, to give them the
comfort they need to help close the
deal to turn them into buyers.
4. Use high-touch service to create
an exception experience and turn
them into a happy consumers
5. Delight your most loyal consumers
so they influence their peers to
become new prospects
Think of inbound marketing as a self-serve type journey for those consumers
who trust themselves to do the work. Don’t be offended by underestimating
consumers who want to search, learn, and decide on their own.
The Omnichannel Marketing approach guides the creation of
valuable, relevant and consistent content that move consumers
Funnel Analysis
Gray’s taste drives a high conversion of trial
to purchase (65% versus a norm of 50%).
• Gray’s has a very high
conversion to purchase
beating the norm (65% to 50%)
higher than Dad’s
• Gray’s taste drives high repeat
%, beating norm 40% to 25%.
Continue to look at driving trial, because the
great taste drives high conversion to purchase.
0
17.5
35
52.5
70
Conversion % to purchase
50
38
65
Business
Review
GRAY’S
Cookies
Exceptional scores among early Adopters (“Proactive
Preventers”) making it highly beloved among the niche.
• Gray’s is very healthy among “Preventers” with strong awareness at 80% and all related Brand
Funnel scores significantly above norm. However, that strength has not carried over to the
overall market, where Gray’s is significantly under-developed in the overall market.
Explore ways to leverage Love from Preventers, as early
adopters, to influence the rest of the market.
Preventers Overall Norm
Brand Funnel Scores Preventers vs. Overall
0
20
40
60
80
Awareness
Gray’s Dad’s Business
Review
GRAY’S
Cookies
Exceptional scores among early Adopters (“Proactive
Preventers”) making it highly beloved among the niche.
• Gray’s is very healthy among “Preventers” with strong awareness at 80% and all related Brand
Funnel scores significantly above norm. However, that strength has not carried over to the
overall market, where Gray’s is significantly under-developed in the overall market.
Explore ways to leverage Love from Preventers, as early
adopters, to influence the rest of the market.
Preventers Overall Norm
Brand Funnel Scores Preventers vs. Overall
0
20
40
60
80
Awareness
Norm
0
10
20
30
40
% repeat purchase
25
22
40
Conclusion
Story
Reco
Support
Visual
Ideal Analytical Chart
Consumption Analysis
Profitability Analysis
jar? Wouldn’t it be great if you could sneak a cookie without
worrying that you have gone off your diet?
Gray’s Cookies are the best tasting yet
guilt free pleasure so you can stay in
control of your health.
That’s because Gray’s is low in fat and calories yet still
tastes great. In blind taste tests, Gray’s cookies matched
the market leaders on taste, but has only 100 calories, with
2g of fat and 3g of sugar. In a 12-week study, consumers
using Gray’s once a night as a dessert lost 10 pounds.
Try Gray’s Cookies and find
your way to stay healthy
GRAY’S
Cookies
GRAY’S
Cookies
Gray’s Cookies Financial Statement
beloved
brands
e
l
o
v
e
d
The starting point is the P&L do
Year 3 Year 4 Year 5
$ g% $ g% $ g%
Net Sales 21,978 8% 24,616 12% 27,354 11%
Cost of Goods Sold 12,496 9% 14,754 18% 17,129 16%
Gross Margin 9,482 49% 9,862 4% 10,225 4%
GM % 43% 40% 37%
R&D 200 3% 352 76% 352 0%
Marketing Budget 3,519 22% 4,266 21% 5,101 20%
Advertising 2,000 22% 2,000 0% 2,712 36%
Research 125 55% 60 -52% 100 67%
Packaging 133 66% 30 -77% 50 67%
Trade Expense 250 44% 1,000 300% 1,250 25%
Other SG&A 1,011 22% 1176 16% 989 -16%
Contribution Margin 5,763 22% 5,244 -9% 4,772 -9%
CM % 26% 21% 17%
Brand Financial Statement
To assess the perform
and begin knowing wh
start by looking at 4 k
1. Understand the sales
to the economy or th
2. Look at the gross ma
3. Dig into the contribut
percentage
4. Do a quick comparis
growth rate and the s
Strengths & Drivers Weaknesses
Factors of strength or
inertia that accelerate
your brand’s growth.
Weaknesses or
friction slows brand
down, leak to fix
Opportunities Threats
Changing consumer
needs, technologies,
channels, legal,
Competitor launch,
trade barriers,
customer preference.

17. Our Marketing Training hones strategic thinking for understanding your
brand's unique context. Our Strategic ThinkBox encourages your
marketers to use challenging questions about the brand's core strengths,
consumer relationships, competitive dynamics, and business environment.
This approach guides marketers to ef
fi
ciently allocate resources for
strategic initiatives that drive market impact and measurable results.
How we make your marketers smarter at strategy
1. Your marketers will learn to determine their brand’s core strength,
consumer bond, competitive dynamic, and business situation.
2. We teach how to create a vision as a magnet that defines a better future.
3. In our sessions, your marketers will learn to map out challenging,
interruptive, strategic key issue questions before reaching for solutions.
4. They learn to build strategic programs that define what to invest in,
identify focused accelerators that make investments work harder, and
map out the performance result.
Strategic Thinking
2
Product
Experience
Story
Price Indifferent
Love It
Like It
Beloved Power Player
Disruptor
Challenger
Craft
Momentum
Re-align
Fix It
Startup
Experience
Price
Story
Product
Core Strength Consumer Competitive Situation
Unknown Indifferent
Like It
Love It
Beloved
Craft
Brand
Power
Player
Disruptor
Brand Challenger
Brand
Trend Influencers
Early Adopters
Early Mass
Late Mass
Momentum
Fix It
Re-align
Startup
Our
strategic
thinking
models
Momentum
Startup
Turnaround
Realignment
Business Situation
Strategic ThinkBox
Competitive Strategy
Core Strength
Story
Story
Craft
Brand Power
Player
Disruptor
Brand Challenger
Brand
Craft
Brand
Power
Player
Disruptor
Brand Challenger
Brand
How to determine your brand’s core strength
High
Medium
Low
@ beloved brands inc
Product
Experience
Story
Price
Product
Experience
Brand Story
Price
Brand’s core
strength?
Bond with
consumers?
Competitive
dynamic?
Business
situation?
Find best
execution
ideas
Marketing PlayBox
Think and
Feel the
decision
Trust
throughout
execution
Use brand
analytics
to dig in
Strategic ThinkBox
Discover
key issue
questions
Make
decisions on
strategy
Strategic
ThinkBox
Core Strength
Consumer
Competitor
Situation
Adjusting your thinking style as you
move from strategy to execution
Strategic
Thinker
Instinctual
Thinker
Consensus
Socializer
Taskmaster
1
2
3
4
Consumer Strategy
Use our Brand Love Curve to
focus your strategy choices
Unknown
Indifferent
Like it
Love it
Beloved
Vision
Focused Accelerator
Impact and Result
Key Issues
Program investment
Elements of strategy
Our five elements that fr
smart strategic thinki
Strategic vision of what you want the brand to be
Focused accelerator to propel strategy
Market impact & performance result that pays bac
Key issues define what is in the way of the vision
FOCUS
Invest resources in programs that move towards
P
A
R
V
I
V. I. P. A. R.
Our five elements that fr
smart strategic thinki
Strategic vision of what you want the brand to be
Focused accelerator to propel strategy
Market impact & performance result that pays bac
Key issues define what is in the way of the vision
FOCUS
Invest resources in programs that move towards
P
A
R
V
I
V. I. P. A. R.
Our five elements that fr
smart strategic thinki
Strategic vision of what you want the brand to be
Focused accelerator to propel strategy
Market impact & performance result that pays bac
Key issues define what is in the way of the vision
FOCUS
Invest resources in programs that move towards
P
A
R
V
I
V. I. P. A. R.
Our five elements that fr
smart strategic thinki
Strategic vision of what you want the brand to be
Focused accelerator to propel strategy
Market impact & performance result that pays bac
Key issues define what is in the way of the vision
FOCUS
Invest resources in programs that move towards
P
A
R
V
I
V. I. P. A. R.
Our five elements that fr
smart strategic thinki
Strategic vision of what you want the brand to be
Focused accelerator to propel strategy
Market impact & performance result that pays bac
Key issues define what is in the way of the vision
FOCUS
Invest resources in programs that move towards v
P
A
R
V
I
V. I. P. A. R.
Our five elements that frame
smart strategic thinking
Strategic vision of what you want the brand to be
Focused accelerator to propel strategy
Market impact & performance result that pays back
Key issues define what is in the way of the vision
Revenue
FOCUS
Invest resources in programs that move towards vision
P
A
R
V
I
V. I. P. A. R.
Our five elements that frame
smart strategic thinking
Strategic vision of what you want the brand to be
Focused accelerator to propel strategy
Market impact & performance result that pays back
Key issues define what is in the way of the vision
Revenue
FOCUS
Invest resources in programs that move towards vision
P
A
R
V
I
V. I. P. A. R.
Our five elements that frame
smart strategic thinking
Strategic vision of what you want the brand to be
Focused accelerator to propel strategy
Market impact & performance result that pays back
Key issues define what is in the way of the vision
Revenue
FOCUS
Invest resources in programs that move towards vision
P
A
R
V
I
V. I. P. A. R.
Our five elements that frame
smart strategic thinking
Strategic vision of what you want the brand to be
Focused accelerator to propel strategy
Market impact & performance result that pays back
Key issues define what is in the way of the vision
Revenue
FOCUS
Invest resources in programs that move towards vision
P
A
R
V
I
V. I. P. A. R.

18. Our Marketing Training focuses on conceptual thinking for crafting the
ideal consumer pro
fi
le, integrating key life moments, deep consumer
insights, and enemies they face. We guide them in developing a balanced
brand positioning statement, combining functional and emotional bene
fi
ts,
and employing an organizing brand idea to align all team efforts.
How we make your marketers smarter at positioning
1. Your marketers will learn to define the ideal target market framed with
accelerated needs, consumer insights, and enemies.
2. Our tools show them how to turn product features into functional and
emotional consumer benefits.
3. In our sessions, they will learn to define the winning brand positioning
space that is motivating to consumers and ownable for a brand.
4. We teach how to build a brand idea to steer how the brand shows up at
every consumer touchpoint and how it organizes everyone who works
behind the scenes of the brand.
Brand Positioning
3
Find the winning zone, that is motivating
to consumers and ownable for the brand
What
consumers
want
What your
competitor
does best
What
your brand
does best
Losing
Zone
Risky
Zone
Dumb
Zone
Winning
Zone
Brand Positioning Positioning Statement
Consumer Profile Consumer Insight
GRAY’S
Cookies
Winning brand positioning statement
To
(Target)
• Suburban working women, 35-40, who put in the
effort to find healthier food.
Gray’s is
(Category)
• The healthy cookie option
That is
(Benefit)
The guilt-free cookie that helps
you stay in control of your health
That’s
because
(Support
Points)
• We want you to make informed choices with the
knowledge that in blind taste tests, Gray’s matches
the leaders on taste, but with only 100 calories and
3g of net carbs, you can experience a healthier life.
• Gray’s helps you take control over what goes in
your body by making smarter choices. Studies
show people who use Gray’s once a night as a
dessert had a extra motivation to lose 5-10 pounds.
1
2
3
4
Benefit Ladder
What you
Do
Consumers
Get
Consumers
Feel
Safe
Knowledge Optimism
Control
Motivated
Successful
Inspired
Trust Respect
Reliable
Informed
Smarter
Healthier
Taste
Prevents
Weight / Exercise
Sensory
Easier to use
Touch/Feel
Reduces
Experience
Memorable
Occasion
Rituals
Freshly
baked
E M O T I O N A L B E N E F I T S
F U N C T I O N A L B E N E F I T S
New
England
Recipe
P R O D U C T F E A T U R E S
Low calorie
Low carb
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Understanding the functional and
emotional needs of your consumers
Functional
Needs
Emotional
Needs
Makes you
smarter
Works
better
Helps
you be
healthier
Drives business
results
Sensory
appeal
Simplifies
your life
Saves
you money
Experience
Curious for
knowledge
Sense of
optimism
Stay in
control
Feel
comfortable
Sense of
belonging
Feel liked
Feel
free
Get
noticed
Stay
connected
Self
assured
Helps your
family
Fits with
values
Helps
you
execute
Professional
standing
Feeling
revitalized
Sense
of pride
Dog
Groo
m
Drive
kids
Sprea
dshe
et
Pay
SDI
Ltd
Fix up prese
ntatio
n
Understanding the functional and
emotional needs of your consumers
Functional
Needs
Emotional
Needs
Makes you
smarter
Works
better
Helps
you be
healthier
Drives business
results
Sensory
appeal
Simplifies
your life
Saves
you money
Experience
Curious for
knowledge
Sense of
optimism
Stay in
control
Feel
comfortable
Sense of
belonging
Feel liked
Feel
free
Get
noticed
Stay
connected
Self
assured
Helps your
family
Fits with
values
Helps
you
execute
Professional
standing
Feeling
revitalized
Sense
of pride
Functional
Emotional
Benefit Cheatsheets
The guilt-free pleasure
Do you feel guilty when you stick your hand in the cookie
jar? Wouldn’t it be great if you could sneak a cookie without
worrying that you have gone off your diet?
Gray’s Cookies are the best tasting yet
guilt free pleasure so you can stay in
control of your health.
That’s because Gray’s is low in fat and calories yet still
tastes great. In blind taste tests, Gray’s cookies matched
the market leaders on taste, but has only 100 calories, with
2g of fat and 3g of sugar. In a 12-week study, consumers
using Gray’s once a night as a dessert lost 10 pounds.
Try Gray’s Cookies and find
your way to stay healthy
GRAY’S
Cookies
GRAY’S
Cookies
Brand Concept
Brand Idea
Insight
C.T.A.
Visual
Benefit
R.T.B.

19. Our Marketing Training enhances planning skills to create strategic plans,
focusing your limited resources on growth-driving capabilities. We teach
how to de
fi
ne a clear vision, purpose, values, and goals for a better future,
identify key issues in the way of that future, and show how to write detailed
strategies and execution plans for team guidance.
How we make your marketers smarter at planning
1. Your marketers will learn to translate smart, strategic thinking into key
issues and strategic statements.
2. We teach how to decide on all plan elements: vision, purpose, values,
goals, issues, strategies, and tactics.
3. In our sessions, we set your marketers up for success by showing them
how to write and present plans to senior management and the
organization.
4. They will learn to develop smart execution plans—brand communication,
sales/retail, and innovation.
Brand Plans
4 1. What is your future revenue or market share?
2. Which consumers do you need to do to grow?
3. Describe the future culture of your company.
4. What do you want people to say about your brand?
5. What do your own people find motivating about working
on your brand?
6. How do you want a consumers to describe their
experience with your brand?
7. Name some of the future accomplishments that would
make you proud.
8. What do you do better than anyone else on the planet?
9. Name something out-of-the-box that would make people
talk about your brand.
10.Who are your biggest brand fans who love you the most?
Brainstorming your vision $100 M in sales by
2030. Stay #1 of the
healthy segment.
Taste that
leads to
normal
craving
Most popular.
High net
promoter. New
mainstream
cookie
Consumer Centric.
Great tasting.
Need to be
more popular
& loved like
other cookies
Brand Vision:
To be the first, ‘healthy cookie’ to generate the craving, popularity, and
sales of a mainstream cookie. Make Gray’s a $100 Million by 2030.
Those who
want to live a
healthier life
yet still love
food
Start with a vision for the future
GRAY’S
Cookies
Vision Statement Key Issues
Strategy Page Execution Page
Strategy
Tactics
Goals
Watch out
Brand Communications Plan
Communications Strategy:
• Advertise Gray’s “stay in control” positioning to new “proactive preventers” to move consumers from
consideration to trial and steal competitive users.
Target Market:
• “Proactive Preventers”. Suburban working women, 35-40, who want to stay healthy.
Brand Idea:
• Grays are the best tasting yet guilt free pleasure.
Main Benefit:
• Guilt free cookie that tastes so good that you can stay in control of your health.
Support Points:
• Gray’s matched leaders on taste, only 100 calories and 3g of net carbs.
• 12-week study, consumers using Gray’s as a daily desert lost 5-10 pounds.
What do we want consumers to think, do or feel? Desired Response:
• Try Grays to see if you like the great taste.
Media Options:
• Main creative will be TV 15-second spot, with specialty health magazines, event signage and in-store
sampling. Carry the idea into digital, social media and a website.
beloved brands
GRAY’S
Cookies
Brand
Positioning
Desired
Response
Strategy
Media
1
2
3
4
Use our Strategic ThinkBox questions to find
your brand’s specific key issue questions
What is the core strength
your brand can win on?
How tightly connected is your
Consumer to your brand?
What is your current
competitive position?
What is the current business
situation your brand faces?
How do we shift Gray’s from a product-led launch
into an idea-led brand to own “guilt-free”?
How do we drive consideration and trial to establish
the brand in the consumers’ minds?
How do we defend against the entry of mainstream
cookies into the good-for-you segment?
How do we keep growth momentum by closing the
identified gaps in distribution?
360 ThinkBox Questions Gray’s Cookies Key Issues
GRAY’S
Cookies
@ beloved brands inc.
1
2
3
4
Find best
execution
ideas
Marketing PlayBox
Think and
Feel the
decision
Trust
throughout
execution
Use brand
analytics
to dig in
Strategic ThinkBox
Discover
key issue
questions
Make
decisions on
strategy
Strategic
ThinkBox
Core Strength
Consumer
Competitor
Situation
Adjusting your thinking style as you
move from strategy to execution
Strategic
Thinker
Instinctual
Thinker
Consensus
Socializer
Taskmaster
1
2
3
4
GRAY’S
Cookies
GRAY’S
Cookies
GRAY’S
Cookies
Strategy Statement
Program
Accelerator
Result
P A R
P A R
P A R
Communicate Gray’s new
“guilt-free” positioning
to a growing “proactive
preventer” target who live
a low-carb keto life
tempt them to try Gray’s
and drive higher share
Strategic Plan
GRAY’S
Cookies
Brand Plan GRAY’S
Cookies

20. Our Marketing Training sharpens instinctual thinking for market execution
decisions. We introduce our Marketing PlayBox to communicate with your target,
align with the brand, clearly communicate the brand message, and stay consistent
with the strategy. We show how to craft compelling creative briefs that inspire top-
notch work in advertising, media, product innovation, and in-store marketing while
fostering effective collaboration with agencies, product teams, and sales.
How we make your marketers smarter at execution
1. Your marketers will learn how to use our Marketing PlayBox to ensure your
marketing execution: 1) focuses on the consumer target, 2) fits with the brand,
3) delivers the main message, and 4) stays on strategy.
2. We teach how to write strategic, consumer-focused, and thorough creative briefs.
3. In our sessions, we demonstrate how to lead the creative advertising process—
and we teach how to use a Creative Checklist to help make smarter decisions.
4. We introduce an OmniChannel Marketing approach to help your marketers
match up their activity to move consumers along their purchase journey.
Marketing Execution
5
Motivates Consumers
Branded
Breakthrough
H
H
L
Very
Strong
Strong
Strong
Concern
Moderate
Concern
Very
Poor Poor
Poor
Creative
Brief
Judging Advertising
Creative
Checklist
Marketing PlayBox
IDEAS
Focuses
on target
Executes strategy
Delivers
message
🎯
Main
Message
Fits brand
X
X
Marketing PlayBox
Attention Brand Link Communication Stickiness
A+B
C+S
GRAY’S
Cookies
Advertising Process OmniChannel Marketing

21. Our marketing training programs are supported with workbooks that allow
participants to take each tool on a test drive during and after the training.
Learn
Try
Repeat
Whenever we show new concepts, tools, or models, our workbook exercises get
participants to take them on a test run to gain comfort and learn how that tool will help
them in their jobs. They use their own brand, so they feel their hard work pays o
ff
.

22. Our coaching sessions simulate the pressure to deliver
Drivers Inhibitors
• Taste drives a high conversion of trial to purchase
(65% vs. norm of 50%).
• Strong listings has driven strong distribution in
food channels (95%)
• Exceptional brand health scores among early
adopters (“Proactive Preventers”) making it a
highly beloved brand among the niche.
• Awareness among mainstream target (20%) held
back due to weak advertising scores. Low
attention scores and brand link scores.
• Low distribution at specialty stores at only 16%.
Poor sales coverage.
• Low purchase frequency (2.2 boxes/yr vs. 7.3
norm) even among most loyal.
Opportunities Risks
• R&D has 5 new flavors in development. Could
launch Peanut Butter in Q4 of 2013 (top 15% in
test), Chocolate Chips in Q2 of 2014 (top 50%)
• Sales broker could specifically target specialty
stores, which are in high growth (+15%/year)
• Use social media to convert strong loyal following
into mainstream mass appeal
• Mainstream cookie brands could enter the ‘health’
segment through R&D or acquisition. Rumors
that Pepperidge Farms will launch in Q1.
• De-listing of our 2 weakest skus because of POS
thresholds, could weaken our in-store presence.
• Legal Challenge to “tastes as good as your
favorite cookie”.
B U S I N E S S R E V I E W S U M M A R Y
beloved brands
GRAY’S
Cookies
B U S I N E S S R E V I E W S U M M A R Y
Overall Brand Challenge: It is time to transition Gray’s from a product-led brand into an idea-led brand to
connect with consumers by owning the idea of “guilt free” snacking, rather than just selling a great tasting
cookie. Gray’s needs to begin to dominate and lead the “good for you” cookie segment.
Marketplace Review:
1. Declining cookie sales have created a war among major competitors with lower prices and margins.
2. Category growth and Gray’s growth coming from the West, but facing poor performance in the East.
3. Continuous variations of diet with low calorie, low carb, low fat and gluten free. Consumers remain confused.
Ø As eating habits are changing the cookie category is shrinking, while the good-for-you segment thrives.
Consumer Review
1. Gray’s taste drives a high conversion of trial to purchase (65% versus a norm of 50%).
2. Low purchase frequency (2.2 boxes per year vs. norm of 7.3) even among the most loyal early adopters.
3. Consumers love Gray’s new “guilt free” concept
Ø New consumers attracted to Gray’s “guilt free” positioning, but the great taste drives loyalty
Channel Review
1. Successful listings has driven strong distribution in Food Channels (90%)
2. Low distribution at specialty stores at only 16% due to poor sales coverage.
3. Weak coop/display for Gray’s is directly linked to our lower trade terms being offered.
Ø Gray’s needs to close distribution gaps, but must maintain advertising investment to drive trial.
Competitor Review
1. Re-evaluate strategy and use our power to begin to dominate the “good for you” segment.
2. Dad’s wins on innovation and deep price discounts, but is weak on taste.
3. Major risk if the major cookie brands launch healthy versions that are near-match taste versus current brands.
Ø Gray’s has an opportunity to dominate “good for you” segment before traditional brands enter segment.
Brand Review
1. Exceptional scores among early Adopters (“Proactive Preventers”), early base of brand lovers.
2. Brand funnel scores show we are still a niche player but yet to turn our sales into strong following
3. Awareness held back due to poor advertising scores with low attention scores and brand link scores.
Ø Gray’s growth due to taste quality, but “guilt free” positioning will connect deeper and fuel new demand.
beloved brands
GRAY’S
Cookies
Consumer Target Profile
Target Pro-Active Preventer Cookie Lovers
Target
Description
Suburban working women, 35-40, who are willing to do whatever it takes to stay healthy. They
run, workout and eat right. For many, food can be a bit of a stress-reliever and escape.
Their needs Great tasting food, satisfy craving, healthy choices, maintain weight.
Their enemy Guilt, failure, out of control diet, temptation.
Insights that
tell their story
• “I have tremendous will-power. I work out 3x a week, watch what I eat to maintain my figure.
But we all have weaknesses and cookies are mine. I wish they were less bad for you.”
• “I read labels of everything I eat. I stick to 1500 calories per day, and will find my own ways
to achieve that balance.”
What do they
think now?
I have only recently heard of Gray’s Cookies. I’ve tried them a few times and did like them. I
wouldn’t say I use them all the time.
How are they
buying?
Most have been influenced by friends who have tried. Those who are buying, still do so less
frequently than their normal favorite cookies. The household has yet to adopt the product. The
mom uses it when she’s trying to diet.
We want
them to
think/feel/do
• See: Get noticed so consumers are aware of Gray’s, see it on shelf, see actual product.
• Think: Gray’s might be a healthy alternative to my favorite cookies.
• Do: Try Grays to see if they like the great taste.
• Feel: Feel more in control with Gray’s as part of their routine and feel less guilt.
• Whisper: Tell their friends they love Gray’s and share the success they are having.
beloved brands
GRAY’S
Cookies
Brand Plan
Brand Vision: First ‘healthy cookie’ to generate the craving, popularity and sales of a mainstream cookie. $100 Million brand by 2030.
Analysis Strategy Execution
P&L forecast
Sales $30,385
Gross Margin $17,148
GM % 56%
Marketing Budget $8,850
Contribution Margin $6,949
CM% 23%
Drivers
• Taste drives a conversion of Trial to Purchase
• Strong Listings in Food Channels
• Exceptional brand health scores among Early
Adopters. Highly Beloved Brand among niche.
Inhibitors
• Low familiar yet to turn our sales into loyalty
• Awareness held back due to weak Advertising
• Low distribution at specialty stores. Poor
coverage.
Risks
• Launch of Mainstream cookie brands
(Pepperidge Farms and Nabisco).
• De-listing 2 weakest skus weakened our in-
store presence
• Legal Challenge to tastes claims
Opportunities
• R&D has 5 new flavors in development.
• Sales Broker create gains at Specialty Stores
• Social media to convert loyal following.
Key Issues
1. What’s the priority choice for growth: find
new users or drive usage frequency among
loyalists?
2. Where should the investment/resources
focus and deployment be to drive our
awareness and share needs for Gray’s?
3. How will we defend Gray’s against the
proposed Q1 2014 ‘healthy cookie’ launches
from Pepperidge Farms and Nabisco?
Strategies
1. Continue to attract new users to Gray’s
2. Focus investment on driving awareness and
trial with new consumers and building a
presence at retail.
3. Build defence plan against new entrants that
defends with consumers and at store level.
Goals
• Increase penetration from 10% to 12%,
specifically up from 15% to 20% with the core
target. Monitor usage frequency among the
most loyal to ensure it stays steady.
• Increase awareness from 33% to 42%,
specifically up from 45% to 50% within the
core target. Drive trial from 15% to 20%.
Close distribution gaps from 62% to 72%.
• Hold dollar share during competitive launch.
Continue to grow 11% post launch gaining up
to 1.2% share. Target zero losses at shelf.
Advertising
Use awareness to drive trial of the new Grays.
Target “Proactive Preventers”. Suburban working
women, 35-40.Main Message of “great tasting
cookie without the guilt, so you can stay in control
of your health”. Media includes 15 second TV,
specialty health magazines, event signage, digital
and social media
Sampling
Drive trial with In-store sampling at grocery,
Costco, health food stores and event sampling at
fitness, yoga, women’s networking, new moms.
Distribution
Support Q4 retail blitz with message focused on
holding shelf space during the competitive
launches. Q2 specialty blitz to grow distribution at
key specialty stores.
Innovation
Launch 2 new flavors in Q4/15 & Q4/16.
Explore diet claims.
Competitive Attack Plan
Pre-launch sales blitz to shore up all distribution
gaps. At launch, heavy merchandising, locking up
key ad dates, BOGO. TV, print, coupons, in-store
sampling. Use sales story that any new
“healthy” cookies should displace under-
performing and declining unhealthy cookies.
beloved brands
GRAY’S
Cookies
Vision
• To be the first ‘healthy cookie’ to generate the craving, popularity
and sales of a mainstream cookie. Make Gray’s a $100 Million
brand by 2030.
Purpose
• At Gray’s, our purpose is to give people the cookie they will never
feel guilty about eating. We know healthy can taste great.
Goals
Goal Year Year Comments
Sales $27.5M $30.38M 11% growth rate
Share 0.8% 1.2% New triple chocolate 0.5% share
Distribution 62% 72% Increase coming mainly from fixing specialty.
Awareness 33% 42% Below norm, 80% among niche, 42% overall
Penetration % 10% 12% Brand promise & sampling helps drive trial.
Repeat % 4% 5% High quality taste converts high repeat
beloved brands
GRAY’S
Cookies
Strategy #1: Drive trial by advertising
Gray’s “guilt-free” positioning
Strategic Objective:
• Communicate Gray’s new “guilt-free” positioning to a growing “proactive preventer” target who live a
low-carb keto life to attract and tempt them to try Gray’s and drive trial
Goals:
• Increase penetration from 10% to 12%, specifically up from 15% to 20% with the core target. Monitor
usage frequency among the most loyal to ensure it stays steady.
Tactical Program:
• Ensure all programs target the “Proactive Preventer,” who is 35-40 female and works out 3x a week.
• Use the “guilt-free treat” message across advertising, packaging, in-store, and events, which has
been tested as Gray’s most motivating and own-able message.
• Recommend a balanced consumer marketing mix of advertising to drive positioning and sampling to
drive trial. More details are outlined in the next strategy.
Watch out:
• The product taste and consumer habits around healthy eating can help drive the frequency of use.
beloved brands
GRAY’S
Cookies
Brand Communications Plan
Communications Strategy:
• Communicate Gray’s new “guilt-free” positioning to a growing “proactive preventer” target who live
a low-carb keto life to attract and tempt them to try Gray’s and drive trial
Target Market:
• “Proactive Preventers.” Suburban working women, 35-40, who want to stay healthy.
Brand Idea:
• Grays are the best-tasting yet guilt-free pleasure.
Main Benefit:
• A guilt-free cookie that tastes so good that you can control your health.
Support Points:
• Gray’s matched leaders on taste, only 100 calories and 3g of net carbs.
• In the 12-week study, consumers using Gray’s as a daily dessert lost 5-10 pounds.
What do we want consumers to think, do, or feel? Desired Response:
• Try Grays to see if you like the great taste.
Media Options:
• The main creative will be a TV 15-second spot with specialty health magazines, event signage,
and in-store sampling. Carry the idea into digital, social media, and a website.
beloved brands
GRAY’S
Cookies
Creative brief
Why are we advertising
Communicate Gray’s new “guilt-free” positioning to a growing “proactive preventer” target who live a
low-carb keto life to attract and tempt them to try Gray’s
About our consumer
Our target
Proactive Preventer cookie lovers who crave a
healthy life, suburban working women, 35-40,
who are willing to do whatever it takes to stay
healthy. They run, work out, and eat right. They
want to make smarter food choices—they read
ingredient labels, track their intake, and make
necessary daily adjustments. Food can be a bit of
a stress reliever and escape. Their needs include
great-tasting food, satisfying cravings, healthy
choices, physical health, and maintaining weight.
Moment of accelerated needs
40th birthday, going on vacation, spring coming,
New Year’s resolution, tighter clothing.
Consumer’s enemy
Temptation and guilt when they cheat.
Consumer Insights
“I have tremendous willpower. I work out and
watch what I eat. But once I give in to the
temptation of sweet or dessert, I fear it can mess
with my motivation and ruin all my hard work.”
What does our target think now?
While Gray’s has achieved a small growing base
of brand fans, most consumers remain unfamiliar
and have yet to try Gray’s. Those few who love it
say it is “equally good on health and taste.”
What do we want consumers to do?
TRY Grays, and we know the great taste will win
them over once they do.
About our brand
Main message
With Gray’s Cookies, you can do what you
want and stop feeling guilty over eating a
damn cookie.
Support points
Grays Cookies matched the market leaders
on taste, but only has 100 calories and 2g of
carbs. In a 12-week study, consumers using
Gray’s once a night lost 5 lbs.
Brand Idea
Gray’s are the best tasting yet guilt-free
pleasure so you can stay in control of your
health and mind.
Brand Assets
Story of our New England family recipe, our
signature stack of beautiful cookies, and
tagline “More Cookie. Less Guilt.”
The tone we take with consumers
Enabling, supportive, helping hand, wise
Our ask
Media Choices to explore
Main creative will be 30 sec TV ad,
supported by event signage and in-store
display. Carry idea into digital, social
media and build a microsite
beloved brands
GRAY’S
Cookies
✓ After key sessions, participants must complete these key documents and submit them for review. We
review and provide our critique and feedback so they can present them to senior management.
✓ This helps create a consistent brand management system to build into the planning process, and we
can time the completion dates to tie into your company’s planning timeline.
• Market: As eating habits are changing the
cookie category is shrinking, while the
good-for-you segment thrives.
• Consumer: New consumers attracted to
Gray’s “guilt free” positioning, but the great
taste drives loyalty
• Channels: Gray’s needs to close
distribution gaps but must maintain
advertising investment to drive trial.
• Competitors: Gray’s has an opportunity
to dominate the “good for you” segment
before traditional brands enter segment.
• Brand: Gray’s growth due to taste quality,
but new “guilt free” positioning will connect
deeper and fuel new demand.
Themes from each section
It is time to transition Gray’s from a
product-led brand into an idea-led
brand to connect with consumers
by owning the idea of “guilt free”
snacking, rather than just selling a
great tasting cookie. Gray’s needs
to begin to dominate and lead the
“good for you” cookie segment.
Brand Challenge
B U S I N E S S R E V I E W S U M M A R Y
beloved brands
GRAY’S
Cookies
Brand Positioning Statement
To
(Target)
Healthy proactive preventers who want to do
more for their health, working moms, 35-40
years old.
Gray’s is
(Category)
The healthy cookie option
That is the
(Benefit)
Guilt-free cookie to help you stay in control
of your health
That’s
because
(Support Points)
• In blind taste tests, Gray’s matched the
leaders on taste, but has only 100 calories
and 3g of net carbs.
• In a 12-week study, consumers using Gray’s
once a night as a dessert were able to lose 5-
10 lbs.
GRAY’S
Cookies
beloved brands
Benefit Ladder
What you
Do
Consumers
Get
Consumers
Feel
Safe
Knowledge Optimism
Control
Motivated
Successful
Inspired
Trust Respect
Reliable
Informed
Smarter
Healthier
Taste
Prevents
Weight / Exercise
Sensory
Easier to use
Touch/Feel
Reduces
Experience
Memorable
Occasion
Rituals
Freshly
baked
E M O T I O N A L B E N E F I T S
F U N C T I O N A L B E N E F I T S
New
England
Recipe
P R O D U C T F E A T U R E S
Low calorie
Low carb
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GRAY’S
Cookies
More Cookie. Less guilt.
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Natural
Ingredients
Brand Idea Map
The best
tasting yet guilt
free pleasure so
you can stay in
control of your
weight
GRAY’S
Cookies
Consumer
Take control of your
weight by replacing
your favorite snack
with Grays.
Real life stories that
show women living
“All the pleasure, but
none of the guilt.”
We never sacrifice
on taste, you won’t
have to sacrifice
your cookie.
Interrupt purchase
routine to set up
Grays as the better
alternative.
We hope your
weight loss results
empowers you to
stay in control.
Brand
Promise
Brand
Story
Innovation
Ideas
Purchase
Moment
Happy
Experiences
Packaging
Logo/Slogan
Advertising
and Media
Product
Development
Sales
and Retail
Culture and
Operations
beloved brands
Brand
Benefit Ladder
What you
Do
Consumers
Get
Consumers
Feel
Safe
Knowledge Optimism
Control
Motivated
Successful
Inspired
Trust Respect
Reliable
Informed
Smarter
Healthier
Taste
Prevents
Weight / Exercise
Sensory
Easier to use
Touch/Feel
Reduces
Experience
Memorable
Occasion
Rituals
Freshly
baked
E M O T I O N A L B E N E F I T S
F U N C T I O N A L B E N E F I T S
New
England
Recipe
P R O D U C T F E A T U R E S
Low calorie
Low carb
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Groom
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Ltd
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Cookies
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Natural
Ingredients
Brand Concept
The guilt free pleasure with Gray’s Cookies
Do you feel guilty when you stick your hand in the cookie jar? Wouldn’t
it be great if you could just sneak a cookie without worry that you have
gone off your diet?
Gray’s Cookies are the best tasting yet guilt free
pleasure so you can stay in control of your health.
That’s because Gray’s Cookies are low in fat and calories, yet still
tastes great. In blind taste tests, Gray’s Cookies matched the market
leaders on taste, but has only 100 calories, with 2g of fat and 3g of
sugar. In a 12-week study, consumers using Gray’s Cookies once a
night as a dessert lost 10 pounds.
Try Gray’s Cookies and find
your way to stay healthy
beloved brands
GRAY’S
Cookies

23. Invest in your people today
“The best marketing training course I’ve ever attended”
“Beloved Brands is the cheat code for brand leaders”
Our Beloved Brands playbook adds depth
to our marketing training programs
With Beloved Brands, we will challenge your thinking on
strategy, positioning, plans, creative briefs, advertising
decisions, product innovation, analytics, and finance.
Learn how to run the creative execution process, starting with
how to write an inspiring creative brief and then how to make
decisions to find smart and breakthrough work. We demonstrate
new methods for analyzing their brand’s performance so they
can lead a deep-dive business review. We review all the
financial formulas they need to know to run their business.
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Beloved Brands a 5-star rating

24. We can build a marketing training program to
unlock your marketing team's full potential
Graham Robertson
graham@beloved-brands.com
416-885-3911