Case study
Asahi International
drives engagement
and purchase
with stand-out pack redesign guided by AI-powered insights
Business challenge
Asahi Super Dry, Japan’s #1 beer, had a number of challenges related to its secondary packaging. There was no unified packaging globally, which led to inconsistency and supply chain complexity. There were also concerns from retailers about the stand-out of the pack and Asahi International was keen to ensure the packaging delighted customers and consumers alike.
Asahi International needed to redesign their secondary packaging to ensure that the brand’s look and feel represented its premium positioning and embodied the spirit of quality and discovery that Japan is so well known for. In short, their goal was to create a compelling new packaging that reflected Asahi Super Dry’s Brand World and premium credentials and could cut through the competitive set. And they needed to achieve this while also creating global consistency with a unified pack design that would be well received in markets around the world.
Our approach
MetrixLab used a two-stage research design approach utilizing our innovative AI-powered discussion platform Immerse and leading-edge quantitative simulated shelf test COMPACT, across three key markets: the UK, Australia and China.
The first stage involved a 1-hour discussion with around 60 premium beer drinkers in each of the 3 markets. The AI-powered tool allowed respondents to collaborate and discuss ideas by voting on other peoples’ suggestions made within the discussion. The discussion enabled the Asahi International team to get detailed qualitative and quantitative feedback on a number of different design options in order to understand the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities to optimize each potential new design.
In the second stage, MetrixLab took a smaller number of preferred design routes to a quantitative monadic test. MetrixLab’s COMPACT pack testing approach combines a simulated shelf environment test with implicit, visual and explicit survey modules which collectively provide feedback on the performance of the new designs. This was particularly important given that one of Asahi International’s key action standards was to improve shelf stand-out.
This was particularly important given that one of Asahi International’s key action standards was to improve shelf stand-out. The COMPACT test allows benchmarking of the new designs versus the current, two competitors, MetrixLab’s global PACT database and packaging design meta-learnings in order to make clear recommendations for Asahi International.
Results
Asahi International and MetrixLab were able to identify one design route with the greatest potential for progression across all 3 markets. One design stood out as driving engagement and purchase, competing effectively against competition while protecting current purchase levels.
By incorporating meta-learnings from MetrixLab’s database of packaging design benchmarks, Asahi International was also able to leverage recommendations allowing them to optimize the winning pack design even further. To strengthen standout at shelf and reinforce perceptions of refreshment, Asahi International could increase overall pack performance further by employing more color contrast, prominent use of brand assets and distinctive pack structure.
The results allowed Asahi International to confidently relaunch their packaging globally alongside their new global brand comms. Their key account managers could also re-engage with retailers with tangible proof that the pack had good stand out and differentiation compared to other competitors on the shelf.
