Brand management at Applegate
Two brand projects: building the brand’s seed-oil point of view grounded in data, and a syndicated-data innovation pipeline for dinner sausages.
30+
studies synthesized
40+
innovation concepts
274
concept-test respondents
97
RD ambassadors surveyed
The challenge
I ran two projects. The first was building Applegate’s point of view on seed oils, grounded in research. The second was finding where the brand should innovate next in dinner sausages, using syndicated data.
What I did
Built the brand’s seed oil POV: sized growth of seed-oil-free claims, audited competitive on-pack claim language & certification specs, and synthesized 30+ published studies with social listening to map consumer perception against scientific consensus. Analyzed Nielsen, Circana, and SPINS syndicated data for item-level velocity, distribution (TDP/ACV), and price-per-unit gaps vs. the competitive set, isolated underperforming SKUs and sized whitespace, generating 40+ innovation concepts. Designed and fielded a qual/quant concept test (3 stimuli to 274 respondents) with the insights team, and synthesized a survey of 97 Registered Dietitian ambassadors into a ranked innovation recommendation. Modeled the lead concept’s P&L, quantifying the volume lift and price increase required to hold margins, and presented the recommendation and phased portfolio plan to Hormel brand leadership.