The Ask: Re-establish the old established grocery store product Duncan Hines cake mix
The Truth: It can be tough for young guys to build and keep strong friendships, thanks in part to old-fashioned ideas about what it means to be a man. Traditional views on masculinity make it harder for dudes to create emotional bonds with each other
The Solution: Revitalizing Duncan Hines by targeting a new audience that isn’t usually spoken to in the baking category, men (reluctant bakers) by Providing a lifeline for novice bakers to make small but meaningful gestures to their friends.
the story of duncan
Duncan Hines started out as a office supplies salesman who compiled a list of favorite restaurants while traveling in the 20s and 30s, becoming an authority on good food. He created "Adventures in Good Eating," a food guide that prioritized food safety and cleanliness. It set the standard for quality food in America when FDA regulations were lacking, making Duncan Hines synonymous with high-quality food.
Duncan Hines stands out as one of the few baking brands that has a male mascot
the number of Men with at least 6 friends has dropped 32% since the 90s
the number of men who have 0 friends has jumped 3 to 15%
American survey center 2021
It's harder to get personal.
Many male friendships are shallow
Because Duncan Hines has such a unique angle that could appeal to a more diverse audience, We thought it was time for Duncan Hines to leverage their “man power” to make male friendships more human
The kitchen has been known for decades as the place where people come together to have those deep conversations, baked treats are a universal love language.
There's a new target in town!
Young men anticipate entertaining now more than ever since the pandemic mintel study 2022
Strategy: The kitchen is for everyone
Baking is changing, it isn’t just for bored housewives eager to to please their husbands anymore. Duncan Hines can open up the baking category to be a lot more inclusive to all
Let’s challenge its category conventions by encouraging gender parity in baking.
The idea: Don’t Overcomplicake it.
How can we make cake mix stand out to young men?
scoop one out for the boys.
We’ll make our presence known in the grocery store by both standing out within the baking aisle and making sure young male shoppers know where to find us
the egg isle
redirect shoppers that may usually skip the Baking aisle.
Ice cakers.
Have that friend that only send one word texts? The Duncan Hines App can provide a little elaboration.
team: Emerald Grippa(Cbm), Francis phan(XD), Kyle Brubaker(AD), Mark mCcoley(cw)
my role: primary & secondary research, audience profile, brief
