Schwan’s Home Service, the biggest business within the multi-billion dollar privately-held Schwan Food Company, is the largest home delivery food marketer in America.

Though the business results had been soft in recent years, executive management believed significant growth was possible and engaged us to develop a Brand Strategy to achieve this growth. Management also understood that the current business model would have to change, and critical to this transition was an understanding of current and potential customers, including their needs and motivations, and their perceptions of the Schwan’s Home Service brand and competitors.

To supplement their internal database knowledge, we led a cross-functional team in significant qualitative and quantitative research with customers. Next, we guided the team in identifying the target customer, discovering the insight, evolving from the current to the future Brand Essence, and developing a distinct and emotionally-based Brand Promise to drive growth.

We then guided plans for internal and marketplace implementation of the Brand Strategy by internal resources, and assisted them in hiring and managing creative development with an external agency.

Based on these learnings, we then guided executive management in development of a new Business Strategy. This began by agreeing upon a common understanding of their Current Profile, and then creating their Future Profile to achieve their growth goals, including: customer demand, products, geography, organizational structure, operations, technology, high-performance culture, etc.

Engaged with:

• Lenny Pippin, Vice Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
• John Beadle, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
• Dave Bunnell, Senior Executive Vice President
• Larry Oberkfell, President, Global Home Service
• Brian Nau, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Supply Chain, Home Service
• Craig Pellerin, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial and Operations Officer
• Brian Cook, Senior Vice President, Home Service East
• Bruce Saugstad, Senior Vice President, Home Service West
• Travis Bautz, Vice President and General Manager, Atlanta
• Brian Rademacher, Vice President, Strategic Development and Planning
• Rich Snyder, Vice President, Customer Strategy
• Joseph Hulsizer, Director, Consumer Insights