McCormick

Our challenge: crafting a 5-year category vision for McCormick in Europe for future success.

Context

In the wake of a tumultuous year that brought unprecedented disruption across Europe due to the Covid-19 pandemic, McCormick, a leading player in the home cooking and flavors category, recognized the importance of reconnecting with their valued retail partners. With a firm commitment to charting a positive path forward, McCormick sought to inspire and invigorate their retail partners by sharing an inspiring vision for the future of the home cooking and flavours category. This vision was borne out of a deep understanding of the changing needs and preferences of consumers in the wake of the pandemic, as well as a keen awareness of the evolving trends and opportunities that were emerging in the marketplace. By collaborating closely with their retail partners and co-creating a compelling vision for the future, McCormick sought to build stronger relationships and drive sustained growth in the home cooking and flavours category, even in the face of continued uncertainty and disruption.

Challenge

As we set out to tackle the formidable task of creating a comprehensive 5-year category vision for the European McCormick business and its retail partners, we were acutely aware of the complex array of challenges that lay ahead. Our primary objective was to identify the key growth drivers that would underpin the success of the home cooking and flavors category over the next half-decade, and to develop a robust strategy and suite of solutions to ensure that McCormick and its retail partners would be well-positioned to capitalize on these drivers. To accomplish this, we embarked on a multifaceted research and development process that encompassed a broad range of inputs and data sources, including consumer insights, market trends, competitor analysis, and technology advancements, among others. Armed with this rich and diverse array of inputs, we then set about synthesizing our findings into a coherent and compelling vision for the future of the category, which drew upon the unique strengths and capabilities of McCormick and its retail partners. By leveraging our deep knowledge of the market and our expertise in strategy development and execution, we were able to craft a robust and actionable plan that charted a clear path forward for the category over the next five years, and which laid the foundation for long-term success and growth.

Charting the Flavorful Future: From Complexity to Clarity for McCormick’s Success Story

Clarity

Through our comprehensive and systematic approach, we were able to bring much-needed clarity, rigor, and inspiration to the complex and multifaceted world of McCormick flavors. We conducted a thorough audit of existing data and knowledge, augmented it with insights from macro and category trends, and identified and sized a clear set of growth drivers for the European market, which led us to develop a clear and actionable vision for the future of the category.

To ensure that this vision was aligned with the unique needs and preferences of the European market, we created tailored growth platforms that were optimized for three core markets, namely France, Poland, and the UK. Through a detailed portfolio mapping exercise, we aligned a complex portfolio of products, spanning both cooking and baking, against these growth drivers, and developed a channel and innovation strategy that was tailored to the needs of each market.

With this comprehensive framework in place, we were able to bring the vision and growth drivers to life through a range of EU-level materials that were designed to inspire and educate our retail partners, as well as to guide the development and execution of category growth initiatives. Leveraging our expertise and deep knowledge of the market, we were confident that we could help McCormick and its retail partners to navigate the complex and rapidly-evolving world of flavors, and to drive sustained growth and success over the long term.

Impact

The impact of the category vision and growth drivers developed by our team was felt both internally and externally at McCormick.

Externally, the category vision served as a core framework for engaging retail partners across Europe. By providing a clear and actionable roadmap for the future of the home cooking and flavors category, the vision was instrumental in aligning McCormick’s retail partners with the company’s strategic priorities, and in fostering collaboration and innovation across the value chain.

Internally, the growth drivers identified through our work served as a starting point for kicking off renovation and innovation work-streams within McCormick. By providing a clear and data-driven understanding of the key factors driving growth in the European market, the growth drivers were instrumental in guiding the development and execution of new products and initiatives, and in ensuring that McCormick remained at the forefront of the rapidly-evolving world of flavors.

Overall, the impact of our work was significant, and helped to position McCormick for sustained growth and success in the years to come. By providing clarity, inspiration, and rigor to the complex and multifaceted world of flavors, we were able to help McCormick and its partners navigate the challenges of the Covid pandemic and emerge stronger and more innovative than ever before.