CASE
Leveraging AI to enhance Beyond Meat’s understanding of their core customer personas
Explore how AI-enhanced workshops unveiled rich insights about several key personas to help formulate truly consumer-centric strategies.
How it started
Despite a growing trend towards plant-based diets, motivations and barriers for consumers remain a mosaic of personal beliefs and cultural influences. With consumer choices now being driven by sustainability and health, Beyond Meat wanted to delve deeper into the psyche of its potential customers. The team recognised the need to go beyond traditional market segmentation and truly empathize with its audience.
How we inspired change
An initial comprehensive usage and attitude (U&A) survey worked to lay the foundation, with 4,500 responses from consumers in Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The resulting goal was clear: to understand the shift in meat consumption and gauge the reception of plant-based meat alternatives.
To help do this, we then created seven distinct personas, each embodying a particular segment of Beyond Meat’s diverse audience. These personas were data-driven profiles informed by the initial survey which were then refined by insights from their archive of research reports.
The immersive workshop saw a breakthrough, utilising an AI-powered chatbot to bring the different personas to life. Participants interacted with the chatbot, engaging in conversations that revealed details of the personas’ depth and diversity. This virtual dialogue was supplemented by AI-generated avatars and mood boards, helping to put a face and voice against the personas and enhance the sensory experience.
How it lives on
By the end of the workshop, the Beyond Meat team had not only familiarized themselves with the personas but had also developed tailored strategies to win each of their hearts and minds, addressing their core needs. The exercise helped to highlight how Beyond Meat could align its brand promise with the aspirations and values of its audience.
The workshop is a testament to the power of AI in unlocking in-depth consumer insights. It exemplifies how technology can bridge human understanding, fostering a connection that goes beyond mere consumption to create brand advocates for a sustainable future.
“It was great to really immerse ourselves in the consumer’s world for a full day. It was a revelation for us how you can use AI for this. The chatbot was easy to use and provided rich insight, and the persona videos provided a nice summary to quickly understand our consumers.”
Ready to do what matters?
Let’s connect