a Brand Strategy prepared for

HomeMade Pizza Co.

presented by
the Brian Sweet Consulting Firm
 Brand Vision

To make people happy by creating rewarding home

dining experiences that bring the the incredible aromas,
unforgettable flavors, and unparalleled freshness of a
perfect pizza to every oven in the world.
 Brand Objectives
• Become a household name - generate a high level of
brand awareness

• “Own” the category - be the brand people think of

when they think ‘take home pizza’ or when they think of
‘easy & healthy meal options’

• Inspire “happy thoughts” - the name “HomeMade Pizza”

should instantly inspire thoughts of happy homes, great
food, and fun get-togethers

• Be seen as a wise choice for family meals - Picking up

food at HomeMade Pizza should be seen as a great
option for most days, not just rare occasions
 Take Home Pizza Category
SWOT Analysis
STRENGTHS
•Offers easy option for people to eat at home WEAKNESSES
•Brings home the aroma of fresh pizza, straight out of the oven •Requires extra step of baking @ home
•Provides a fun baking experience for people, especially families •Food cannot be consumed immediately (while driving, or in
with children the HomeMade Pizza location)
•Relatively new category - considered a more exciting or •Pizza is currently viewed by many as an unhealthy food choice
interesting option for some consumers •Relatively new category - considered less ‘safe’ of an option
•Meets significant need for mothers seeking quick & easy for some consumers
options that are not frozen

OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
•Can use experience in take home pizza to offer other take •Future competitors (it’s likely that more homemade pizza or
home meals (either through the same brand or a different
general homemade meal stores will emerge)
brand)
•Can open franchise opportunities •Events threatening the brand or category, such as harmful
chemicals being found in a food product or unhealthy practices
•The fact that the category is relatively new means there is still •Any future health reports that communicate negatively about
significant room to define the category, & perhaps more
pizza as an unhealthy eating option
importantly, to become the brand that “owns” the category
 Alternative Target
Segments & Profiles
Happy HomeMade Competitive Brand Rare & Non-Loyal Category Non- Unhappy Category
Pizza Customers Users Category Users Users Rejectors

Relative Size approx 3% of category approx 97% of category (unavailable) (unavailable) (unavailable)

convenience, familiarity, past experiences, variety,

fresh ingredients, convenience (nearby variety, healthy options,
Decision Criteria bake@home, quality store), bake@home convenience, taste, price
variety, healthy options, taste, healthy options,
taste, price price

ranges from frequent to ranges from frequent to tried at least once, but
Usage Behavior seldom seldom
rare never
left unsatisfied

willing to try new willing to try new likes variety, less likely to perhaps ‘picky’ regarding
often choose from
Decision Process options, seeking quality & options, seeking quality & choose the same option
known or ‘safe’ options
food or service
new experiences new experiences over & over again experiences
few, but may include few, but may include convenience (location or lack of category for various reasons they
Barriers/Concerns convenience, variety and variety and healthy having to bake@home), awareness, convenience, have tried and now
healthy options options variety of options variety of options ‘rejected’ the category
ranges from low to high
ranges from medium to
Brand Importance high
ranges from low to high currently low n/a (may have had bad
experience w/one brand)

ranges from low to ranges from low to

Role of Price medium medium
ranges from low to high ranges from low to high ranges from low to high

ranges from medium to ranges from low to ranges from very low to
Satisfaction high
ranges from low to high
medium
n/a
low
 Recommended Primary and
Secondary Targets
• Primary: Category Non-Users
• this segment includes millions of people who haven’t yet experienced the
joys of watching cheese melt on a perfect pizza, of smelling the aroma of
fresh bread and natural ingredients in their own kitchen, and of seeing the
smiles on their family’s faces when they set an oven-fresh pizza on the
dinner table...all with almost no effort or mess.

• Secondary 1: Competitive Brand Users

• these people already know and enjoy the basic benefits of take home
pizzas and can become valuable customers once they are won over by
HomeMade Pizza Co.

• Secondary 2: Happy HomeMade Pizza Customers

• transform infrequent or less frequent customers into ‘regulars’ who see
HomeMade Pizza as their favorite option for meals most days of the week
 Competitive Assessment
Higher
Cost
Often the most
healthy or gourmet Gourmet Fine dining
@home options meals

Completely ‘Nice’ restaurants

organic meals
HomeMade California
Pizza Co. Pizza Kitchen
Uno’s TGI Friday’s
Papa Murphy’s
Papa Johns
Eat @ Eat
Home Typical homemade Pizza Hut “Out”
chicken dinner
Dominoe’s Panera Bread

Frozen pizzas Little Ceasar’s Chick-fil-A

Homemade Subway
sandwiches
Self prepared
meals, quick cereal- McDonald’s,Wendy’s,
Frozen dinners
Burger King, etc.
like items, or less Fast food
healthy/frozen
meals Lower
Cost
 Brand & Customer Exploratory
Generally Increasingly
want great desiring Range from
food for a healthy food loyal to non-
Often stick great price options loyal
with customers
known/‘safe’
options Generally Already
willing to try value take
new home pizza
Category experiences option
Non-Users
Most are
unacquainted Competitive
w/ HM Pizza Brand Users
brand

Most
HomeMade May
people are Pizza Co. likely favor
becoming more closest take
busy (not less home pizza
busy) option
Often in
Value easy
the middle
options for at-
range of price
home meals
sensitivity

HM Pizza
Customers
Most HM Already
customers value take
tend to be home pizza
pretty loyal option
 Brand Inventory
• Brand Name - HomeMade Pizza Co.
• strong positive valence, communicates value delivered, highly memorable, clear
& concise, “Co.” or “Company” may be superfluous

• Brand Logos & Icons - Consistent font & colors

• very few “visual assets” to the brand, no logo or symbol (other than perhaps
the name written in a black&white rectangle), no earcons, clean/concise font
complemented with clean/simple colors (black, white, tan, red, silver)

• Celebrities or Personalities - Brooke Shields (infrequent)

• Infrequent publicity by Brooke Shields, mentioned/featured on Oprah show,
Mayor Daley ‘celebrated’ opening of new Chicago location

• Slogans or Jingles - ““We make it, you bake it””

• Brand Alliances - No known brand alliances

 Three Circle Analysis
Unmet consumer needs
Our competitive advantages
•Fresh & natural ingredients •Ability to buy food without
leaving the car (take-out window)
•From Chicago - the pizza ‘mecca’
•Promotion (& future promotion •Greater accessibility (over 1200
locations)
potential) by Brooke Shields
•Lack of franchising means Our •Significant variety
greater control over the end •Cheaper (than current) options
product & customer
Brand PODs Consumer
experience Strengths Needs
POPs
Their
PODs
Similarities with competition Their competitive advantages
•Easy option for meal at home •Greater accessibility (over 1200
•Aroma and taste of fresh baked pizza Competitor locations)
•Midrange pricing Strengths •Better-known brand
•Relatively low variety •Significant press/media attention
•Custom pizza options •Franchising opportunities can create
new “brand evangelists” out of the
franchisees, their families, and their
friends
 Recommended Brand Pyramid

Resonance
Relationship The meal that makes
me feel like a great
parent every time I
serve it to my family

Consumer Consumer
Judgements Feelings
Response A “perfect pizza” Fun experience
Authentic Chicago pizza Happiness & warmth
Consistently trustworthy Feels like you’re in Italy
Best family meal option Fun & casual, yet still a treat
Use the BEST ingredients Makes relationships stronger

Brand Performance Brand Imagery

Satisfies hungry people
Meaning Consistently great taste
Healthy ingredients = Healthy Food
Fast + Convenient
Quick way to make a delicious meal
Fresh food at a great price
Great moms feed their families
meals from HomeMade Pizza Co.
Perfect for “every day” meals and
for special occasions
Authentic Chicago pizza for true
food connoisseurs

Salience
Identity
HomeMade Pizza Co. is a take home pizza place that uses the most fresh and healthy
ingredients to make pizzas, salads, and deserts that are a quick way to eat well at home.
 Alternative Positionings

• Positioning 1: For moms feeding hungry families, HomeMade Pizza is the

best healthy meal option that your entire family will enjoy, because we use
only the most fresh & delicious ingredients.

• Positioning 2: For people who love great food, HomeMade Pizza is the only
choice for take home pizza that brings the taste of famous Chicago pizza
restaurants to your home, because our recipe & our company were born &
raised in Chicago.

• Positioning 3: For people who are busy living life to the fullest, HomeMade
Pizza is the best meal option that lets you enjoy a fun, delicious, and healthy
eating experience whenever you want, because we make it easy for you to
bake a perfect pizza in your home.
 Evaluation of Positioning
Alternatives

Relevance Distinctiveness Believability Feasibility Communicability Sustainability

Relevant to moms
with children at
Positioning 1 home and slightly to
Medium Medium Strong Medium Medium
parents in general

Relevant to almost
Positioning 2 everyone
Strong Medium Strong Medium Weak

Relevant to most
Positioning 3 people
Strong Medium Strong Strong Medium
 Recommended Positioning
and Rationale
• Recommended Positioning: For people who are busy living life to the
fullest, HomeMade Pizza is the best meal option that lets you enjoy a fun,
delicious, and healthy eating experience whenever you want, because we
make it easy for you to bake a perfect pizza in your home.

• Rationale: This positioning is highly relevant to our target audiences. People

almost universally enjoy fun and delicious eating experiences. Also, the
desire for healthy meal options is becoming widely popular. The statement is
written toward “people who are busy living life to the fullest”...this is open
enough to allow customers to interpret the phrase to fit their own life,
whether they are busy with work, family, school, or hobbies. The term busy
draws attention to the pivotal fact that HomeMade pizza makes it easy for
people to enjoy these benefits. Finally, the positioning brings the phrases
perfect pizza and in your home closely together. This allows the customer to
take their own perceptions of what a perfect pizza would be like and imagine
that pizza within their own home, thus giving the customer a picture of
themselves enjoying an ideal end product.
 Message Pillars and
Brand Personality

• Message Pillars: ”Eating at home has never been more fun” ”We make it,
you bake it.” “Grab a perfect pizza on your way home today” “We use only
fresh, natural ingredients” “A healthy way to love pizza”

• What HomeMade Pizza Co. is: Fun, friendly, honest, comfortable, sociable,
both family and singles oriented, picky when it comes to quality but relaxed
when it comes to relationships

• What HomeMade Pizza Co. is NOT: Stuffy, overly fancy, snobby, boring
 Brand Architecture
Type Role Purpose

HomeMade Pizza Co. Producer Driver Corporate

the Brooke Shields Feta &

Product Endorser Distinguisher
Spinach pizza

the Conan OBrien Anything

Product Endorser Distinguisher
Goes pizza

the Billy Joel Four Cheese &

Product Endorser Distinguisher
Black Olive pizza

the Diana Krall pineapple &

Product Endorser Distinguisher
sausage pizza

the Ellen DeGeneres BBQ

Product Endorser Distinguisher
Chicken pizza

The idea is to increase our brand and simultaneously enrich the HomeMade pizza experience by giving each pizza a unique
and memorable name that ties into the brand equity of existing personalities. It’s possible that each branded pizza could be
the ‘favorite’ pizza of that particular celebrity. Also, this would establish a greater sense of quality to the products.
 Strategies for Execution
Across Touchpoints
• Key Touchpoints: Web (Social Media), Print Media (e.g., coupons), and face-to-
face (primarily in-store interactions)

• Strategy 1: Develop stronger set of brand elements to use across all

touchpoints. A simple and memorable logo should be created.

• Strategy 2: Communicate frequently with moms online via blogs, family &
children web sites, and other social media venues. Studies show that stay-at-
home moms spend a lot of time on social media sites (e.g., Facebook and
“mommy blogs”) as a means of staying in touch with friends while caring for
children at home. Social Media strategies should focus on means of providing
“free” value to moms, like a blog with tips on healthy eating.

• Strategy 3: A catchy and inspiring mantra should be developed and repeated

profusely...everywhere, all the time. “We make it you bake it” is a potential, but
does not communicate the quality, delicious taste, or incredible experience of
baking a perfect pizza at home.
 Recommended Brand Metrics
• Program: How well does our brand management/marketing department
communicate the primary benefits of our product? How well does our
brand inform employees on how to act and what to say to customers? How
consistent is our brand’s message?

• Consumer Behavior: How likely are customers to recommend HM Pizza

Co. to their friends? Do customers drive out of their way to buy our brand
over competitor brands?

• Attitude/Preference: How likely are customers to think about HM Pizza Co.

when considering what to eat for dinner? (Awareness) When given the
choice between several pizza brands, how likely are consumers to prefer HM
Pizza Co. pizza? (Valence)

• Performance: What percentage of sales is driven by the HM Pizza Co. brand?

What would be the value ascribed to our brand if valued for an acquisition
or public offering?
 Closing Observations
• The fact that HomeMade Pizza Co. originated in Chicago is significant and should be
used as a valuable POD. (think about the Pace Picante Sauce commercials with the
cowboys complaining about the hot sauce made in New York City... “New York City?!”

• The company should look into product markets, such as jars of “HomeMade Pizza Co.
Pizza Sauce” or “HomeMade Pizza Co. Pizza Dough” to be sold in grocery stores.

• This is a critical time for HomeMade Pizza. The fast growth and significant attention
Papa Murphy’s has received is indicative of the fact that there is still much room in this
developing market. However, it is likely that new competitors will emerge. Also,
without action, it is likely that Papa Murphy’s will become the “owner” of the
category...meaning, they will become the brand everyone considers first when they
think “take home pizza.” HomeMade Pizza should consider options to increase the
rate of growth, both in numbers of stores and in brand equity, while simultaneously
understanding that growing too quickly can kill the brand.

• I recommend considering a hybrid form of franchising. In other words, consider

becoming a “premium” franchise... be as picky with your choice of franchisees as
Harvard is with its choice of students. In other words, franchise this business, but only
allow the very best franchisees to work with your brand.