6 GLOBAL MARKETS
Consumer research conducted across Europe and Asia to understand category potential.
Helping Carlsberg explore the hard seltzer opportunity
CARLSBERG
Hard seltzer was growing rapidly in the US, raising a clear question for Carlsberg: could the category translate into new markets across Europe and Asia?
The opportunity was commercially exciting, but not straightforward. Outside the US, the category was still unfamiliar, meaning consumers needed help understanding what hard seltzer was, when they might drink it and why it deserved a place in their repertoire.
We helped Carlsberg understand whether there was a genuine opportunity beyond the US, how the category should be positioned and which brands in its portfolio had the strongest permission to play.
UNDERSTANDING THE OPPORTUNITY UNDERSTANDING WHETHER THE CATEGORY COULD TRAVEL
Success depended on more than simply importing an American trend. Carlsberg needed to understand how consumers in different markets would react to a completely new type of alcoholic drink.
We designed a rapid multi-market exploration across six countries: the UK, France, Poland, Russia, China and Finland.
Using a combination of online communities and face-to-face consumer groups, we explored category perceptions, motivations, barriers, drinking occasions and product expectations.
Consumers were introduced to hard seltzer in stages, moving from the category concept through to branded ideas and product tasting. This allowed us to understand how expectations were being formed, where confusion was emerging and what would need to be clarified for launch.
Alongside this, we assessed the fit of different branded propositions to identify which brands within the Carlsberg portfolio had the strongest permission to play.
BRAND PERMISSION TO PLAY
Identified which portfolio brands had the strongest credibility within the emerging category.
LAUNCH READINESS
Provided clarity on the education, positioning and expectations required to support successful market entry.
THE RESULTS
Turning category excitement into practical action
The project showed that hard seltzer had potential beyond the US, but that successful market entry would depend on more than importing an American category story.
The work highlighted the need for clear category education, sharper expectation-setting and a brand expression that felt relevant, credible and easy to understand within different cultural contexts.
It gave Carlsberg a clearer view of how to approach the category: where it could stretch, what role its brands could credibly play and what would need to be true for consumers to understand and embrace a new kind of alcoholic drink.
For TVE, the project demonstrates how focused innovation research can help businesses assess new growth spaces, pressure-test brand permission and move from category excitement to practical launch decisions.
BANG & OLUFSEN
Defining luxury in premium audio
As competition intensified, Bang & Olufsen sought to move beyond premium and establish a clearer position in luxury audio.
We uncovered the needs, expectations and codes of the luxury consumer – redefining what drives value at the high end. These insights shaped a more focused portfolio strategy, enabling B&O to sharpen its positioning, align its offer and build a more distinctive, future-facing presence in the luxury space.
CARLSBERG
Unlocking growth in hard seltzers
With hard seltzers booming, Carlsberg needed to define where and how to win globally.
We identified the key consumer drivers shaping adoption and translated them into clear, market-specific opportunities. This enabled Carlsberg to prioritise launches and focus investment; starting with targeted trials in Norway and Singapore before scaling into a broader global rollout.
The result was a more focused, insight-led entry into a fast-growing category.
BRITTANY FERRIES
Brand repositioning beyond core offer
As competition from low-cost, sun-focused holidays intensified, Brittany Ferries needed to evolve beyond its core ferry crossing offer and reposition itself as a provider of richer, end-to-end holiday experiences. We helped redefine the brand around what makes it truly distinctive: travelling by sea as part of the holiday itself, with access to discovery-rich destinations along Europe’s western coastlines. This new positioning came to life through a new logo and visual identity we created, alongside a reimagined onboard experience on its latest ships—designed to fully embody the brand’s promise.
BAKKAVOR
Reimagining the future of ready meals
Bakkavor set out to create a distinctive new brand in the competitive ready meals category without relying on retail or celebrity cues.
We combined deep category insight with consumer and expert perspectives to define a clear innovation opportunity, then took it end-to-end; from strategy through to concept, naming, design and launch.
The result was a multi-SKU range built to cut through at shelf and unlock new growth.
JABRA
Leading the future of the workplace
Jabra sits at the forefront of workplace innovation, navigating rapid shifts in technology, behaviour and environments.
We partnered with Jabra to explore what’s next; from the impact of AI to hybrid working and wellbeing, translating emerging trends into clear innovation opportunities.
Our work helped shape product and proposition development, ensuring Jabra continues to lead the category and unlock future growth.
SKY
Reframing the brand for a new era
Sky needed to shift consumer perception and reappraise its role in people’s lives.
We provided strategic guidance to define a new creative platform – grounding the brand in a more emotional, distinctive space that could cut through and resonate at scale.
This thinking became the foundation for the award-winning “That Sky Feeling” campaign, helping to reframe the brand and drive renewed relevance with audiences.
STARBUCKS
Rebuilding the Starbucks Reserve brand
Starbucks Reserve launched in EMEA to strengthen coffee authority, but underdelivered on awareness and engagement.
We redefined the brand’s strategic role and growth potential across key markets, developing and testing future brand territories with 2CV. This enabled us to prioritise the strongest opportunities and deliver a clear, commercially grounded roadmap, which identified must-win battles and where to focus investment into the areas with the greatest potential to drive growth.
TIKTOK
Embedding the audience growth strategy in TikTok
A segmentation framework only creates value if it’s adopted. After developing a global audience segmentation, we partnered with teams to bring it to life across the organisation.
From a high-impact launch event and leadership-led content to personalised tools and assets, we created a shared language and made the framework easy to use day-to-day.
By embedding it across content, product and communications, the work helped unlock a clear path to more than 500 million new users.
UNILEVER
Future-proofing hair styling innovation
Unilever needed to understand how hair styling had evolved post-pandemic and define a future-facing innovation roadmap.
We combined global research, expert input and deep consumer immersion to uncover emerging needs and identify six high-potential innovation territories. Through collaborative ideation and testing, we refined a focused set of concepts.
The result was a clear pipeline of next-generation products and the confidence to move forward in a rapidly evolving category.