13,700+ TRAVELLERS
The original segmentation drew on data from more than 13,700 transatlantic flyers, looking beyond demographics to understand meaningful differences in attitudes, motivations and approaches to travel.
Building a segmentation that keeps working
Icelandair
Icelandair needed a better way to understand the differences between transatlantic travellers and identify which represented the greatest opportunity for the brand.
We created a bespoke consumer segmentation that went beyond demographics to understand the attitudes, motivations and approaches to travel that really set people apart. Seven years later, it remains a strategic framework for decision-making across the business.
UNDERSTANDING THE OPPORTUNITY
Finding the travellers that matter most
In 2019, we created a transatlantic traveller segmentation for Icelandair, initially drawing on data from more than 13,700 flyers.
The ambition wasn’t simply to create recognisable groups of customers. Icelandair needed to understand which travellers it should prioritise for growth, while bridging the gap between brand and performance marketing.
We built the segmentation around Icelandair’s strategic priorities and commercial goals, bringing together the needs of internal stakeholders and partner agencies. Alongside attitudes and motivations, we considered factors including travel spend and headroom, frequency, cabin preference, business versus leisure travel, brand preference and proposition fit.
The result was a clear view of which traveller segments represented the greatest opportunity for Icelandair, and a shared framework that teams could use to make decisions.
7 YEARS AND EVOLVING
First created in 2019, the segmentation has been revisited and evolved as the travel market has changed, providing a consistent framework through which Icelandair can understand new behaviours and emerging opportunities.
ONE SHARED FRAMEWORK
The segmentation now provides a customer lens across customer experience, cabin layout and fares, marketing and creative development, PR and paid media.
THE RESULTS
From customer understanding to better business decisions
The segmentation has become a practical decision-making tool for Icelandair, giving teams a shared understanding of the customers they want to win and what matters to them.
It has also helped turn customer understanding into more effective marketing. Icelandair’s performance marketing agency found that tailoring activity to the segment profiles increased click-through rates, leading to further work testing how different messaging, imagery and Icelandic experiences resonated with different traveller segments.
Just as importantly, the framework hasn’t stood still. We’ve continued to revisit the segmentation as the travel landscape has changed, building a clearer picture of shifts in booking behaviour, attitudes towards the travel experience and sustainability. What began as a segmentation of transatlantic travellers has therefore become a useful barometer for wider change in the category.
Alongside the strategic framework, rich profiles and videos featuring real travellers have helped bring the segments to life across the organisation, creating a common language around who Icelandair is trying to reach and why.
For TVE, the project shows what happens when segmentation is treated as a strategic business asset rather than a one-off research exercise. Seven years on, it continues to help Icelandair decide who to prioritise, where opportunities lie and how to act on them.
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.