Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) is a framework designed to uncover why people make the choices they do. Instead of focusing on demographics or purchase behaviors alone, JTBD explores the deeper context of what a customer is trying to achieve – the “job” they are hiring a product to do. For DTC food and beverage brands, this means looking beyond flavor or branding and asking: what situation is our customer in, and what outcome are they seeking?

Think of it this way: people don’t just buy cold brew coffee because it tastes good. Some may be trying to jumpstart a tired morning, while others may want to signal focus during a work-from-home routine. Understanding these motivations helps DTC businesses tailor not just the product, but how they talk about it and deliver it.

Why JTBD matters specifically to food and beverage startups

In a saturated market where consumers are constantly discovering trendy new options, DTC strategies that cut through the noise are critical. That's where JTBD excels:

• Improves product-market fit: Market research rooted in JTBD helps ensure you’re not just launching what you like – but what consumers truly need and want.
• Drives real innovation: Unmet or unexpected jobs can spark ideas for new SKUs, subscription models, packaging formats, or delivery enhancements.
• Strengthens brand messaging: Messaging aligned to specific customer jobs and emotions resonates more powerfully.

For example, a fictional startup offering protein smoothie kits might find through JTBD research that people use the product to feel in control of their morning amidst chaos – not just to "get protein." This insight can inform everything from packaging copy to influencer partnerships.

How to incorporate JTBD into your DTC brand strategy

You don’t need to overhaul your research approach to use JTBD. It's about asking smarter questions and digging deeper into motivations. Working with insight partners like SIVO, food and beverage brands can map out specific customer jobs through:

• Qualitative interviews that explore the full decision-making journey
• Customer journey mapping aligned to specific “job moments”
• Quantitative surveys that size how common certain jobs are among audiences

For DTC marketers, product teams, and brand leaders, applying the jobs to be done framework for food brands isn't just a marketing play – it’s a foundation for smarter strategy across the business.

Every food or drink product solves a problem, but not all problems are created equal. Within the Jobs To Be Done framework, consumer needs typically fall into two categories: functional jobs and emotional jobs. Understanding both improves product fit, personalization, and ultimately customer retention.

Functional jobs: the practical outcome a customer wants

Functional jobs are the basic, utilitarian tasks a customer is trying to complete. In the DTC food and beverage space, these might include:

• “I need a healthy snack to keep me full between lunch and dinner.”
• “I want a drink that helps me unwind after work.”
• “I need a meal that’s easy to prep during busy weekdays.”

These types of customer motivations are often straightforward but don’t tell the whole story. That’s where emotional jobs come into play.

Emotional jobs: how a customer wants to feel

Emotional jobs are about identity, self-perception, and social signaling. They can include:

• “I want to feel like someone who prioritizes wellness.”
• “I want to project a trendy, mindful lifestyle on social media.”
• “I want control over what my kids eat, without feeling guilty.”

These emotional factors powerfully influence how people discover, engage with, and stay loyal to a DTC brand. A plant-based frozen meal company, for instance, may meet the functional need of a quick dinner – but what really draws customers in might be the emotional job of feeling eco-conscious and progressive.

Matching jobs to product and marketing strategy

When food and beverage brands understand both types of jobs, they can better answer questions like:

• “How do we attract more first-time customers?”
• “How do we message our product to stand out?”
• “What personalization do our customers expect?”

Insights from jobs to be done research examples help teams map which jobs are most common – and profitable – among their target audience. This type of strategic clarity supports stronger positioning, segmentation, and experience design.

In today’s competitive DTC marketing landscape, unlocking the emotional jobs in food and beverage is as critical as nailing the functional ones. Successful brands think beyond nutrition facts or price points – they ask what roles their product plays in a consumer’s day, identity, and aspirations. Making that connection is where loyalty starts.

When customers buy from a direct-to-consumer (DTC) food or beverage brand, they aren't just feeding hunger or quenching thirst. They're hiring your product to perform a deeper task – or what the 'Jobs To Be Done' (JTBD) framework calls a 'job.' These jobs can be functional, emotional, or social, and understanding them is essential to creating a product, experience, and brand that resonates.

So, what kinds of jobs might your DTC snack, drink, or pantry staple be hired to do? Here are some key examples, drawn from current consumer insight strategies for DTC brands and common patterns uncovered by JTBD research in the food and beverage space:

1. Simplify My Routine

Customers often turn to DTC brands because they offer convenience. Ready-made meals, customizable packs, and subscription services save time and reduce decision fatigue – helping consumers stick to a plan, eat healthier, or just make life easier.

2. Help Me Discover New Experiences

Food and drinks are a gateway to adventure. Whether it’s a new international flavor, a limited-release collab, or a first-taste of a trending superfood, DTC customers may be seeking novelty – a break from their everyday choices.

3. Reinforce My Identity

What we eat says something about who we are. Many DTC brands win loyalty through products that reflect consumer values, like sustainability, wellness, or ethical sourcing. In these cases, customers are hiring your brand to help express who they are (or aspire to be).

4. Personalize My Choices

Personalization is a growing demand in DTC marketing. From gluten-free granola to keto-friendly protein drinks, people want products that feel made for them. This job includes both functional elements (fit with dietary goals) and emotional ones (feel seen and understood).

5. Comfort Me or Boost My Mood

Sometimes, food is about feelings – not just fuel. Comforting snacks, indulgent treats, or refreshing drinks may be hired to soothe stress, celebrate accomplishments, or create small moments of joy.

By identifying the core job (or jobs) customers expect your product to do, you can pinpoint what truly drives purchase decisions – moving beyond demographics to grasp deeper customer motivations.

This supports smarter DTC brand strategy decisions and ensures you’re positioned not just around what your product is, but why it matters in your consumers’ lives.

Once you’ve uncovered the key jobs your product is being “hired” to do, the next step is putting those insights to work. JTBD doesn’t just reveal motivation – it builds the foundation for better DTC marketing, product development, and customer experience (CX) design. Let’s take a closer look at how to turn JTBD findings into action across different areas of your DTC business.

Product Innovation That Reflects Real Needs

Instead of brainstorming based on trends alone, JTBD helps ground innovation in real-world, unmet needs. For example, if research reveals that busy professionals are hiring your smoothie to “make me feel healthy without slowing me down,” your team might explore portable formats, balanced macros, or functional ingredients that support that job more effectively.

This is where applying JTBD to food and beverage startups can shape a clearer product roadmap, helping you prioritize features or formats that directly match what consumers are trying to achieve.

Messaging That Speaks to Real Motivations

Knowing the ‘job’ your product fulfills lets you write copy that resonates. Imagine a DTC tea brand that discovers their evening blends are hired to “help me wind down and mentally disconnect.” Instead of highlighting only flavor and ingredients, marketing could shift to storytelling around relaxation rituals, downtime, and reclaiming calm.

This alignment between messaging and motivation leads to stronger connection – and greater clarity across your website, emails, and social content.

Customer Experience That Reinforces Value

Jobs To Be Done insights can also enhance the customer journey. For emotional jobs – like “help me feel like I’m making a difference” – consider how your packaging, onboarding, and email flows spotlight your sustainability efforts authentically. If the job is “help me discover new things,” your CX could feature personalized recommendations or rotating flavors in subscription boxes.

• Rethink your UX: Do product pages reflect the core job being done?
• Reframe onboarding: Are you showing customers how your product fits into their life?
• Reinforce feedback: Can you close the loop by showing customers how their purchase created impact?

Whether it’s subtle copy tweaks or full strategic pivots, Jobs To Be Done gives DTC brands clarity on what consumers want from DTC drinks and food brands, helping elevate every touchpoint across the funnel.

Putting JTBD into practice means integrating it into your real-world decision-making. For DTC food and beverage companies, that means grounding everything from flavor choices to go-to-market strategy in the specific jobs customers are hiring your brand to do. Let’s look at some fictional examples that show how JTBD insights can unlock growth:

Fictional Example 1: A Meal Kit That Solves “Dinner Dread”

A DTC meal kit startup expected its core job to be “save me time.” But through Jobs To Be Done research, they discovered a deeper motivation: customers were hiring the service to “help me feel like a good parent without meal stress.” With that emotional job made clear, they adjusted their product descriptions and onboarding emails to focus on confidence, peace of mind, and family connection – not just speed – resulting in higher conversion and retention.

Fictional Example 2: A Sparkling Water Brand That Taps Into Identity

Another fictional DTC beverage brand believed their drink was chosen for hydration. But detailed interviews revealed something else: young adults were choosing the brand because it made them feel “better about what’s in my fridge.” It signaled a health-conscious, eco-friendly identity. The marketing team leaned into that job, with visual brand tweaks and social messaging around values – helping drive word-of-mouth and repeat orders.

How JTBD Enables More Targeted Strategy

These examples show how the JTBD framework connects the dots between market research, DTC marketing, and customer experience. It doesn’t replace demographic data or analytics – it adds the “why” behind behavior. Companies can more accurately:

• Refine their unique value proposition based on customer goals
• Develop emotionally resonant campaigns tied to real-world needs
• Prioritize product features that solve true pain points
• Differentiate in a crowded food and beverage trends landscape

Because JTBD is research-driven, it scales with your business. You can continually refine offerings and segments as customer jobs evolve. And when paired with SIVO’s full-service market research or flexible On-Demand Talent models, DTC brands gain the ability to act on those insights with speed and clarity.

In today’s competitive market, knowing “what job am I being hired to do?” may be the growth lever that sets your brand apart.