The Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework is a customer-centered way to understand why people buy and use products. Instead of focusing strictly on demographics, JTBD asks: what job is the consumer hiring this product to do?

In food and beverage marketing, this might mean recognizing that consumers don’t just buy yogurt for nutritional value – they buy it to feel satisfied mid-morning, to grab a quick breakfast while running late, or to indulge in a moment of calm during a hectic day.

JTBD: A Shift from Product Features to Consumer Intentions

Many legacy food and beverage brands built their success on consistent taste, quality, and tradition. But today’s market calls for adaptation. As shopper routines transform and eating habits diversify, brands need to understand the underlying jobs their products are doing now – not just what they were purchased for decades ago.

For example, a heritage soup brand may have historically played a role in cold-weather evening meals. Today, that same product might also be 'hired' as a comforting lunch while working from home. Recognizing these nuances can inform both messaging and product development.

Why JTBD Matters for Legacy Brand Strategy

Applying JTBD can help legacy F&B brands:

• Uncover untapped use cases and moments of consumption
• Refresh product positioning based on modern lives and routines
• Avoid assumptions rooted in brand history rather than today’s buyers
• Strengthen brand relevance among younger or evolving audiences

As market research continues to emphasize customer insights over simple product features, the JTBD framework becomes a critical lens. By understanding what motivates a purchase today, F&B marketing teams can align legacy products with current values – such as sustainability, convenience, wellness, or even emotional connection.

Fusing Heritage with Innovation

JTBD doesn’t mean rebranding entirely. In fact, it often enhances what’s already working. It helps legacy food brands stay grounded in their identity while expanding into new relevance. Think of it as discovering more reasons people love your product – some you may not have even known existed.

In sum, JTBD provides a fresh, insight-driven pathway for brand repositioning and product innovation. For teams seeking sustainable brand growth, it’s a strategic foundation worth exploring through thoughtful market research.

Identifying new “jobs” for your legacy food or beverage brand starts by shifting the focus from your product’s history to your consumer’s present. Rather than asking, “What are the features we’ve always highlighted?”, ask, “What need or outcome is a consumer hoping to achieve when they choose this product today?”

Start with Consumer Context

The key to spotting new use cases lies in the everyday routines, frustrations, and aspirations of your customers. In applied market research, this means listening carefully – whether through qualitative interviews, ethnographic studies, or survey-based insights – to see the role your product plays in real-life moments.

Here are a few common job types that arise in food and beverage marketing:

• Functional jobs: Hunger relief, hydration, nutrition, on-the-go fuel
• Emotional jobs: Nostalgia, comfort, self-reward, stress reduction
• Social jobs: Meals that create family rituals, products that align with wellness or sustainability values

For a classic peanut butter brand, for instance, the functional job might be 'providing quick protein'. Emotionally, it might also be 'helping parents feel like they’re making wholesome choices'. Socially, it could be 'creating together-time in the kitchen'.

Methods to Uncover These Jobs

To discover fresh customer needs for your legacy brand, leverage a few key research strategies:

1. Conduct In-Depth Interviews

Talk directly to a range of real consumers to explore how and when they use your product. Ask open-ended questions that get beyond preferences, such as:

• “Tell me about the last time you bought this product. What was going on that day?”
• “What would you have done if it weren’t available?”
• “How did it make things easier or better for you?”

2. Observe Everyday Behavior

Whether through online diaries or in-home ethnography, observing how products live in real households can reveal unspoken needs. A fictional example: A legacy frozen brand discovers it’s being used not just for dinner, but as a quick recovery meal for post-surgery patients – opening new possibilities for health-based positioning.

3. Analyze Consumer Language on Social & Reviews

Online reviews and social posts can offer clues about how people frame their experiences. Look for indirect mentions of convenience, mood, substitutions, or emotional payoff.

From Insights to Action

Once you identify a new job, the next step is evaluating how your brand can authentically meet that need without straying too far from your origins. This might involve subtle product tweaks, message reframing, or highlighting previously overlooked attributes – all part of thoughtful brand repositioning grounded in consumer insight.

And remember, not every insight requires a major overhaul. Sometimes, the biggest wins come from simply understanding your existing audience better and amplifying what already resonates. Through JTBD, legacy brands gain the insight required to not only survive but evolve with relevance.

Seeing the theory of Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) come to life can be the best way to understand its power. While every brand’s path is unique, here are a few fictional but relatable examples to illustrate how established food and beverage (F&B) brands can use JTBD to unlock renewed relevance, drive product innovation, and tap into new consumer needs.

'Comfort in a Cup': A Heritage Hot Cocoa Brand

Traditionally positioned as a seasonal treat for cold-weather joy, one legacy cocoa mix brand used JTBD to uncover a new emotional angle. Research revealed that schoolteachers kept the product in classroom drawers for mid-day comfort. The 'job' wasn’t just warming up – it was emotional relief from stress.

By repositioning the product around self-care and emotional wellbeing – and launching single-serve packs for “everyday moments” – the brand grew relevance with a younger, wellness-conscious audience, expanding beyond its nostalgic base.

'Fuel on the Go': A Classic Morning Juice

Another fictional example: A well-known orange juice brand identified that young professionals weren’t drinking juice during breakfast anymore. The brand had remained tied to a traditional morning mealtime occasion, but consumer needs had shifted.

Using JTBD, the brand discovered new functional jobs – like keeping energy up between Zoom meetings. Repackaging into resealable bottles and marketing as a mid-morning energy boost allowed them to connect with entirely new habits and use cases.

'Tradition Meets Convenience': A Family Pizza Mix

An established pizza kit product had long been marketed as a dinner option for families looking to cook together on weekends. However, consumer interviews surfaced a different perspective: busy parents needed midweek meal solutions that felt homemade without starting from scratch.

This insight led the brand to reposition the product around convenience without compromise – highlighting the homemade feel but spotlighting quick cleanup, reduced prep time, and flexible portioning. A simple shift in lens transformed the brand from a “fun weekend activity” to a practical weeknight lifesaver.

These examples – while made up – show how understanding the true job your product is hired to do can open up fresh marketing strategies and product development opportunities. The key is to let consumer insights inform not just messaging, but the fundamental way your product is framed and delivered.

The Jobs to Be Done framework is only as strong as the insights that fuel it. To uncover the real motivations behind consumer behavior, brands need reliable, nuanced market research. This is especially vital for legacy food and beverage companies looking to evolve without losing authenticity.

Why Consumer Insights Matter in JTBD

JTBD isn’t based solely on purchase history or surface-level feedback – it digs into the deeper why. Why do people choose this product in that moment? What need, outcome, or emotional state is driving the decision?

High-quality market research helps answer those questions by capturing the full context of customer needs, habits, and trade-offs. At SIVO Insights, we often find that blending qualitative and quantitative research provides the clearest picture of these drivers.

Key Research Methods That Support JTBD

• In-depth qualitative interviews – uncover emotional and situational triggers behind product use
• Shop-alongs and ethnographies – observe how products are actually chosen and used in real life
• Surveys and segmentation studies – reveal which consumer groups share similar jobs, needs, and preferences
• Concept testing – evaluate which repositioned ideas align with unmet or emerging jobs

When applied effectively, these approaches help pinpoint both functional jobs (like hunger, nutrition, portability) and emotional jobs (like nostalgia, comfort, routine). That’s where the real opportunity lies – finding the unmet or underserved needs your legacy product can serve, in ways competitors haven’t addressed.

The Power of Human + Insight

While data tools and platforms are helpful, JTBD is ultimately about people. Human-centered insight – gathered, interpreted, and contextualized by trained researchers – helps translate abstract needs into concrete brand actions. That’s why pairing AI tools with expert empathy leads to richer results.

Legacy F&B brands often have a trove of brand equity. Market research allows you to respect that history while reimagining what your product can become – rooted in the realities of today’s customer needs.

Understanding the Jobs to Be Done framework is just the beginning. To truly benefit from it, food and beverage marketers need to apply JTBD insights across their brand strategy – from positioning to product development to messaging.

Start With a Clear Consumer Understanding

Your first step is to gather the foundational consumer insights that surface real jobs – both functional (what people want to accomplish) and emotional (how they want to feel). This could include:

• In-home interviews or digital diaries showing current product use cases
• Survey data identifying behavior patterns and preferences
• Customer journey mapping to reveal when and why your product is chosen

Even small signals – like when someone substitutes your product for another – can reveal hidden jobs worth exploring.

Translate Jobs Into Strategic Actions

Once you’ve identified the core “jobs” your brand can serve, it’s time to put them to work.

Here’s how JTBD can guide your strategy:

Repositioning your messaging

Align marketing with what consumers are really hiring your product for. If the job is “comfort during stressful days,” emphasize that soothing experience, not just taste or nostalgia.

Refining product formats

Can your legacy product be adapted to serve modern use cases? For example, can it become portable, portionable, or pantry-friendly for busy households?

Expanding innovation opportunities

Identify adjacent jobs that your brand could credibly stretch into – like launching a new pack size for on-the-go snacking, or a variation tailored for specific dietary preferences.

At this stage, internal alignment is key. Bring marketing, innovation, and insights teams together to turn JTBD findings into shared goals and creative solutions.

Measure and iterate

Launch repositioned products or campaigns in controlled ways, and use feedback loops to validate whether you're truly meeting the intended job. Continuous learning is critical for building brand relevance over time.

Legacy doesn’t mean static. With the right insights and a JTBD lens, your food or beverage brand can evolve thoughtfully – preserving what people love, and adapting to how they live today.