The Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework is a powerful way to understand why people buy and use the products they do. Instead of asking, “Who is our customer?” JTBD asks, “What job is the customer trying to get done?” It shifts the focus from demographics and features to real-life needs and motivations. This simple but strategic question helps businesses go deeper in understanding consumers, and as a result, make smarter decisions about product innovation, marketing, and growth.

So, what is Jobs To Be Done theory?

JTBD is a customer-centered theory that explains how people ‘hire’ a product or service to complete a specific task in their life. The task – or job – might be functional (getting to work on time), emotional (feeling confident at a meeting), or social (looking trendy at a gathering). Instead of viewing the product as the solution, JTBD views the need as the starting point.

Here’s a simple example: A parent buys a baby stroller. At face value, the product is a stroller, and the target market is parents of infants. But what job does this stroller really perform? Maybe it’s helping the parent take daily walks to relax while bonding with their child. Or perhaps it's about having an easily foldable device that fits in a small car. Understanding the job can reveal different motivations that one-size-fits-all profiles can miss.

Why does JTBD matter?

In today’s competitive market, brands often offer similar-looking features or price points. What sets successful innovations apart is their ability to meet an unmet or underserved need. JTBD helps you:

• Discover what truly drives consumer behavior
• Design products that solve specific problems better than alternatives
• Develop marketing messages that resonate more deeply
• Uncover hidden growth opportunities

JTBD vs traditional market research tools

Traditional methods, like surveys or focus groups based on demographics, are still valuable – in fact, SIVO uses both in complementary ways. But when overused alone, they may miss deeper motivations. JTBD is a helpful lens to layer atop other tools to get to the core job your product is being hired to do. It pairs especially well with qualitative research, like interviews or ethnographic studies, which can explore behaviors in context.

In practice, JTBD is a flexible, mindset-shifting tool that invites teams to think creatively about problems, customers, and solutions. For business leaders seeking a more human-centered growth strategy, it’s a great place to begin.

One of the most well-known and relatable JTBD examples comes from a fast-food chain’s surprising discovery about milkshakes. Often called the milkshake marketing case or milkshake JTBD story, it illustrates how a seemingly simple product can serve jobs far different than what the company originally expected. This story has become a staple for introducing the Jobs To Be Done theory in business and research settings.

The background

In an effort to increase milkshake sales, McDonald’s brought in a team of researchers to better understand their customers. Initially, the team assumed the usual product improvement approach would work – tweak the flavors, adjust thickness, offer discounts. But those changes didn’t lead to meaningful results. So the team tried something very different: instead of brainstorming new features, they observed and interviewed real customers to explore why they chose milkshakes at all.

The surprising insight

What they found was unexpected. Many people were buying a milkshake early in the morning – not as a treat, but as a practical solution. These customers were on their morning commute, driving long distances, alone in the car. A milkshake, unlike other breakfast items, was easy to consume with one hand, lasted a long time, and helped keep them full until lunch. In short, the product wasn’t just a sweet drink – it was hired to keep them engaged during a boring drive while serving as a satisfying, time-friendly breakfast option.

The job wasn't 'thirst-quencher' – it was 'make my commute tolerable'

By reframing the milkshake as a product fulfilling this very specific job, the company saw the product – and its potential – differently. They began improving it for the job, which meant changing aspects like thickness (to last longer) or cup design (for better portability), rather than just tinkering with flavor alone.

Key takeaways from the milkshake example:

• People don't just buy products – they "hire" them for a job in their life
• Understanding the real job leads to better product innovation and solutions
• Surface-level assumptions (like age or taste preference) can often miss the mark
• Observing behavior in context reveals deep consumer insights

This classic example highlights the difference between viewing consumers through the lens of “who they are” versus “what they’re trying to accomplish.” By focusing on the job instead of the buyer profile, businesses uncover new growth opportunities and create more meaningful value.

Though the milkshake case originates from a real-world brand, fictional illustrations like this can apply across industries – from tech tools that help manage daily tasks, to B2B services that streamline complex operations. The underlying principle remains: Know the job, and you’ll build better offerings.

The core insight of the Jobs To Be Done framework is this: customers don’t just buy products – they hire them to do a job. This might sound odd at first, but once you understand it, it becomes a powerful lens for recognizing deeper customer needs and designing better solutions.

The now-famous milkshake story – often cited in JTBD discussions – illustrates this beautifully. McDonald’s discovered that morning commuters weren't just buying milkshakes for flavor. They were hiring the milkshake to keep them full, occupied, and entertained during a long drive. When viewed this way, a milkshake was competing with things like granola bars or even radio shows – not just other beverages. This shift in perspective changed how the product was designed, packaged, and sold.

Key Concepts Behind Why Customers 'Hire' Products

• Functional Jobs: These are the practical tasks a product helps complete – such as quenching thirst or making a transaction faster.
• Emotional Jobs: Beyond function, people often hire products to feel a certain way – more confident, successful, entertained, safe, or efficient.
• Context Matters: The same product may be hired for entirely different jobs depending on the situation. A parent may hire a tablet to entertain a child, while a student may hire it to take notes.

This JTBD thinking goes beyond traditional demographics or market segmentation. It focuses on the motivation behind a purchase – known as understanding customer motivation – which helps uncover unmet needs and whitespace for product innovation.

When businesses start asking, “What job is my customer trying to get done?” they move closer to seeing the real decision drivers. This is critical for modern business growth strategy because it ensures solutions are built around real-world challenges, not assumptions.

In short, people don’t just want a drill – they want a hole in the wall to hang a cherished photo. JTBD helps you get to that deeper layer of need.

Once you understand that people hire products to solve specific jobs, the next step is to design or refine your offering around those jobs. This is where the JTBD framework for business leaders really shines – helping bridge the gap between customer behavior and smart product innovation.

Steps to Apply JTBD Thinking to Your Offerings

1. Identify core jobs to be done. Start by researching what people are trying to accomplish when they engage with your product or service. Don’t focus solely on product features. Instead, dig into the broader goal. For instance, are they trying to save time, feel in control, impress a client, or soothe a child?

2. Understand the context and emotion. When and why do customers “hire” your product? Is it in a rush? During a stressful moment? Emotion often drives the hiring decision, even more than logic. Explore both the practical and emotional dimensions of use.

3. Explore alternatives from the customer’s viewpoint. Your true competition may not be obvious. In the milkshake example, McDonald’s realized they were competing with bagels, coffee, or even spending time doing nothing at all during a commute. Seeing these alternatives helps you differentiate based on the actual job.

4. Prioritize opportunities for improvement. Use this understanding to find gaps where your current offering falls short. Maybe your product doesn't fully deliver on the job, or maybe there's friction in how it's accessed or used. These are places where innovation can thrive.

5. Redesign with the job in mind. Design features, messages, and experiences around solving that job better than anything else. That might mean simplifying the interface, enhancing emotional appeal, or changing how the product is delivered.

Consider a fictional example: A company selling noise-canceling headphones might realize their primary customers aren't just music lovers – they're remote workers trying to concentrate in noisy home environments. Instead of pushing sound quality, they might redesign the product and marketing around focus and productivity, tapping into the real job people are hiring headphones to do.

By applying JTBD as a jobs to be done marketing strategy, companies create more relevant, resonant offerings that lead to stronger customer connection – and ultimately, business growth.

Turning JTBD thinking into action starts with truly understanding consumers. While the framework provides the lens, you need meaningful insight to fill in the picture. That’s where market research tools come in – helping you uncover the jobs customers are hiring your product to do.

For many businesses new to this space, the first question often is: where do we begin?

Start by Listening Deeply

JTBD isn't about asking customers what they want directly – it’s about observing what they're trying to accomplish in their lives. This kind of insight often emerges through qualitative research like interviews, journey mapping, observational studies, or ethnographic fieldwork. At SIVO, we often say: you have to look deeper than what people say to understand what they do – and why.

Great consumer insight work peels back the layers to reveal:

• What triggers people to start looking for a solution
• What success looks like when the job is done right
• What frustrations or barriers they face with current options
• Which emotions shape their decision-making

Once you combine that type of insight with a structured JTBD approach, you unlock a pathway to smarter design, messaging, and experience strategy. It’s not just about product fit – it’s about using JTBD to find growth opportunities you may not have seen before.

Pairing Research and Strategy

Whether you’re launching a new offering or improving an existing one, JTBD should guide decision-making alongside other customer insights. Quantitative tools can help size how common a job is among your audiences. Growth frameworks can clarify how this job fits into your wider strategy. The key is integration – not replacement. JTBD works best as part of a well-rounded toolbox.

For example, one fictional brand discovered that customers “hired” their mobile app to regain a sense of control over health, not just track calories. Guided by that insight, they redesigned the interface to feel more supportive and built habits around emotional motivation, not just task tracking.

If you’re exploring how to apply JTBD in business, consider this your starting point. Start with curiosity. Ask better questions. Then align research tools to reveal what’s truly driving behavior. The rest unfolds from there.