At its core, the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework is a way to understand customer behavior by identifying the underlying motivations behind their choices. Instead of focusing only on demographics or general preferences, JTBD helps marketers ask a more meaningful question: What job is the customer trying to get done when they choose our product or service?

This 'job' isn’t necessarily a task in the traditional sense. It’s a desired outcome. It could be something functional, like shortening a morning routine. Or it might be emotional, like feeling confident in a new outfit. The point is, people don’t buy products – they “hire” them to solve a problem or improve some aspect of their lives.

How JTBD Shifts Marketing Focus

Traditional marketing strategy often revolves around segmenting customers by attributes: age, gender, income, lifestyle. While helpful, these factors don’t always explain why people make specific purchase decisions. Two people with the same demographics may make opposite choices – because they’re trying to accomplish different jobs.

JTBD flips the script by focusing on the situation and intention behind a decision. This perspective gives marketers a more practical and actionable foundation for developing campaigns or messaging that truly resonates.

A Simple JTBD Example for Marketers

Consider a fictional case: A fast-casual restaurant notices weekday lunchtime traffic is flat. Through Jobs to Be Done research, they discover some customers want a quick, healthy lunch they can eat at their desks between meetings. Others are 'hiring' lunch as a mental break – a way to reset during a stressful day.

Instead of just targeting 'working professionals aged 25-40,' the marketing strategy can now include two clear needs: speed and stress relief. Messaging, promotions, and menu design can then align with both jobs – like offering grab-and-go bowls for time-pressed customers, and relaxing table service for those who want to unwind.

JTBD and Other Types of Market Research

JTBD doesn’t replace customer research methods like surveys or focus groups – it enhances them. It gives direction to what kind of questions to ask and how to interpret the answers with more context. It brings clarity to consumer insights by zooming in on progress, not just preference.

Marketing research rooted in JTBD helps identify unmet needs, inspire new product development, and strengthen brand positioning. It’s about discovering what job your customer is trying to get done – and making sure your solution is the best possible “hire.”

Understanding your customer is at the heart of every effective marketing strategy. But true understanding goes beyond surface-level wants or likes. That’s where Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) comes in – offering marketers a deeper way to decode customer behavior and unlock insights that fuel smarter decisions and successful campaigns.

The Benefits of a JTBD Approach in Marketing

When you understand the job your product is being hired to do, you can better meet customer needs. This brings clarity to your entire go-to-market execution – from messaging and positioning to which features to highlight in product development.

Here are a few key benefits marketers gain by applying JTBD:

• Better targeting: Instead of relying solely on demographics, you can target based on situational needs and desired outcomes.
• More relevant messaging: Communication can speak directly to the customer’s challenge or context, increasing engagement.
• Stronger product-market fit: JTBD reveals what real-world progress customers want, guiding development toward meaningful solutions.
• New growth opportunities: By identifying unmet jobs, you can spot whitespace ripe for business growth or innovation.

Insights That Drive Action

Too often, brands gather customer data but struggle to translate it into something actionable. JTBD acts as a bridge between raw data and practical strategy. It gives context and direction to consumer insights – turning abstract behaviors into clear motivations.

For example, knowing customers are buying your app because it's “easy to use” is helpful, but not quite enough. Digging deeper through JTBD might reveal they’re hiring the app to “reduce stress and save time during a busy workday” – a very different insight that can shape messaging, UX design, and even pricing.

Real-World Application: A Fictional Brand Example

Imagine a startup developing a budgeting tool. Initial customer research shows strong interest, but low engagement after downloading. Using JTBD-style interviews, they uncover that people weren’t hiring the app to 'learn how to budget' – they were hiring it to 'feel in control of their money without getting overwhelmed.'

This insight guides a pivot in onboarding flow and messaging. The app's language shifts from 'track every penny' to 'simplify your finances, one step at a time.' As a result, engagement improves because the product is now aligned with the true job customers want done.

JTBD for Long-Term Brand Growth

Understanding customer jobs also helps brands stay relevant. As markets evolve and new challenges emerge, staying focused on the evolving jobs customers are trying to solve ensures your brand continues to meet real needs. This helps build trust, improve loyalty, and create a sustainable path for growth.

For business leaders and marketers looking to enhance their customer research, JTBD isn’t just a technique – it’s a mindset. It encourages curiosity, empathy, and a relentless focus on creating value. And when done right, it can power everything from product innovation to high-performing brand marketing.

The Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework equips marketers with a fresh, more precise lens to understand consumer behavior. Rather than focusing only on who the customer is (like age, gender, or demographics), it zeros in on what the customer is trying to accomplish – their goal, pain point, or motivation at a specific moment in their life. This subtle, yet powerful shift in perspective can transform your entire marketing strategy.

Target Messaging That Aligns With Customer Intent

Traditional marketing often revolves around product features or broad user segments. In contrast, JTBD encourages brands to build campaigns around a customer’s underlying motivation – the ”job” they’re hiring a product or service to do. That might be saving time on busy mornings, reducing anxiety in social situations, or feeling more in control of personal finances.

By using customer research rooted in JTBD, your messaging becomes more targeted and emotionally resonant. Instead of generic language, you speak directly to the job your buyer is trying to get done.

Enable Customer-Centric Product Positioning

When you understand the job behind the purchase decision, you can position your brand more effectively. JTBD helps you identify opportunities to differentiate, improve relevance, and highlight benefits that truly matter to your audience.

Let’s say your product is a meal-kit subscription. If the customer’s job is ”help me create a home-cooked meal in under 30 minutes so I can spend more time with my kids,” you wouldn’t lead with chef-quality recipes. You’d focus your brand story on connection, ease, and time savings – because those are the drivers of value.

Optimize Touchpoints Across the Journey

Understanding buyer motivation through JTBD can also improve performance at every stage of the customer journey. From awareness to conversion, it helps you:

• Identify friction points and unmet needs
• Design more relevant content and offers
• Refine targeting and media strategy based on context and jobs

In short, JTBD connects the dots between consumer insights and brand marketing strategy. It focuses your efforts where they matter most – on solving problems and satisfying real-life needs – which ultimately fuels more meaningful customer engagement and business growth.

The best way to understand the power of Jobs to Be Done in marketing is to see it applied in practical, real-world scenarios. Below are a few fictional examples (for illustrative purposes) that highlight how JTBD can lead to smarter brand decisions and more effective marketing strategies.

A streaming service: The job is stress relief, not just entertainment

Instead of segmenting users by genre preferences alone, a video streaming platform conducted consumer insight research to explore deeper motivations. They uncovered that many late-night users weren’t just watching to be entertained – they were trying to unwind from stressful days.

Using this JTBD insight, the platform developed a campaign highlighting “your 20-minute escape before sleep,” positioned a curated playlist of feel-good shows, and increased user engagement during off-peak hours.

A skincare brand: Build confidence, not just clear skin

A beauty company traditionally marketed its acne-fighting products using clinical language about ingredients. A JTBD approach revealed that what young women really wanted was to feel confident making eye contact in social settings.

This shifted both product messaging and creative direction. Instead of promoting pH levels or active compounds, the campaign emphasized personal empowerment and self-assurance – helping to significantly improve emotional connection and brand loyalty.

A meal planning app: Save mental energy, not just calories

A nutritional app assumed its users were primarily seeking to eat healthier. After conducting in-depth market research using the Jobs to Be Done method, they discovered a key job was to simplify decision-making at the end of long workdays – it wasn’t just about eating well but about reducing the cognitive load of meal prep.

Recognizing this, the team redesigned the onboarding experience to focus on auto-generating weekly plans and easy shopping lists. Adoption and retention both improved, showing how JTBD can inform product development as well as marketing.

Turning insight into action

As these examples show, using Jobs Theory in marketing leads to deeper emotional resonance, clearer messaging, and product innovations that directly reflect actual customer needs. It transforms generic marketing into something meaningful – and measurable.

Curious how to begin using the Jobs to Be Done framework in your own organization? At SIVO Insights, we help brands uncover the deeper motivations behind customer behavior – and turn those insights into growth-driving strategies.

Tailored research rooted in real customer needs

Our full-service custom research solutions are designed to reveal what matters most to your audience. Using qualitative interviews, ethnographic methods, quantitative surveys, and growth frameworks, we dig into the question beyond the obvious: not just what people do, but why they do it.

When applying the JTBD approach, we partner closely with clients to:

• Identify relevant customer segments and context-specific jobs
• Explore emotional, functional, and social drivers of decisions
• Uncover unmet needs and innovation white space
• Translate findings into actionable product and marketing strategy

No two businesses are alike – and neither are their customers’ jobs. That’s why our insights are always customized and aimed at making even the most complex business problems simpler to solve.

Human-centered insights – powered by empathy

While modern research tools (including AI) are valuable, we believe human nuance, empathy, and contextual awareness are essential in uncovering the full picture. Our researchers are trained to listen beyond initial answers – spotting insight in body language, word choice, and quiet emotion, just as much as in raw data.

Whether you’re refining your marketing strategy, designing new products, or exploring new audiences, JTBD research can be a powerful tool in your decision-making toolkit.

Start wherever you are

Don't worry if you’re new to Jobs Theory. Our team makes it accessible for both emerging and established teams. You don’t need to overhaul your entire strategy – we’ll show you how to layer JTBD insights into your existing research and marketing efforts.

At SIVO Insights, we're here to help you see what your customers are really hiring your product or service to do – so you can meet them with solutions that matter.