Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) is a consumer-centric framework that helps brands and innovators understand the reasons people “hire” a product or service to complete a task or fulfill a need. Unlike traditional segmentation or usage-based insights, which often look at who the consumer is, JTBD focuses on why they make choices – uncovering the functional, emotional, and social drivers behind behavior.

In the food and beverage space, this approach helps uncover why a consumer chooses a smoothie over a snack bar in the late afternoon, or why they might prefer a single-serve soup cup instead of a family-size side dish. These decisions go beyond hunger alone. Consumers may be seeking convenience, stress relief, energy, or a sense of control during a busy day. JTBD seeks to illuminate those deeper needs.

How JTBD Fits Within F&B Innovation

Food and beverage companies use JTBD research to uncover valuable information that might not surface in traditional research methods. It’s especially helpful in the early stages of product innovation, where the path forward isn’t yet defined. By identifying the specific “jobs” people are trying to solve with food and drink, you can create offerings that fit naturally into their real lives.

• A consumer might “hire” cold brew coffee to wake up quickly and stay alert while on a long commute.
• They might choose an oatmeal cup to feel like they’re making a healthy, responsible choice first thing in the morning.
• Or select a flavored sparkling water when entertaining friends to appear fun, modern, and health-conscious.

JTBD helps teams understand these types of intentions, creating a clearer roadmap for innovation than traditional product attribute testing alone.

Why JTBD Matters in Market Research

As part of a broader market research toolkit, Jobs To Be Done delivers strategic value by bringing the voice of the consumer’s experience forward. Rather than starting with a feature or format your team wants to test, JTBD starts with rich consumer insights and then builds toward the solution. It removes guesswork by focusing on lived experiences and needs.

At SIVO Insights, we explore JTBD thinking by asking consumers directly about the moments they turn to food or beverage as a solution – and then digging into the context, emotion, and outcome they’re striving for. This layered understanding leads to bigger ideas and stronger alignment between product offerings and real-world usage occasions.

In short, when used correctly, JTBD can sharpen your F&B innovation by grounding it in what matters most to your customers – their goals, preferences, and unmet needs.

Knowing when to use Jobs To Be Done in food and beverage innovation is just as important as knowing how it works. While JTBD can be valuable at many stages, it shines brightest when applied at key decision points – where understanding real consumer motivations can reduce risk and spark more relevant ideas.

1. Early-Stage Concept Development

This is one of the most effective times to introduce JTBD thinking. Before your team invests in prototypes, packaging, or marketing, JTBD research can help identify what people are actually trying to solve with food and beverage choices. This leads to consumer-led innovation, rather than product-led assumptions.

For example, instead of brainstorming “a new protein snack,” JTBD research might reveal that busy parents are looking for a quick way to feel in control of their family's nutrition while driving between activities. That insight could send innovation in a whole new (and more useful) direction.

2. Creating a Line Extension Strategy

Adding a new flavor or format to an existing product line? JTBD helps validate whether the extension aligns with a real consumer job or just fills a shelf gap. A successful line extension doesn’t just imitate competitors – it solves a distinct problem your target consumers still face.

For example, a fictional case: A granola bar brand considering a refrigerated version might uncover that consumers “hire” bars for freezer-friendly meal prepping rather than grab-and-go mornings. That insight could reframe both product positioning and format choices.

3. Refreshing a Legacy Brand or Product

Legacy brands often face the challenge of staying relevant without losing their iconic identity. JTBD research reveals how the original product was used – and whether those jobs still exist for today’s consumers. If the job has shifted, brands can evolve while maintaining emotional connection.

Jobs To Be Done in a legacy brand refresh can help modernize visuals, ingredients, or formats based on new consumer needs, not just trends.

4. Introducing a New Product Format

If you're exploring product format innovation, such as converting a powder into a ready-to-drink version or condensing family meals into single servings, JTBD helps ensure the new format is solving a job that truly exists. That way, you avoid launching a product that’s technically impressive but doesn’t meet a real-world use case.

5. Responding to Emerging Consumer Trends

Food and beverage trends can emerge quickly, from plant-based eating to functional beverages. JTBD allows innovation teams to look beyond the surface – uncovering the underlying motivations driving those trends. This helps ensure you’re building solutions with lasting relevance, not short-lived novelty.

Signs It’s Time to Use JTBD in Your Process:

• You’re struggling to know what consumers really want in a new product
• You want to avoid “me too” solutions based purely on competitive benchmarking
• Your current insights don’t go deep enough into motivation and context
• You’re entering a new category or consumer segment and need directional clarity

In each of these scenarios, JTBD acts as a practical, scenario-based market research tool that balances qualitative depth with strategic outcomes. Used early and thoughtfully, it can improve the success rate of innovation efforts, support differentiated product development, and connect your offerings more closely with the rhythms of daily life.

Early-stage product innovation is often where the greatest opportunity lies – and where the greatest risk lives, too. This is where Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) can have the most transformative value for teams navigating the food product development process. When used during the early ideation phase, JTBD sheds light on the most important question: What is the consumer trying to accomplish, and how can our product help them do it better?

Unlike traditional demographic segmentation or product feature brainstorming, JTBD pinpoints the underlying motivations that drive consumption choices. In the food and beverage innovation space, these “jobs” might relate to needs like saving time, reducing effort, supporting wellness goals, or enjoying small indulgences throughout the day.

How JTBD helps guide ideation

By identifying these functional, emotional, and social jobs, teams can create ideas that are grounded in real life – not just internal assumptions. This makes JTBD an ideal market research tool at the fuzzy front end of innovation, where decisions affect direction, investment, and eventual success rates.

For example, a fictional beverage company using JTBD might discover that busy professionals opt for smoothies not just for nutrition, but because it allows them to “feel like they’re prioritizing health” during hectic mornings. This insight could spark a new product that highlights convenience with a guilt-free formulation, packaged in a mess-free, on-the-go bottle design – all guided by the specific job it fulfills.

Indicators it’s time to apply JTBD in food innovation:

• You’re exploring whitespace or unmet category needs
• Your team struggles to align around consumer needs
• Early concept testing is falling flat or feels derivative
• You need consumer-led inspiration to spark new ideas

JTBD enables brands to start with purpose, thinking beyond flavors and formats and instead tapping into the circumstances driving consumer decisions. As part of a broader product innovation process, it increases relevance, clarity, and momentum from the very beginning.

Line extensions and product format innovations are critical growth levers for many food and beverage brands. Whether it’s introducing a new flavor, size, packaging type, or targeted variant, these decisions carry high stakes – especially when trying to grow share without confusing the consumer. This is where Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) becomes a valuable lens, helping brands identify where and how to extend based on actual consumer needs.

Rather than assuming that more variety always adds value, JTBD reveals the unique contexts in which people use your products and what they’re hiring them to do. These insights can inform a smarter line extension strategy – one where each format or variant solves a different “job” and strengthens the overall portfolio instead of cluttering it.

Using JTBD to tailor formats and variants

Imagine a fictional granola bar brand that discovers two very different jobs people are hiring the product for: one for midday energy at work and one for satisfying late-night cravings without guilt. Through JTBD research, the brand might develop two tailored extensions – a protein bar with added caffeine for daytime use, and a smaller dark chocolate version for the evening. Each product meets a distinct need, rather than just being a flavor twist.

This type of insight can drive decisions for:

• Size (e.g., mini packs vs. family size)
• Packaging (e.g., resealable, single-serve, eco-friendly)
• Formulation (e.g., added benefits or ingredient swaps)

By rooting these changes in consumers’ lived experiences, brands can reduce risk in product launches. JTBD helps answer critical questions like: Is there a job not currently fulfilled by our lineup? Is this extension solving a new problem, or duplicating what’s already offered?

Through this lens, product format innovation becomes not just about novelty, but about meaningful differentiation that adds value to consumers and strengthens your brand’s role in their routines.

Legacy brands have earned trust and recognition over time – but even iconic products can become less relevant as consumer needs and behaviors evolve. When it’s time to refresh or reposition these products, Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) can reveal how to modernize your offering without losing what consumers loved in the first place.

Rather than starting from scratch, JTBD starts by understanding the evolving “jobs” consumers are hiring your product to do – and how those jobs may have shifted. This approach uncovers new growth possibilities while preserving brand equity. In short, it's a powerful tool for driving smart, consumer-driven legacy brand refresh efforts.

Why use JTBD for legacy product updates?

Legacy products often carry assumptions based on past success. But consumer needs are not static. JTBD helps you examine current usage contexts, identify friction points, and find opportunities to help existing products solve today’s problems.

For example, let’s say a fictional powdered drink mix brand was originally “hired” to be a quick, cost-effective hydration solution for large families. But JTBD research today might uncover newer jobs, such as parents looking for portable, better-for-you hydration for active kids. That insight could lead to a refreshed version with updated ingredients and branding, optimized for on-the-go use – all while staying true to the brand’s core values.

Applying JTBD in this way helps avoid superficial changes (like just updating packaging) and focuses instead on changes that matter.

• Clarify your product’s current and emerging use cases
• Identify barriers to continued loyalty or growth
• Pinpoint overlooked audiences or jobs to better serve
• Derisk repositioning by aligning with existing equity

This method aligns modernization efforts with real consumer behavior – making it especially useful for category mainstays facing competitive pressure or generational shifts.

Ultimately, using JTBD for legacy brand updates ensures your products remain relevant in changing markets – offering consumer-led innovation for F&B brands without abandoning their heritage.