How a Japanese food company brought its products to the dining tables of LA Hispanics.

Challenge:
House Foods of America, a Japanese company that sells seasonings, gelatins, tofu and Japanese style curry, wanted its products to appeal to the largest Hispanic market in the U.S., Los Angeles. To be successful, the company needed to understand (1) the kind of foods Hispanics prefer, (2) their meal preparation habits and (3) the role food plays in their lives.

Solution:
AMS provided a market orientation to the client by outlining key findings to the three areas of interest above as well as Hispanic shopping behavior. Then a series of primary research studies followed to determine if Hispanics preferred a product called Java Curry. Primary research which included focus groups, in-home product placement and post-trial interviews, helped gauge target market reactions-from concept to product.

Initial reaction to the product: overwhelmingly positive. The product's spicy flavor and "bouillon cube" consistency met with favor by the target group. However, the existing packaging and product shot did not appeal to Hispanics. Furthermore, the product name did not resonate and instructions for use had not been translated to Spanish.

As a result, an idea generation phase was conducted to develop new product names. Working with an ad agency, AMS's direction helped create new packaging that tested well with the target.

Results:
With a new name and packaging, the product introduction to the market resulted in a highly successful sell-in to independent Hispanic retailers and supermarket chains. Strong consumer take away numbers contributed to the phenomenal success in the initial launch period and became the catalyst for continued market penetration.