Weber
Thesis Project at SVA Masters in Branding
The Challenge
Investigate gendered perceptions of grilling and reimagine it through a more inclusive lens to build a brand that reflects today’s diverse and evolving consumer identities.
My Role
Brand Strategist and Designer: Problem analysis, Research, Repositioning, Launch strategy, Verbal identity, Visual Design System, Creation of Visual Materials Team: Chanel Gilcrease, Marisa Goldberg, Stuti Sukhani, Yunis Ni
The Approach
1. Research (Cultural, Historical, and Brand Audit) 2. Synthesis and Insight Mining 3. Positioning 4. The Big Idea 5. Activation Planning 6. Visual Design System 7. Designing Deliverables
Intended Impact
Creating a new meaning of the brand 'Weber', making the brand relevant to culture today while retaining its age-old legacy, consequently reclaiming market share, driving sales growth, and elevating customer engagement.
Background
The World's number one grill manufacturer, Weber grills, experienced a 32% decline in market share since 2020. The struggles reflect the aging core grill-enthusiast audience and dwindling while interest among younger consumers.
Gender and Grilling
Grilling is considered a deeply gendered activity built on idealized nuclear family structures in America in the 50's. It's a classic family pastime with a perfect family in their backyard with kids on the table, the wife preparing sides and setting up the table, and the "man" or the father handling the grill.
However, the definition of family is changing. There has been a 30% decline in nuclear family households since the 1970s. With changing family structures, grilling is losing relevance in culture as gender definitions and roles break away from the binary.
The nuclear family audience that Weber has been targeting since 1952 cannot sustain its business. Weber must look beyond the nuclear family with its rigid gender norms, to stay relevant to the culture today.
Repositioning Weber
To move beyond traditional gender stereotypes, Weber must center its brand on the true essence of the grill: gathering. The ritual isn’t defined by who stands over the flame, but by the community built around it: the shared stories, the connection, and the collective experience of a meal made with love.
To grow, Weber must move beyond the middle-aged male demographic and embrace "Spirited Connectors", a psychographic audience focused on bringing people together through shared experiences.
The new positioning that captures this evolution is:
Campaign
Uncover the Love is a campaign that encapsulates the brand's new positioning, encouraging audiences to express their love to those they treasure the most.
It is a statement that attests to the brand's ambition: to be the centerpiece around which all kinds of families gather and bond.
Store Experience
Cafe
grill station
View Thesis Presentation
thesis video