Still the Favorite? A Classic Greek Yogurt Faces Its New Rivals
Industry
Dairy products
Challenge
A Greek yogurt brand wanted to assess if their product remained competitive against newer brands with creamier, more modern claims.
Results
They identified sensory attributes limiting preference, initiated a data-driven optimization, and strengthened their positioning with clear insights.
"We knew our yogurt had history, but we didn’t know if it was still winning on taste. This test gave us objective answers to adjust exactly where it mattered."
Marketing Manager
Premium yogurt brand
The Challenge
The Greek yogurt market has evolved: new players with modern packaging, ultra-creamy claims, and high-protein messaging are challenging traditional brands with long-standing heritage.
While sales figures remained stable, the Marketing team had doubts:
Was their Greek yogurt still preferred by core consumers, or were they shifting toward competitors with a stronger sensory perception?
They wanted to validate if their product still delivered the expected experience — in body, milky flavor, and creaminess — or if it required an evolution.
The Solution
A structured sensory competitive benchmark was designed, including:
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Blind preference test against 3 top competitors in-market
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Full sensory profiling with regular yogurt consumers
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Attribute analysis: body, texture, sweetness, dairy aroma, aftertaste
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Interactive dashboards to compare sensory data across brands
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Identification of acceptance drivers and impactful improvement areas
The Results
The study revealed that the classic yogurt lost preference to two emerging brands, particularly due to reduced mouthfeel and lack of deep dairy aroma.
This allowed the R&D and Marketing teams to:
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Prioritize key sensory attributes to reformulate with real impact
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Implement technical improvements without compromising brand DNA
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Realign packaging claims with what consumers truly value
By integrating sensory data into strategic decisions, the brand increased post-reformulation preference and reinforced its position in an increasingly competitive segment.