Workables

01Context

This project was developed for a group assessment worth 70% of my first-year Fundamentals of Marketing module at Bayes Business School. The assignment involved both a marketing strategy report and a one-minute video advertisement, challenging us to resegment an existing product by identifying a different consumer audience.

Our group selected Lunchables, an established American packaged lunch brand traditionally associated with children's school meals. We then developed Workables, a proposed extension aimed at adapting the brand's convenience and familiarity to the needs of working adults in the United States.

02The Challenge

The idea to reposition Lunchables for an adult audience originated from my observations of online conversations among American consumers. I noticed a growing trend of adults revisiting Lunchables for its nostalgic appeal, alongside discussions about the difficulty of maintaining a balanced diet while managing a demanding work schedule.

I proposed Lunchables and the working professional segment to my team. Drawing inspiration from the UK’s established supermarket meal deal concept, I saw an opportunity to explore a similarly convenient and affordable lunchtime option for the American market, where this particular format appeared less established.

The challenge was to develop Workables into a product that went beyond nostalgia and Lunchables' existing brand recognition, appealing to adult consumers while retaining the brand's distinctive identity.

03Research & Insights

To evaluate the opportunity, our team conducted a survey with 72 respondents, along with ten semi-structured interviews. These methods allowed us to explore purchasing habits, convenience needs, price expectations, and attitudes towards an adult oriented version of Lunchables in the US market.

The findings supported several of our initial assumptions. Convenience emerged as the most important factor in lunch selection, while limited preparation time was a recurring challenge. Respondents also expressed interest in healthier, higher quality ready-to-eat options, suggesting that the Workables proposition could appeal to consumers seeking a balance between practicality, affordability and nutrition.

I also co-developed the project's SWOT and PESTLE analyses, identifying Lunchables' existing brand recognition, portability, and nostalgic associations as key opportunities for repositioning. The main challenges included the brand's established association with snack style children's meals, fresh ingredient costs, food preservation requirements and the need to communicate a new product identity.

04Target Audience

Based on our research, we identified working adults aged approximately 19–45 in the United States as the primary target audience for Workables. Rather than targeting consumers based solely on age or income, we focused on the lifestyle and purchasing behaviours that influenced their lunchtime decisions.

Our target consumers were primarily middle-income earners with busy professional schedules and limited time for meal preparation. They were likely to prioritise portability, accessibility and value for money, while seeking convenient meals that did not compromise on nutritional quality. The familiarity and nostalgic appeal of Lunchables also presented an opportunity to connect with this audience.

05Repositioning Strategy

We proposed a differentiated targeting strategy, allowing Lunchables to retain its existing child-focused product range while introducing Workables as a separate offering designed around adult needs. This approach would allow the brand to expand into a new consumer segment without abandoning its established identity.

I co-developed the proposed marketing mix, translating our research findings into decisions across product development, pricing, distribution and promotion.

For the product itself, we proposed larger portions, fresher ingredients, and a broader range of flavours, including high protein and premium options. These adaptations aimed to establish Workables as a complete lunchtime option rather than a snack, although the use of fresher ingredients presented new challenges around production costs, shelf life, and distribution.

Our pricing strategy combined competitive and value-based approaches, with a proposed starting price of $4 compared to approximately $2 for traditional Lunchables. This allowed us to account for higher ingredient costs while remaining in the $4–7 lunchtime spending range identified in our research.

For distribution, we proposed expanding beyond traditional supermarket availability into office vending machines, transport hubs and online retailers, making the product more accessible throughout the working day. Our promotional strategy included office partnerships, in-store campaigns and workplace-oriented social media influencers, aiming to establish Workables' relevance within adult working lifestyles.

06Creative Campaign

I developed the creative concept, storyline, and script, directed the production, and edited the final video for our one minute video advertisement, while sharing filming and acting responsibilities with the team.

The advertisement opens in a chaotic office environment, with employees appearing frustrated, distracted and overwhelmed by their workloads. The atmosphere shifts when a child, seemingly out of place, calmly takes out a packed lunch. This unexpected character was intended to connect the original child focused identity of Lunchables with the adult audience we wanted to reach, using the contrast between childhood and the professional setting to introduce humour and nostalgia.

The storyline then moves to a meeting in which the office manager enthusiastically celebrates improved productivity, seemingly unaware that the employees' newfound ease comes from having their lunches conveniently prepared. This contrast was intended to create a relatable moment of humour while reinforcing the central product benefit: making everyday working life simpler by removing the time and effort associated with organising lunch.

The advertisement concludes with employees enjoying their meals, introducing Workables more directly.

Through the creative direction and editing, my aim was to communicate the positioning strategy through storytelling rather than relying solely on a conventional product demonstration. By building the advertisement around a relatable workplace scenario and an unexpected character, I wanted to capture the audience's attention before introducing Workables as a practical solution to an everyday problem.

07Outcome & Reflection

I received 75% for the project, which contributed to my final Fundamentals of Marketing module result of 78.9%.

Beyond my direct contributions to the project, I played an active role in shaping the group's overall direction. Having proposed the initial brand and target segment, I continued to review and refine contributions across the report, helping maintain consistency in the research, recommendations and final presentation of our strategy.

This project strengthened my understanding of how an initial consumer observation can be developed into a research-informed marketing proposal. It also reinforced the importance of maintaining a consistent strategic direction across different contributors. Most importantly, it allowed me to explore the relationship between marketing strategy and storytelling, bringing together two aspects of the discipline that particularly interest me.