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The Award Winning Taste the Difference Range from Sainsbury's

The Problem
In food retailing the war for share of basket is intense

  • In 1999 Tesco launched a “Finest” range, appealing to the high value, traditional Sainsbury’s customer
  • Sainsbury’s needed to create it’s own umbrella proposition for premium foods across all categories

The Process
Using a range of provocatively extreme concepts that we had developed, we went out of the research lab and into the supermarket, interviewing as many shoppers as we could whilst they were in a shopping frame of mind. Fast iteration allowed us to explore and hone the concepts quickly and gain further live feedback.

The Solution
Four key insights collided to create Taste the Difference:

  1. taste is entirely subjective and is something we can all positively experience and have a legitimate view on
  2. people like the idea that food need not be “mass produced” even if it comes from a supermarket
  3. time, care and attention in selection and preparation are valued by most people – these are not claims of “better”, more an invitation to think about it
  4. whereas you might leave “the best” for special occasions, you can value great taste everyday

The Results
Launched in October 2000, Taste the Difference quickly became and has maintained its position of No.1
supermarket brand in the UK.

It is in the top 10 list of the UK’s biggest brands and is worth between £400m and £500m pa.

With over 850 product lines, over 60% of all Sainsbury’s customers buy from the range. Taste the Difference has won four “Q” Awards and was runner up as brand launch of the year at The Marketing Society Awards (an unheard of accolade for a supermarkets own brand).

Taste the Difference is still going strong - Christmas 2004 saw four out of the top ten best selling products in Sainsbury’s as Taste the Difference products.

“Getting the exact concept right on taste the difference was a critical part of its success. The team worked tirelessly to get right under the skin of consumers' attitude to good food, and came up with a motivating proposition and the right consumer language which clearly resonated.” Lesley Chapman, Sainsbury’s

“The big problem with supermarkets was that they were getting ever bigger and the buildings were getting uglier. Physically they were getting further and further away from the connotations of great food. With Taste the Difference we managed to go some way towards introducing small, caring, great tasting products into a big environment.”
Sal Pajwani, Managing Director ?What If! UK