Case Study | This Little Goat

The Challenge

Initially when Quartermaster engaged, the company had an established brand ID that was not being expressed consistently or to its fullest potential across channels. The primary challenge was to unify brand communications in order to bolster the brand’s visibility and sales in a highly competitive gourmet food product market. This Little Goat needed to leverage its unique culinary perspective while more effectively communicating the quality and versatility of its products to a broader audience. Additionally, the brand sought to enhance its eCommerce capabilities to improve user experience and increase online sales.

Packaging for This Little Goat’s complete collection of chili crunches, spices, sauces, and crunchy toppings.

Research & Insights

Our initial market research indicated a growing consumer interest in unique, chef-curated kitchen staples that offer both convenience and gourmet quality. Competitive analysis highlighted an opportunity to differentiate This Little Goat by emphasizing the authentic, bold flavors and the culinary mastery of Chef Izard, while also emphasizing her approachable personality and casual style of her award winning Chicago and LA restaurants. Insights from Stephanie’s key brand partnerships, such as those with Lexus and American Express, provided a deeper understanding of the brand’s appeal to upscale, food-enthusiastic demographics.

Chef Stephanie Izard cooking on the set of Iron Chef in a gray apron and black chef clothes.
Closeup of various plates of food from Stephanie Izard’s restaurant called Little Goat Diner.
Closeup of a dish from Stephanie Izard’s restaurant called Cabra.
Chef Stephanie Izard in her home kitchen chopping garlic and tomatoes with a big smile on her face.

The Solution: Consistency and Vibrancy

With a clear strategy in place, our team revamped the This Little Goat eCommerce website, optimizing it for better user engagement and streamlined shopping experience, as well as a more compelling design that more accurately reflected the brand’s cartoon driven playfulness. Social media campaigns were tailored to highlight the personal story of Chef Izard and the culinary inspiration behind each product, creating a stronger emotional connection with the audience. And advertising and media spends we’re refined for better online conversion and maximum visibility.

Additionally, our fractional CMO support for Stephanie herself enabled maximization of brand partnerships, enhancing visibility across diverse consumer segments. The development of co-branded packaging, such as collaborations with Hidden Valley Ranch and other celebrity chefs, further positioned the brand as innovative and versatile in the culinary world.

Screen mockups of various pages, both mobile and desktop, from the new This Little Goat website designed by the Quartermaster team
Closeup of a person spooning TLG’s Hidden Valley Ranch Chili Crunch onto a plate of steak and potatoes, atop a pink and white gingham tablecloth.
A 5x7in promo card design announcing TLG’s collaboration with Hidden Valley Ranch for a limited time only, with a large image of the jar next to two personified drawings of a slice of pizza and a slice of toast with an avocado
Social media post announcing TLG’s new Tropical Chili Crunch product, with an image of the jar next to a drawing of a personified chili pepper wearing a lei on a green flat graphic background with palm trees, and orange clouds and sky.
A still taken from Stephanie Izard’s mini video series with Insta Pot showing the logo which says ‘Instant Replay’ in purple and white text, with Stephanie in the background cooking tomatoes.

Outcome and Conclusion

The comprehensive marketing strategy implemented for This Little Goat has proven to be a resounding success. Sales have seen a marked increase, particularly in the online segment, and the brand’s partnerships have flourished, bringing new opportunities for expansion and collaboration. The strategic use of digital and traditional marketing tools has enabled This Little Goat to connect with a wider audience, offering them a taste of Chef Izard’s unique culinary vision. This project exemplifies our ability to harness the power of brand storytelling and strategic marketing to elevate an approachable product line in a competitive market.

RESULTS, YEAR 1

98.6% Increase in total E-Commerce revenue YOY

79% Increase in E-Commerce conversion rate YOY

48% Increase in email marketing audience size YOY

28% Increase in social following in 6 months

500+ Social posts

Closeup of Stephanie Izard wearing a tye-dye apron, spooning some Original Chili Crunch from a jar with white graphic emphasis lines by it, over a maple bacon doughnut next to a white mug of coffee on a wooden table.
Street advertisement in a plastic case with the three jars of chili crunch with drawings of personified food on them, on a green background that says ‘Add me to your dish list.’
Three bottles of This Little Goat’s sauces in separate frames next to each other, surrounded by their ingredients, each on a flat color background.
Woman wearing a white shirt with a branded illustration of several personified food characters under a rainbow.
Woman smiling with her eyes closed and wearing a white hat with a drawing of a personified bowl of ramen noodles, and the TLG logo on the side of the hat.
Blue and white Hawaiian style button up shirt with several versions of the personified food character drawings and twinkly stars, on a bright pink background.
Three designs of emails made for TLG, including a summer campaign, March Madness campaign, and Flash Sale.
Blue shipping box with the TLG logo and several of the personified food character drawings on all the flaps, with a packing promo card laying on top that reads ‘Put them on everything.
Stephanie Izard with her hair up and a big smile wearing a tye dye apron in a kitchen setting, outlined in green, with a drawing of a goat character on her shoulder and holding a jar of Spicy Chili Crunch.
Two slides from a social media post titled ‘Late Night Crunchies’ on the first slide and ‘3-Ingredient India Spiced Donuts’ on the second slide
An email design titled ‘Yum in the Sun’ and various other select social media posts done for the TLG brand Instagram.