Our partnership in brief
Clusters partnered with a leading international baby products brand to support its European growth strategy.
Despite strong US credentials, the brand had low awareness and unclear positioning across key European markets. Clusters conducted a large-scale, four-market study to identify the most valuable parent audiences, refine brand positioning, and shape channel and retail strategy.
The resulting strategy provided a clear roadmap for brand building, customer engagement and distribution growth.
Challenge
Our client operates in one of the most competitive and trust-driven categories; baby and toddler products.
While well established in its home market, the brand lacked strong awareness and clear differentiation across parts of Europe. Parents prioritise safety, quality and peer recommendation, meaning unclear positioning can significantly limit growth.
The business needed to answer several key questions:
- Who should we prioritise across different European markets?
- What drives parents’ brand choice and recommendation?
- How should we position ourselves to stand out?
- Which channels and retail partners offer the greatest opportunity?
A robust, consumer-led strategy was required to guide investment decisions and future growth.
Solution
Clusters designed and delivered a multi-market research programme across the UK, France, Germany and Spain.
We conducted extensive quantitative research with parents of children aged 0–3, exploring:
- Brand awareness and perceptions
- Purchase drivers and barriers
- Online and in-store shopping behaviour
- Response to alternative brand propositions and creative territories
Identifying priority parent groups
Rather than treating parents as one homogenous audience, the study uncovered distinct groups with different needs, motivations and behaviours.
This allowed the client to move from a broad, generic marketing approach to a prioritised audience strategy; focusing on high-value parents most aligned to the brand’s strengths, while managing other groups more tactically.
This project was about giving the client clarity and confidence. Instead of trying to appeal to everyone, we helped them understand exactly which parents were most aligned to their brand; and how to reach them effectively across different European markets. That focus is what unlocks sustainable growth.
Refining the brand proposition
We tested multiple positioning statements and visual territories to understand which messaging resonated most strongly.
The research clearly identified a winning proposition centred on innovation and making parents’ lives easier. Authentic, playful imagery outperformed more corporate, staged visuals; providing clear creative direction for future campaigns.
Shaping channel & retail strategy
The research also revealed important differences in shopping behaviour across markets:
- Strong opportunity for online growth in some regions
- Continued importance of physical retail in others
- Clear alignment between priority audiences and specific retail partners
Additionally, the study identified the most influential decision-making triggers within the category, equipping the client with practical guidance on how to attract, reassure and convert new parents more effectively.
Results
The study provided the client with:
- A prioritised target audience strategy
- A validated, consumer-led brand positioning
- Clear guidance on creative direction
- A sharper online and retail growth plan
- A scalable framework for future tracking and optimisation
Most importantly, the organisation now shares a common understanding of its target consumers; enabling more confident, insight-led decision-making across marketing, sales and product teams.
The impact
By placing consumer insight at the heart of its European strategy, the brand has moved from broad awareness-building to focused, segment-led growth.
The business is now better positioned to:
- Strengthen brand saliency
- Drive recommendation and loyalty
- Optimise channel investment
- Build sustainable long-term growth in competitive markets
Sustainable growth comes from truly understanding the people behind the purchase. By placing parents at the heart of the strategy, we helped the business move from broad ambition to focused, insight-led action.We built a stronger digital foundation and unlocked measurable growth.
Ready to sharpen your positioning and accelerate growth?
If you’re expanding into new markets or looking to better understand your audience, we can help you identify who to prioritise, what truly drives choice, and how to stand out.
Let’s explore how insight can give you the clarity and confidence to grow more effectively.
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