A leading Canadian grocery retailer operating in a highly competitive market, where shoppers regularly move between mainstream, discount, and warehouse banners.
The retailer was preparing to launch a brand campaign built around a wordplay tagline that reframed imperfect family moments as something to embrace rather than apologize for. Two creative executions had been developed around the same brand idea, and the marketing team needed to understand how each would resonate with shoppers before committing media investment.
The decision was not simply which creative was better. The retailer needed to determine what each execution did well, how reactions differed by store loyalty and shopping frequency, and where each creative belonged in the marketing funnel.
The retailer had two distinct creative directions under consideration:
Both executions used the same wordplay tagline, but they created different emotional and product associations.
The marketing team needed to understand how loyal, occasional, and competitor shoppers would interpret each creative. It also needed to assess message clarity, emotional resonance, brand impact, commercial potential, and the most appropriate channel for each execution.
Traditional focus groups could provide qualitative feedback, but recruiting shoppers with the required loyalty and purchasing profiles would take time and add cost. The campaign decision needed to move forward before a conventional recruitment, moderation, and analysis cycle could be completed.
The retailer had two distinct creative directions under consideration:
Both executions used the same wordplay tagline, but they created different emotional and product associations.
The marketing team needed to understand how loyal, occasional, and competitor shoppers would interpret each creative. It also needed to assess message clarity, emotional resonance, brand impact, commercial potential, and the most appropriate channel for each execution.
Traditional focus groups could provide qualitative feedback, but recruiting shoppers with the required loyalty and purchasing profiles would take time and add cost. The campaign decision needed to move forward before a conventional recruitment, moderation, and analysis cycle could be completed.
Munvo used Smart Persona to conduct an AI-driven comparative assessment of both creative executions.
Smart Persona generates realistic, data-grounded consumer simulations that allow marketing teams to explore how specific audience segments may respond to messages, concepts, and campaign assets.
Personas are built using more than 12,000 attributes across 35 categories, including demographics, personal finance, purchasing behaviour, lifestyle, and media habits.
The model draws on authoritative Canadian sources, including Statistics Canada, Census data, and national banking association data, helping the personas reflect realistic economic and behavioural conditions. The platform reports approximately 90% alignment with traditional human market research, providing rapid directional insight without the recruitment cycle required for live panels.
Munvo created four synthetic shoppers representing different combinations of store loyalty and shopping frequency.
Real persona names and specific store banners have been removed for anonymization.
Each synthetic shopper participated in a simulated interview using a structured discussion guide covering both creative executions.
Munvo assessed the responses across several areas:
The findings were compared across the four shopper profiles and consolidated into a decision-ready recommendation for the marketing team.
The assessment showed that both creative executions resonated with the synthetic shoppers, but they were suited to different campaign objectives.
Creative A generated a strong sense of warmth, simplicity, and everyday family relevance. The connection between the tagline and the imagery was consistently understood, and the execution made the retailer feel more accessible and family-friendly.
The creative also strengthened positive associations with fresh produce, including among shoppers who primarily used competing retailers. Its visible product connection and straightforward emotional message gave it greater potential to support immediate category action.
Creative B generated a stronger sensory and nostalgic response. Shoppers focused on the realistic texture, lighting, and movement within the execution, which made the featured product feel authentic and appealing.
The imagery also evoked positive childhood and seasonal memories, creating a strong emotional connection. Its sensory and visually dynamic qualities made it particularly effective for attracting attention and building brand engagement.
Rather than forcing the marketing team to select one creative and discard the other, the research established a strategic role for both campaign assets.
Creative A was better positioned to support immediate sales in fresh departments through conversion-focused, in-store, and promotional placements. Creative B was better positioned to build brand warmth and digital engagement through upper-funnel awareness and social channels.
Delivered audience-informed direction before channel assignments and media investment were finalized.
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