JTBD Theory: Understanding How Products Meet Customer Needs With Customer Selfies

Product Marketing

Jul 16

When does a Snickers bar compete with a kale salad?

When Freshii, a Toronto-based healthy fast-food chain, encouraged customers to share selfies with their snacks, the results were unexpected. Alongside the expected kale and quinoa, some customers held Snickers bars. Alex Blair, the owner of four Freshii franchises, remarked to the New York Times, "We focus on organics and cool new macronutrients, and our consumers are into quinoa and kale and bean sprouts. But these photos were so far from that wavelength, it's really helping us realign with the mass market."

Traditional market research suggests that health-conscious customers will likely choose healthy options. However, this isn't always true. Sometimes, a Snickers bar is more practical than a kale salad, like when you're rushing through an airport or preparing for a concert.

Great companies often fail because they focus on the wrong aspects of innovation. Instead of understanding specific customer needs, they rely on algorithms, market surveys, and technical improvements. Customers don't just buy products; they hire them to fulfill specific "Jobs to Be Done." These jobs are complex, involving functional, social, and emotional aspects.

To create products that customers genuinely want, businesses need to understand these dimensions deeply. The practice of using customer selfies aims to uncover the real "job" customers hire products to do. Selfies provide clues that bridge the gap between what customers say and what they actually do. They might unknowingly reveal authentic insights about their preferences and perceptions.

Selfies are not entirely candid; they are shared with a purpose, depicting how individuals want to be seen. This too provides valuable clues about a customer's Job to be Done. Recognizing these insights can enhance business strategies and theories alike.

Anomalies in customer behavior can highlight overlooked opportunities or flawed assumptions. When a consumer chooses kale in one situation and Snickers in another, it challenges us to rethink how our products help customers make progress in their lives, rather than just fulfilling our expectations.