The Answer is Right Under Your Nose
Brandcenter Sprint | Team Lead & Strategist
Ask
How can Dave’s break out of the bread aisle and take over the most crowded, innovative space in food?
Challenge
What makes Dave’s stand out in bread can feel conservative in snacks.
Insight
Snack time may be the shortest, but it is the best.
Strategy
Dave’s has flavor worth saving for later.
Solution
Turn Dave’s iconic mustache into a visual shorthand for lingering flavor and satisfaction, transforming crumbs into proof of a snack worth savoring.
Brandcenter Sprints are week-long, high-pressure projects where teams build and present real client work.
I led account management and strategic direction, overseeing timelines, deliverables, and client/mentor communication while anchoring the work in business strategy. With a tight timeline and long days, I kept the team aligned and fostered a smooth, collaborative, conflict-free environment.
Stepping into a Crowded Category
Despite strong brand equity in bread, Dave’s Killer snacks struggle to stand out in the snack aisle: a fast, impulsive category dominated by novelty and constant innovation. What differentiates Dave’s in bread can read as conservative in snacks, making it harder for the brand to earn attention as a newer entrant.
As account lead & strategist, I framed the challenge around awareness and differentiation, aligning the team early on the core business problem we needed to solve.
People love snacks.
90%
31%
but they are rarely planned.
67%
Why?
PEOPLE ARE BUSY
YOUNG GEN Z AND MILLENNIAL PROFESSIONALS FORCED TO SNACK FOR SURVIVAL DUE TO THE CONSTRAINTS OF THEIR HECTIC SCHEDULES.
Snackvivors
Target
28%
41%
Snackvivors have their days planned by everyone else.
Because of this, snacktime is often relegated to when they have time. In the car, at their desk, or in-between meetings.
Snack time may be the shortest, but it is the best.
Insight
Strategy
Dave’s has the chance to let snack time linger.
If Dave’s could make snack time feel more satisfying and memorable, it could own a distinct emotional space in the category. I anchored this thinking throughout the process, ensuring creative exploration stayed tied to real consumer behavior and brand opportunity.
The Answer was Right Under Our Nose.
Dave’s snacks are packed with whole grains and seeds, creating a textured, crumbly bite that delivers a flavor you want to savor. Maybe even save for later.
Dave's will introduce special collectible Flavor Savers in their packs of Snack Bars and Bites to give everyone the chance to save what they crave.
The mustache becomes a visual shorthand for lingering flavor, desire, and payoff. A playful but strategic extension of an existing Dave’s brand asset.
CREATIVE
ROLLOUT
-
Initial promo will begin on socials, with Dave's Instagram account only following prominent mustached public figures.
-
Next, a series of TikTok and Instagram Reels that play on the idea that Dave’s SB are just as desirable as mustaches. Showing what people will do to hold onto that last bit of flavor.
-
Then we will launch into retail with unique endcap displays meant to grab attention and stop people in their tracks.
-
Fans submit photos of their crumby flavor savers for a chance to be selected for a 16-eater bracket, where one Chompion is crowned. The 16 crumbtestants receive a special Killer Komb to save their crumbs for later.
-
Fun Fact! Chicago was voted the “Most Mustache Friendly City in America”! Not only that, but it hosts the USA’s largest food festival, Taste of Chicago. Naturally Dave’s will host a “Flavor Faceoff” to see who can get the most crumbs in their mustache.
Builds on existing Dave’s brand equity rather than inventing something new
Cuts through a clean-eating snack aisle with humor and confidence
Connects product truth to a culturally durable visual symbol
WHY THIS WORKS
For a snack line still building awareness, distinctiveness mattered more than playing it safe. The creative risk was strategic, designed to maximize stopping power, memorability, and early awareness while remaining grounded in Dave’s brand equity.
Biggest Takeaway
It is important to take risks nowadays and I’m so glad we did. Although we didn’t win, I’m proud of my ability to successfully lead a fun and positive work environment. Everyone in my group said they had fun and were proud of our work. I was able to boost team morale at our lowest, while still being able to help in all aspects of the project.