From Confusion to Conversion:

Overview

A well-known company in the household cleaning category had recently launched a premium, eco- friendly line of products. Positioned for distribution in upscale grocery, big box, and drugstore channels, the brand had a modern mission—but underwhelming sales. Leadership was under pressure to act, but lacked the insight to understand why consumers weren’t buying.

Challenge

Despite growing shelf presence and increasing demand for “green” products, sales were declining.

Internal teams speculated about weak packaging or unclear messaging but had no concrete evidence. Meanwhile, stakeholders were hesitant to invest in a rebrand without clarity on what was broken—or how to fix it without sacrificing brand equity.

Solutions & Insights

Starlight kicked off with digital intelligence and social listening to decode how consumers perceived the brand. The findings were clear: 72% of mentions expressed confusion about what the product did— versus just 18% for competitors.

To dig deeper, we ran 1:1 interviews with current and potential shoppers. Two themes emerged: consumers prioritized clear claims like “kills 99.9% of germs,” and the brand’s muted label barely registered—capturing just 5% of visual attention compared to 23% for bold competitors. The packaging also overlooked a major driver: scent.

These insights formed the basis for a packaging refresh. Starlight’s insights shaped a new look that highlighted efficacy and sensory appeal, then tested it with consumers. Just as critically, we aligned internal stakeholders around the changes—ensuring the rebrand was both effective and efficient.

“Starlight helped us see what we couldn’t. Their data didn’t just pinpoint the issue, it gave our team the confidence and direction to fix it.”
— VP of Marketing, Confidential Brand