From Weeds to Wants:

Overview

One of the most recognizable names in lawn care was losing its edge. Flat sales, declining household reach, and a surge in “brand switch” chatter pointed to eroding relevance. With DIY gardeners demanding more sustainable, tech-savvy solutions, the brand needed a clearer picture of who their modern customer really was—and how to win them back.

Challenge

Category growth was leaving the brand behind. Penetration slipped from 16% to 14%, and social buzz signaled growing interest in organic, digital, and indoor solutions.

But legacy positioning around chemical efficacy had lost its edge.

Leadership needed a roadmap grounded in real behavior and beliefs—not assumptions.

Solutions & Insights

Starlight deployed an Attitude & Usage study layered with social listening and scanner data to map evolving garden mindsets and usage patterns.

We identified three key segments through the research:‍

Sustainable Stewards, Tech-Driven Gardeners, and Maintenance-Focused Homeowners—and isolated the biggest whitespace opportunities: indoor-plant crossover, bundle-driven value, and micro-influencer content.

We recommended they reposition a legacy formula for houseplants which proved to immediately paid off—indoor units jumped to 18% of sales, adding $2.4M. Shifting from discounting to bundled offers boosted margins 8 points and lifted basket size 22%.

And with influencer tutorials replacing brand-owned content, novice conversion tripled—adding $1.2M while cutting reliance on paid media.

“Chris and his team helped us see how our core audience was evolving and where the growth really was. Their research gave us the confidence to rethink our entire approach.”
— VP of Brand Strategy, Confidential Brand