An outdated concept

As a French pioneer in meat catering, offering easy access and a warm welcome to kids, honest value for money, the Hippopotamus brand found itself out of fashion and out of phase with the new ways of the catering industry and customers’ expectations. Following its purchase by the Bertrand Group, a leader in corporate catering, the brand had to change without losing its soul.

Updating the brand’s DNA

Thanks to our Deep Insights research program, we identified 4 new values for transforming and optimizing the brand: Femininity, Expertise, Gourmet, and Authenticity. The brand has to feminize, meaning it has to inject aesthetic, refined, and creative elements into its interiors and in its dishes. It has to develop an expertise in sourcing quality meat suppliers, traceability of breeds and sustainability. It must renew its offer through a gourmet approach (daily specials, seasonal menus, collaborations with chefs, new recipes). It has to bring more authenticity into its world, promote the art of cooking, mix nature and culture. In short, it must create the French Steak House.

Insights to Actions

The collages created by the brand’s customers help visualize in a very concrete way the type of environment and experience that is expected by fans of the brand: new recipes, new tableware, raw/natural materials for decoration (stone, wood, slate). The Deep Insights study successfully translated insights into actions: new menu, new identity, new presentation of the dishes, new restaurant design.