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Potbelly needed to:
- Generate buzz for a new menu innovation
- Address unmet consumer needs around warm, satisfying food on the go
- Enter the category with confidence, not assumptions
Before committing to a national rollout, the brand needed messaging and positioning that could be pressure-tested with real consumers, quickly.
WCG brought together strategy, research, brand, and creative teams to help Potbelly:
- Understand what truly motivates their customers
- Clarify what differentiates Wraps in-market
- Develop creative that stayed true to Potbelly's bold, familiar voice
We began with research to establish a baseline:
- What does Potbelly already represent to loyal customers?
- Why do people choose Potbelly over competitors?
- What attributes would drive trial, and repeat choice, within the warm wrap category?
From this, we defined a single, insight-driven consumer belief to anchor the entire creative system.
WCG developed eight distinct messaging territories, each grounded in data-backed reasons to believe. The territories were designed to:
- Provide tonal and personality range
- Balance comfort and familiarity with fresh energy
- Be immediately deployable in consumer testing environments
Creative work paired Potbelly's recognizable brand equity with new visual and verbal cues, giving the brand flexibility without fragmentation.
Sample positioning directions included:
- The wrap that doesn't fall flat
- Fresh wraps, ready to roll
- Power-packed. Perfectly wrapped.
- Potbelly's hottest take
From test market to national menu.
The result of a strong, insight-led testing strategy?
By investing in early strategic clarity and proof-of-concept creative, Potbelly reduced risk, accelerated learning, and launched a product built on consumer insight, not assumptions.
