Tasti D-Lite:
Final Report Presentation
Group Members:
Alex Andujar
Melia Dayeh
Pashmeena Hilal
Annie Ritter
Lindsay Sommer
Introduction

Began in 1987 when the Carlesimo family designed a low-calorie
frozen dessert
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Opened first store in Manhattan
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Now more than 75 independently owned stores throughout nation
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More than 100 guilt-free flavors low in fat, calories, and
cholesterol
60 calories in a 4oz serving; $3.75
Large college student and young professional demographic in
Boston
Boston is ranked no. 11 out of 50 cities in “Centrum’s Healthiest
Cities Survey”
Test marketability of Tasti D-Lite in Boston
Better understand Boston consumer and find out whether or not
Tasti D-Lite would be successful
Situation Analysis

Opportunities:

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Seasonality of Northeast region does not threaten success of frozen
dessert shops

Increasing purchases of better-for-you (BFY) ice cream

Health-conscious consumer are gaining strength in marketplace
Threats:

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Boston has established frozen dessert shops (i.e., Ben & Jerry’s, JP
Licks, Baskin Robbins, Cold Stone Creamery, etc.)
Increase of grocery store BFY ice cream (i.e., Skinny Cow, Weight
Watchers) will draw health-minded consumers into grocery stores
Baskin Robbins co-branding with Dunkin’ Donuts adds marketing and
distribution muscle
Situation Analysis (cont’d…)

Strengths:

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Tasti D-Lite has 75 independently owned stores throughout NYC, as
well as several other cities, which is an indicator of its success

Tasti D-Lite balances BFY attributes with "great taste"
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Stores are designed and operated for quick customer turnaround
Weaknesses:
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Little to no brand awareness in Boston market
Tasti D-Lite franchisees do not have the corporate support that other
Boston shops benefit from
Tasti D-Lite locations have earned a reputation as both unwelcoming
and inconsistent with store hours
Past controversy behind Tasti D-Lite's nutritious claims may have
jeopardized brand's credibility
Marketing Problems

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Boston is a competitive market because it offers numerous frozen
dessert stores
Most other frozen dessert stores have corporate support that
provides consistency in taste, as well as general store operations,
which Tasti D-Lite lacks
Informing public about Tasti D-Lite’s introduction to Boston will be
challenging because Tasti D-Lite does not have an advertising
budget
Negative press concerning Tasti D-Lite’s calorie claims
Research Objectives

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Find out whether or not Tasti D-Lite will succeed in the Boston Market
Gain an understanding of the types of marketing (i.e. promotions, website,
magazines) our target audience will respond to

General Attitudes and Usage Questions about frozen desserts:

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Find out whether or not people respond well to a dessert experience
with only one type of frozen dessert
Examine whether or not consumers prefer a “guilt-free” ice cream and
a limited daily flavor menu
Identify the consumers’ motivation for frozen dessert consumption.
Examine whether the consumers’ consumption of frozen desserts is
seasonal
Gauge how much the consumer is willing to pay for a frozen dessert
Questions about Tasti D-Lite:
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Find out what people like/dislike about the Tasti D-Lite brand
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Determine the brand image of Tasti D-Lite
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Identify who is the typical Tasti D-Lite customer
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Investigate what forms of media can reach the Tasti D-Lite consumers
most effectively
Methodology
Data Collection Method:
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Quantitative data was gathered in 100 surveys with 21 questions
throughout the month of October

Data was collected in and around downtown Boston and was completed in
approximately 15 minutes
Sampling Method & Samples:

Our sampling method was a non-probability, convenience sample of 100
surveys, 55 completed by men and 45 by females

Respondents ranged between the ages of 18 and 35, 78 were between 18
and 24, and 22 were between 25 and 35. Over half (67) of all respondents
had incomes under 20 thousand dollars
Key Measurements:
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Single, multiple and open ended response question

The first half of our survey measured: respondents behaviors and actions
when consuming frozen desserts. The second half measured: respondents
overall attitude of Tasti D-Lite
Methodology (cont’d…)
Key Measurements (cont’d..):

Frequency of frozen dessert consumption-Dessert establishments in Boston
respondents familiar with-Factors that are important when eating at frozen
dessert establishments-Overall rating of the Tasti D-Lite conceptRespondents likes and dislikes-Purchase intention-Recommendation to
peers-Price
Data Analysis:
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SPSS allowed us to test mean scores using frequency statistics, cross
analyze dependent & independent variables using a cross-tab analysis and
test independent variables with a independent t-test
Action Standard:
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By analyzing our top-line report, we concluded that Tasti D-Lite would
derive best statistical results by comparing means and percentages to a
high action standard
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We set our action standard at Top 2 box 60% and 3.50 mean

Tasti D-Lite is a small but powerful company, unfortunately Boston is a
market currently saturated with frozen dessert establishments. Tasti D-Lite
can succeed with a powerful campaign with several IMC components
Results
Frozen Dessert Consumption:
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Males consume more frozen desserts than women
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38% of men consume frozen desserts 1-2 times/week
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33% of females consume frozen desserts 1-2 times/week
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Overall, people do not consume frozen desserts extremely often; on
average 1-2 times per week
Ice Cream Store Recognition:

However, consumers recognize frozen dessert store names in the Boston
area
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95% recognize Ben & Jerry’s, 85% Coldstone and Baskin Robbins,
81% JP Licks, and 28% Emack and Bolio’s
Respondents Rate the Importance:
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The most important things consumers look for in a frozen dessert store are
cleanliness, customer service, taste, and product quality
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Cleanliness: 50% rank it very important, (50%males, 52%females)
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Taste: 71% rank it extremely important, (71%males, 73% females)
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Product Quality: 58% rank it extremely important, (58%males,
60%females)
Results
Familiarity of Tasti D-Lite:
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Survey results indicate that 36% of respondents are familiar with Tasti DLite
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According to the results, a larger percentage of males (87%) are more
familiar with Tasti D-Lite than females (49%)
Feelings about Tasti D-Lite:
o
Survey results indicate the majority of people (39%) responded “I strongly
like it” to Tasti D-Lite
o
57% of females felt neutral about Tasti D-Lite and 25% of men
o
50% of men ages 18-24 strongly liked Tasti D-Lite and only 22% of men
ages 25-35
Recommendation to Friends:
o
56% of respondents are likely to recommend Tasti D-Lite to their friends
based on their understanding of the concept
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Males (61%) are more likely than females (50%) to recommend Tasit D-Lite
to their friends
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Survey results also show that older respondents (73%) have a higher
propensity to recommend Tasti D-lite to their friends
Results
Overall Evaluation of New Product Concept:
o
The respondents of the study showed a favorable evaluation toward
product concept overall, with the mean score of 4.14 on the 5-point scale
and the top 2 box of 79%
o
The findings passed the action standard of this study, which is a top 2 box
of 60% and a mean score of 3.50
o
Female respondents indicated a more favorable overall evaluation of the
product concept (a mean score of 4.16, and a top 2 box of 86%)
o
Male respondents had a mean score of 4.13 and a top 2 box of 75%
Overall Evaluation of Product Concept
5
4
3
Mean
4.14
4.16
4.13
2
1
Me an
Total
Fe male
Male
4.14
4.16
4.13
Results
Likes (Tasti D-Lite)
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Of the total respondents:
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55% liked the health
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17% liked the taste
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17% liked the flavor
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5% named other likes
Dislikes (Tasti D-Lite)
o
Of the total respondents:

20% disliked the product price
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15% were skeptical about the product’s taste
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40% named other dislikes or no dislikes at all
Willing To Pay
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Respondents showed a strong preference toward the cost of Tasti D-Lite
being between $2.70-$3.30. The findings passed the action standard
of this study
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Male respondents indicated more willingness to pay for Tasti D-Lite at
the $2.70-$3.30 price in comparison to females
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Respondents that made under $20k were more willing to pay for Tasti
D-Lite when it was priced at $2.70-$3.30, while those who made over
$20k were more willing to spend above $3.30 for Tasti D-Lite
Response to the Concept
Purchase Intent
5
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
4.12
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4.08
4.27
Action
Standard
Mean
Total
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4.31
3.89
Female
Male
18-24
25-35
If Tasti D-Lite were to open in Boston, 78% of respondents would be
likely to try it
56% of respondents would recommend Tasti D-lite to their friends
78% of respondents like the nutritional elements of the Tasti D-lite
concept
Results
Choice of Tasti D-Lite over other Brands
•
42 of total respondents agreed that health concerns are a reason why they
would choose Tasti D-Lite over other brands
•
34 respondents agreed that their flavor options are important when
considering where to purchase frozen desserts
•
Over half of all respondents (55), were either neutral or agreed that variety is
an important characteristic to consider
Incentives
•
Survey results indicate that 43% of respondents would be encouraged to try
Tasti D-Lite if a coupon was offered
•
Specifically, 47% male and 39% female
•
Followed by discounts (22%), then senior citizen or student cards (19%)
Incentives that Encourage Trial
50
40
30
Percentage
Total
20
Female
10
0
Total
Female
Male
Male
Coupons
Discount
Student Card
43
39
47
22
18
26
19
27
13
Conclusion
Conclusion:
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Majority of respondents eat frozen dessert between 1 – 4 times a
week
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JP Licks, Ben & Jerry’s, Coldstone, and Baskin Robbins have more
than 80% awareness
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Tasti D-Lite has 36% brand awareness amongst respondents
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Taste was the top preference in selecting frozen dessert
After respondents were shown the concept of Tasti D-Lite…
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78% purchase intent exceeded the action standard
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56% of respondents would recommend the brand to their friends
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Respondents had difficulty rating the taste of Tasti D-Lite
 Taste testing may have provided better insights in
respondent’s opinion of the taste of Tasti D-Lite

Slight male gender skew with positive responses may show that
males in Boston are more likely to be customers of Tasty D-Lite
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Majority of respondents are willing to pay between $2.70 and
3.30
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43% of respondents prefer coupons as an incentive to try Tasti DLite
Recommendation
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Launch Tasti D-Lite in the Boston market
Marketing and promotions must be clear and visible throughout
Boston, due to proliferation of frozen dessert options
Use coupons as trial incentives
 Could be distributed as a direct mail piece received in student
mailboxes, unions and public areas.
Print advertising in order to reinforce Tasti D-Lite as a top choice
for frozen desserts
Continue research:
 On-site customer satisfaction surveys
 Triangulation technique, such as on/off site taste tests in
order to properly gauge market’s perceptions of the Tasti DLite product
Price 4 oz. serving at $2.99