Piedmont Provisions

Introducing preserves to the health and wellness industry.
Co-Strategist (Lead Georgia Interview Sourcing and Brand Outreach) | Creative Briefing | November 2024

Problem

Piedmont Provisions is limited to farmers market season.


Piedmont Provisions is a pickled and preserved goods brand that is deeply embedded in Georgia communities.

Although Piedmont Provisions has a brick and mortar location near the University of Georgia, the brand relies heavily on farmers markets (March - December) and word-of-mouth recommendation, limiting its reach to certain times of year and customers with pre-existing loyalty.


Challenge

How can we showcase Piedmont Provisions’ products all year?


Research Findings

For everyday wellness, consumers are turning to homegrown and natural remedies.


Healthcare accessibility remains a major challenge across the country.

As we spoke to patients and medical professionals, many confirmed that they trust healthcare providers:

96% list doctors, 79% list nurses

as health and wellness resources, suggesting at least some reliance on medical professionals, but systemic barriers often prevent them from seeking professional care.

Instead, they turn to affordable alternatives like online resources and home remedies, incorporating comforting ingredients found in Piedmont Provisions’ shrubs and jellies like lavender, ginger, and holy basil:

52.3% at least sometimes look for home remedies before turning to medical professionals.

*Health and Wellness Survey. 107 responses.

“Traditional medicines that have helped my family for ages may be more accessible.”

“[A] home remedy is for making myself more comfortable when sick.”

“If there’s a highly recommended home remedy for something, I will always try that first.”

“For lesser ailments, I would probably seek out a treatment at home.”


Target Audience

Cultural Inheritors and Social Supplementers.


We uncovered two groups that are relying on these home remedies

  • Cultural Inheritors who grew up on passed-down remedies

  • Social Supplementers who rely on the traditional healthcare system but seek accessible ways to supplement their care.

Despite the differences in their backgrounds, both groups consistently turn to others when navigating their care.


Behind the Insight: 

  • Ask 5 Georgians and Floridians to explain what “thug it out” means in the context of health and wellness.

  • Join 20 people on their picnic blankets outside the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to discuss the failings of the U.S. healthcare system and naturopathy.

  • Visit Georgia festivals and farmers markets to taste test pepper jelly.

1:1 Medical Professional Interviews | Field Research | Man on the Street Interviews | Patient Experience Focus Group | Survey Design & Analysis

*the following chart includes key stages from our Focus Group’s experiences. Florida / Georgia residents with at least some trust in medical professionals.

Determining Trusted Sources

People learn who to turn to by watching people with similar medical histories and experiences.

Finding Home Remedies

Family, friends, and culture pass down established remedies (like the ubiquitous use of Vicks VapoRub in Hispanic communities).

Validating Severity

Loved ones serve as a checkpoint when determining whether an ailment is worthy of standard medical treatment.

Insight

When healthcare feels inaccessible, people turn to community, the trusted resource they can actually reach.


At any stage of their wellness journeys, people want health and wellness resources that are accessible and hassle-free. 

Family, friends, and other local communities offer personalized knowledge and shared experiences, representing trusted resources when professional care feels out of reach.


Strategy

Georgia's trusted source for everyday remedies.


Thought Starters

The Pantry Pharmacy.


Highlighting Functionality

Tactic: Update website and signage to more explicitly highlight functional health and wellness benefits.

Audience Segment: Social Supplementers who want education about the efficacy of supplemental remedies.

A “Learn and Share” Social Campaign

Tactic: Piedmont Provisions can build credibility by inviting Georgians to share their own recipes using the brand’s ingredients, incorporating Piedmont Provisions into generational remedies. 

Audience Segment: Cultural Inheritors who require trust beyond knowledge.

Hosting Campus Clinics

Tactic: Piedmont Provisions can foster a new generation of community by leveraging its proximity to the University of Georgia.

Audience Segment: College-aged Social Supplementers and Cultural Inheritors making some of their health and wellness decisions for the first time independently.


The Takeaway

Switching from a focus on flavor to functionality, Piedmont Provisions extends from farmer markets into cold and flu season.

Leveraging the communal nature of health decisions, Piedmont Provisions organically expands from pantry staple to year-round necessity by developing relationships with local communities.


Strategists: Athena Vu, Samyuktha Shankar, Quentin Smith