Future Jobs to Be Done
Americans’ food and drink habits are tied to specific needs or wants. Ipsos Strategy3’s Matt Palmer gives examples for brands and manufacturers that fulfill their future needs.
Ipsos spins the traditional “Jobs to Be Done” framework forward with future Jobs to Be Done (fJTBD). This builds on the theory that people buy products and services to fulfill certain needs or accomplish specific tasks. For example, we don’t buy a meal at a fast-casual restaurant, we hire it to provide convenient nourishment while giving us back time in the day that would have otherwise been spent on cooking.
To bring these jobs into the future, we envision powerful and plausible scenarios through strategic foresight. While many needs are enduring and do not change over time, the context of that job will change along with the potential solutions and alternatives. These scenarios help us define the circumstances in which people may find themselves, like considering whether to make food purchases based on a product’s environmental impact versus whether the item is within their weekly food budget.
We use fJTBD to tie these scenarios to actions that organizations can take to help people meet future needs. While it’s typical in foresight to create fJTBD clusters, we’re sharing one scenario here as an example.
Help me make food choices that align with my budget, values and busy schedule
In a world where people concurrently navigate economic uncertainty, environmental instability and time deficiency, they will regularly encounter an expansive set of challenges. For example, in a world where grocery prices climb, consumers may be forced to abandon more nutritious options in favor of cheaper, less sustainably produced and packaged choices.
Potential fJTBD:
- Help me make choices that balance my nutrition and budget goals
- Make it easy for me to understand how my food choices affect my health, my community and the planet
- Help me create low-effort social moments centered around mealtimes
Imagine a world where … grocery store smart carts analyze products you've selected and provide nutritious recipes that match your dietary preferences, price or sustainability requirements, and desired prep time.
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