Gloria Campaign Case Study: “Audience Behavior Change”

Introduction

Gloria is one of Iran’s most recognized and beloved brands of hot sauces. Offering a variety of flavors such as red chili, green chili, and garlic-chili blends, Gloria’s sauces are made from high-quality ingredients and formulated to strict standards. Thanks to its consistent taste, good shelf life, and strong market presence, Gloria holds a firmly established position among Iranian households’ preferred spicy condiments.

Challenge

With the goal of boosting sales and increasing per capita consumption, Gloria partnered with Platin Communications & Marketing Agency. This collaboration came at a time when Gloria had already secured a well-established brand position and a significant market share within the hot sauce segment.

Strategy Development

Market analysis revealed that Gloria had consistently been the top choice for consumers who favored spicy flavors, enjoying considerable popularity.

However, purchasing behavior and consumption patterns indicated that customers typically bought hot sauce only once every two to three months — a relatively long interval reflecting limited and intermittent use.

The main reason for this consumption gap was the common usage of hot sauce primarily as a side condiment, which resulted in sauces lingering in refrigerators for extended periods. Yet, Gloria’s products, with their mild heat, smooth texture, diverse flavor profiles, and balanced spiciness, were well-suited for various stages of cooking and marination. Unfortunately, traditional family habits leaned heavily toward using classic spices to add heat, which limited wider application of Gloria’s sauces.

Given this context, Platin designed a campaign aimed at changing consumer behavior and increasing product usage frequency. The objective was to elevate Gloria’s position from merely a side condiment to a versatile ingredient integral to cooking and marinating processes. This shift in consumption habits was expected to both increase usage frequency and reduce product shelf time, ultimately creating sustainable sales growth and expanding market share over the long term.

Two main pillars guided this strategy:

1- Leveraging the strong loyalty of existing customers by redefining the brand message, encouraging loyal users to discover broader and new applications of the product, thus expanding their mental image of the sauce beyond just a side condiment.

2- Challenging a common cultural belief that associated spicy flavor exclusively with traditional spices like red pepper. The campaign aimed to establish Gloria as a fresh, practical alternative with its smoothness, moderate heat, and flavor variety, positioning it as a modern substitute for traditional spices.

To achieve these goals, the campaign’s core concept centered around the question, “Why spices?” This was reflected in the slogan and visual elements. Moreover, to deepen message penetration and engagement, influencer marketing and Twitter marketing were strategically employed as key promotional tools.

Creativity

A major highlight of the campaign was the creation of the core slogan: “Why spices? Gloria — The magic of cooking.”

This slogan addressed two key campaign goals: challenging the habitual use of traditional spices to add heat, and presenting Gloria sauce as a magical enhancer, offering smoothness, diverse flavors, and the ability to elevate dish quality.

Visually, instead of exaggerated or symbolic imagery, the campaign featured a clear and tangible depiction — a transparent pot showcasing the entire cooking process. This approach vividly illustrated the moment Gloria sauce was added mid-cooking, making the concept immediately understandable to the audience. This simple yet creative visualization, alongside the impactful slogan, helped reshape consumer perceptions and paved the way for behavioral change.

Targeted Actions

During the execution phase, a series of targeted actions were implemented to shift consumer mindset about Gloria’s usage. A key component was an Instagram contest centered around the official campaign hashtag #جادوی_گلوریا (Gloria’sMagic).

Seventeen influencers from the cooking, lifestyle, and food blogging communities — including Marjan Kia, Pardis Hassani, Narges Dehghani, Roko.show, and Emily — collaborated in creating and sharing video content demonstrating the process of cooking with Gloria sauces. These videos clearly emphasized key messages such as smooth taste, versatility across various dishes (chicken, meat, vegetables), and the ease of use during cooking.

To maximize campaign visibility, 23 popular public pages also participated by sharing diverse posts and stories that reinforced and anchored the campaign’s messages in the audience’s mind.

On Twitter, the campaign launched with a compelling tweet sharing a real-life cooking experience using Gloria sauce. The tweet quickly gained traction through retweets and quotes, generating significant buzz and strengthening the campaign’s presence across social media.

Results

Final evaluation data clearly demonstrated substantial success in achieving the campaign’s objectives, particularly in raising awareness and driving consumer behavior change. The campaign reached a total unique audience of 8,345,000 across all platforms. On Twitter alone, related content amassed over 400,000 impressions, highlighting the campaign’s strong social media impact.

Other notable metrics included an average of 500,000 impressions per story, indicating high visibility. During the campaign, followers grew by 7,569, surpassing the predefined Key Performance Indicator (KPI). Engagement rates surged by 24%, standing 21% above the competitor average, showcasing the campaign’s effectiveness in generating user interaction.

Analysis of these metrics confirms that the campaign successfully shifted consumer perception from viewing Gloria sauce solely as a side condiment to embracing its role as a key ingredient in cooking and marination. This shift in mindset triggered changes in consumption patterns, increasing per capita usage and boosting product sales. The results validate the strategic approach to repositioning the brand as both effective and defensible.

Ultimately, this change in consumer perception opened a new consumption pathway — moving from a condiment used only alongside meals to a multifunctional ingredient integrated into cooking and marination processes.