According to the CSIRO we need more protein in our diets. Quite a bit more actually, an increase of 50% over previous recommendations which means that 1.2 – 1.6 grams of protein per kilo of bodyweight is the optimal amount*.

As this protein trend gains momentum, food manufacturers globally are working out how to capitalise on sales opportunities.

Roar Protein is one of those companies. Their new protein product is a plastic wrapped serve of processed meat, cheese and nuts that promises to “Fuel your day”. Falling short in the imagination and health stakes, we wonder what prompted this ‘solution’ to the protein-deficient market. It feels like a company trying to find a way to link to a piece of health advice yet failing to anchor into a customer need.

Maybe Roar Protein will hit the mark but we don’t think so. It is unclear what customer pain point this new product idea is solving.

One of the reviews gives us a hint of what they are trying to do when it says: ‘If you’re tired of powders, drinks, and sugary snack bars, then why not give Roar Protein a red hot go’.

But how does a processed food product with high sodium, saturated fat and calories be considered the solution to that problem?

This kind of product launch reeks of company-led revenue needs with no basis on a customer pain point. If the company had engaged in some customer conversations prior to launching, they may have rethought their offering. Without proper consideration given to customer needs or pain points, the risk of product failure is unsurprisingly high.

George Castellion & Stephen K. Markham’s empirical study reports that about 40% of new products launched to the market fail. Why? Because:

• Inadequate customer research • Lack of true customer benefit • No clear product differentiation • Poor design and execution • Lack of effective product marketing

From our point of view, Roar Protein has jumped on the protein wagon and it’s certainly not the first brand to do so. We wish they had come to us and we could have connected them to potential customers, organised their conversation sessions, delivered a scientifically designed Conversation Guide and helped them order their insights in a meaningful way. A proper discovery process would have made this product launch 1000 times more successful.