Bluepill Case study | Kettle & Fire

How Kettle & Fire Validated Packaging Clarity & Consumer Preferences — in real-time with 88% accuracy

Kettle & Fire partnered with BluePill to evaluate packaging clarity, usage perception, and naming preferences using AI-powered consumer simulations. By comparing AI-generated insights with real human survey results, the brand validated that BluePill could predict consumer responses with 88% accuracy—delivering reliable, real-time insights that traditionally take weeks to uncover.

The Goal

Kettle & Fire - the nation’s #1 bone broth brand, trusted for its clean, slow-simmered, functional nutrition.

Understand how consumers perceive a new packaging design direction across first impression, second impression, and naming preference — and validate whether BluePill could accurately predict real human survey results.

The Challenges

Kettle & Fire wanted to evaluate:

How clearly consumers identify the product type at first glance
What usage occasions come to mind immediately
How perceptions evolve with a closer look at the packaging

Which naming convention consumers prefer - and why Traditional research would require multi-stage qualitative and quantitative testing, costing weeks of time and tens of thousands of dollars.The brand needed fast, reliable, human-level insights to guide packaging and naming decisions.

Kettle & Fire wanted to evaluate:

How clearly consumers identify the product type at first glance
What usage occasions come to mind immediately
How perceptions evolve with a closer look at the packaging

Our Solution

AI-Powered First & Second Impression Testing

BluePill simulated real consumer first-glance and closer-look reactions to the new packaging, capturing immediate product identification, perceived use cases, and confidence signals—mirroring how shoppers actually scan shelves.

Usage Occasion & Mental Availability Mapping

Using AI real world data and consumer simulations, BluePill surfaced the cooking occasions, meal contexts, and versatility cues consumers naturally associate with the packaging—revealing whether the design expanded or constrained perceived usage.

Naming Preference & Decision Logic Validation

BluePill tested alternative naming conventions head-to-head, uncovering not just preference rankings, but the underlying decision logic—clarity, familiarity, and ease of shopping—that drives choice at shelf.

2-3 weeks

Time to insights.

<7 mins

Match to real human data

88%

Investments.

“BluePill enabled us to rapidly pressure-test packaging and naming directions with a level of accuracy that typically requires full consumer research. It gave us clarity early enough to make smarter, faster decisions.”

Leah Swalling, Director of Brand Management, Kettle&Fire

Results

Real-World Accuracy Meets AI Speed

Average Accuracy

~88% match to human responses

Rank Order Alignment

8.5/10

Speed

100× faster than human panel

Cost

<$1K

The Impact

With BluePill, Kettle & Fire was able to:

Validate packaging clarity and initial consumer comprehension

Understand what drives confidence, usability, and perceived quality

Confirm which naming direction consumers prefer — and the reasons behind it

Make packaging and positioning decisions with data-backed certainty

Replace multi-week research cycles with insights delivered in minutes

What We Learned

Versatility, a major driver

Versatility is a major driver, as shoppers see the product as a base for multiple meals and cooking styles.

Clear & direct labeling

Clear, direct labeling increases confidence, helping consumers quickly understand use cases and benefits.

Naming conventions

Naming conventions meaningfully affect preference, with shoppers favoring terminology that feels familiar, efficient, and easy to shop for.

Conclusion

BluePill helped Kettle & Fire rapidly validate packaging and naming decisions with unprecedented speed, accuracy, and efficiency.

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