Elephant Atta
Blind diary study with various atta brands
challenge
Elephant Atta wanted to benchmark its product against leading competitors through a real-life, blind product test. The aim was to understand how consumers, primarily new settlers in the UK, experience different flour brands during regular chapati preparation at home, and how Elephant Atta compares across key stages such as kneading, cooking, and taste.
OUR APPROACH
We ran a 2-week fully blind usage diary with participants from diverse South Asian backgrounds across key UK cities. Each person tested three anonymised atta samples and shared their experiences via WhatsApp and digital surveys, covering everything from preparation to taste and storage. Rich media (photos, videos, quotes) brought these moments to life. As it was fully anonymized – neither us, nor the client research team had any clue on the actual brands tested – this made it unbiased.
THE INSIGHT
People’s everyday cooking habits show small but important details that formal tests can miss. Things like how the flour feels, how easy it is to work with, and how family members react to the final meal all play a big role in brand choice. Softness, ease of kneading, how well the chapatis puff up, and how the dough or rotis are stored for later use also matter to users. Interestingly, many people couldn’t tell a big difference between the top brands based on performance. This means brands can stand out by connecting emotionally or fitting better into people’s daily lives.
THE IMPACT
The study provided Elephant Atta with honest, real-world feedback on how their product performs in comparison to others. The insights will help shape future product positioning, communication, and innovation strategies, grounded in how people actually cook and consume atta at home.
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