Nobody wakes up in the morning craving a bar of soap. Soap, shampoo, deodorant—none of it is about the product itself. What people are really buying is a moment of reassurance: I look pulled together, I smell fresh, and I don’t come across like a total hot mess.
This is where the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework at The Sound changes the game. Brands love to talk about “features” (moisturizing, exfoliating, sulfate-free) or “categories” (body wash vs. bar soap). But people aren’t shopping categories—they’re solving problems. They’re “hiring” your product to do a job in their lives.
In this case? The job isn’t “get clean.” It’s “when I have a chaotic morning and I need to look/feel like I have it together so people don’t think I’m a hot mess.
Think about it:
- Soap competes with a shower mist that gives a quick mood reset.
- Dry shampoo competes with a hat that hides unwashed hair.
- A 5-in-1 body wash competes with the fantasy of sleeping 20 extra minutes.
That’s the power of JTBD. It bubbles up the truth—your competitors aren’t just in your aisle. They’re anything that satisfies the same motivation.
When we applied this thinking in beauty and personal care, the insights were eye-opening. People weren’t saying, “I need better lather.” They were saying, “I need to walk into my meeting and feel like I don’t look like I sprinted there.” Big difference.
The beauty of JTBD is that it cuts through the grime. It gives you the language of real human motivations—the why behind the buy. And once you see your brand this way, you can’t unsee it.
So, the next time someone tells you they’re selling soap, remind them: you’re not selling soap. You’re selling “I’m not a hot mess.” And that’s a job worth doing.
Written By:
Allison Von Borstel
Allison is a strategic storyteller who has spent the past decade using quantitative and qualitative research methods to uncover human stories and truths that fuel strategy. Her strength is efficiently sifting through data and drawing out compelling narratives. Her background is rooted in economics, and she comes to The Sound after earning a graduate degree from the University of Chicago and working in data, policy, and diplomacy. When she's not driving growth for clients, she's teaching debate or climbing fake rocks.
More by this author
