Case study – BRAND – Ancestry
Unlocking new markets for Ancestry
Ancestry had a launch opportunity in eight markets where the appetite for family history and DNA testing was emerging, but where they hadn’t yet shared their story locally. The question was not whether to expand, but how to do it in a way that would resonate.
The challenge: Eight markets. Eight different stories to tell
Family history is deeply personal, and the way people connect with heritage varies greatly across cultures. To expand meaningfully, Ancestry needed to understand whether there was demand in these eight new markets, and also which narrative would connect and why.
What we did: We started with culture, not assumptions
We began with cultural scoping to understand each market’s unique relationship with heritage and identity, followed by qualitative discussions that revealed how families in each territory think, feel and talk about their roots. Findings were shared through a round-the-world sensory workshop and a proposition-development session, shaping market-specific narratives collaboratively. New propositions were tested qualitatively and quantitatively for authenticity.
What we found: Culture shapes the story. The story shapes the market
No two markets told the same story. What drives someone in one country to explore their family history is not what motivates someone in another. The research revealed the distinct cultural narratives that determine how families connect with their heritage, giving Ancestry a clear and confident basis for prioritising launch plans that spoke each market’s language.
The impact: Research that travelled across teams and territories
A final gamified evaluation framework — based on the familiar game Top Trumps — embedded insights across Ancestry’s Insight, Communications and Marketing teams globally, with findings shaping real decisions outside of the presentation deck.
“Magenta displayed an impressive ability to distil vast amounts of market, cultural and brand insight into an easy to understand and apply output, through incredible creativity in our workshops and a mix of traditional and unexpected methods that ensured we always had the key takeouts in an easy to digest format.”
VP of International Marketing, Ancestry
If you’re looking to expand into new markets and need to understand what will resonate with each audience, let’s talk.