The Stretch Sprint

Explore the space. Build the case.
Map your brand’s next move and build the case to make it real.

Use when:  Leadership has asked, “Is this white space real?” and you need to turn a vague ambition into a credible stretch platform with real commercial potential.

What it delivers:

A clear point of view on where and how your brand or category can stretch

Human, cultural and commercial signals to sharpen the case and build belief

A playbook to guide investment decisions or feed into concept development

What is our Stretch Sprint 
Our Stretch Sprint is a strategic deep-dive into the spaces your business into the spaces your business hasn’t yet explored, but could credibly own. It turns big ambition into a clear growth thesis, exploring where you have permission to play and how to build a credible foundation to move forward.

When you need to explore white space with rigour and creativity, this is where we start.

Why now 
Many businesses are under pressure to deliver top-line growth but are hitting the edge of their current footprint. The next horizon might be a new category, a new consumer, or a new benefit space, but too often, these questions stay hypothetical.

This sprint creates the clarity to move:
✓ Is the space real and growing?
✓ Do we have a right to win?
✓ What would it take to succeed?

Without this work, brands risk either missing the moment or stretching too far, too fast. The Stretch Sprint gets to the truth quickly — and builds a plan the business can get behind.

How it works 

There are two ways to run a Stretch Sprint, both grounded in the same strategic foundation.

We explore white space through three critical lenses:

Category, to understand how others are shaping stretch;

Consumer, to decode behaviours, needs and tensions;

Commercial, to test feasibility, traction and right to play.

Some teams prefer to explore all three lenses in parallel, moving faster, but requiring more upfront alignment.

Others prefer a more iterative build, with gates between each phase to assess and redirect. We’ll shape the right structure for your needs, but both paths culminate in a Futures Incubator, where the most credible and compelling stretch platforms are brought together into briefs ready to move forward.

LENS 1: Category
We explore adjacent categories and analogues, uncovering how others have stretched and why it worked. We analyse emerging players, precedent case studies, innovation cues, and start-up activity to define the space.

LENS 2: Consumer
We decode existing behaviours and underlying tensions, looking at what people are already doing, where their needs aren’t fully met, and how your brand could show up in ways that are both relevant and new.

LENS 3: Commercial
We pressure-test the ambition through a commercial lens: Can this stretch scale? Do you have the assets, capabilities, or credibility to win? We layer in feasibility factors, retail dynamics, and broader business fit.

SYNTHESIS 4: Futures Incubator
We synthesise the strongest routes, combining signals from all three lenses into a set of 3–5 stretch platforms, each with a clear behavioural hook, brand right-to-play, and strategic logic. These are packaged into briefs ready for development or sizing.

What you get

3–5 stretch platforms with behavioural, cultural and commercial backing

A clear articulation of your brand’s Right to Win

A strategic framing of the opportunity that aligns internal stakeholders

Springboards and briefs ready to move into development or sizing

What makes it Butterfly? 
We don’t chase trends. We decode them.
We don’t ask if you could stretch. We help you decide if you should.

Our team brings strategic precision, creative provocation, and behavioural insight into one joined-up process. With a multi-market view and access to expert voices, we make sure your stretch strategy doesn’t just look good on paper, but that it lands with conviction.

Examples: