TURF Analysis: Reach more people with less effort

Ever feel like you're juggling too many products, channels or messages and still not reaching enough people? You’re not alone. Whether you’re launching a new product or planning a campaign, you want to make smart choices that get the most reach with the least waste.

That’s where TURF analysis comes in.

TURF is a powerful (but often underused) tool in market research. It helps you figure out which combination of offerings (whether that’s flavors, features or media channels) will give you the broadest possible reach without hitting the same people over and over again.

In this blog, I’ll cover what TURF analysis is, how it works, the benefits and limitations to know about, tools to help you get started and more. 

Let’s dive in.

TURF stands for Total Unduplicated Reach and Frequency. It’s a research technique used to figure out the best combination of items to reach the largest number of unique people. The key word here is unduplicated. Unlike simple reach metrics, TURF looks at how many different people you’ll reach without hitting the same folks twice.

This approach is especially useful when you're working with limited resources, whether you're choosing a subset of products to launch, or picking media channels for an ad campaign. Ultimately, it helps you find the “sweet spot” combination that covers the most ground.

Why marketers and researchers use TURF

At its core, TURF helps you make more strategic, data-backed decisions. It’s most commonly used to achieve these three things:

1. Maximize product or feature coverage in launches

2. Build efficient media plans that avoid wasted impressions

3. Tailor campaigns to reach diverse segments without overlap

When used correctly, TURF analysis can add a ton of value. Here are a few ways it helps teams work smarter:

• Smarter resource allocation – Identifies the best-performing options without spending on redundancies.

• Better ROI – Delivers more value by reaching a broader audience with fewer items or channels.

• Clear prioritization – Makes confident, data-informed decisions when you can't do everything at once.

• Scalability – Scales to fit, whether you’re optimizing 5 flavors or 50 digital placements.

Of course, no method is perfect. TURF analysis has a few watchouts:

• It all depends on good data. If your survey data is biased or poorly structured, your TURF results won’t be reliable.

• It’s best used with other methods. TURF shows reach, not depth. It won’t tell you how persuasive or engaging your options are, just how many people they’ll reach. Pair it with segmentation, conjoint or creative testing for a fuller picture.

It can oversimplify. TURF’s focus on maximum reach might ignore niche segments or high-value audiences. Keep your overall strategy in mind when making decisions.

TURF analysis evaluates different combinations of items to see which ones reach the largest number of unique consumers. For example, if you're launching a snack line with 10 flavors, TURF helps you figure out which 3 or 4 flavors to prioritize to appeal to the broadest possible audience.

It works by modeling:

• Reach: How many people say they would consider at least one item in the set

• Unduplicated reach: Removing overlap, so each person is only counted once

• Frequency (optional): How often those reached are exposed to the set

Industries where TURF is often used

• Consumer packaged goods (CPG) and Quick service restaurants (QSR): Optimizing product portfolios (like flavors, sizes or variants)

• Media and advertising: Choosing the most efficient media mix

• Product launches: Finding the best combination of features or bundles

Here’s a simple breakdown of how a typical TURF study works:

Step 1: Define your objective First, ask yourself: What decision are you trying to make? For example: “Which five features should we include in our premium plan?” or “Which three media channels should we invest in?”

Step 2: Collect your data Use surveys or past behavior data. Survey respondents might be shown a list of options and asked which ones they’d buy, use or consider.

Step 3: Analyze combinations A TURF model tests various combinations and calculates how many unique people each combination would reach.

Step 4: Apply the insights Use the top-performing combos to guide your product, marketing or media decisions — always with an eye on feasibility and cost.

Here’s a few quick takes on where TURF analysis can come in handy across several scenarios, regardless of industry: 

Marketing and advertising

Need to choose five channels from a list of ten? TURF helps you pick the ones that, together, reach the most people without hitting the same audience twice.

Product development

If you're launching new products or bundling features, TURF helps you identify the right mix that appeals to the widest base, without overcomplicating your portfolio.

Media planning

When planning ad spend across TV, digital, print and social, TURF shows you where you’ll get the most new eyes, not just more impressions.

While it may seem like quite an undertaking to get started, you don’t need to build a TURF model from scratch. There are several platforms that offer it out of the box. Here are a few options:

• Zappi – Offers TURF as part of its product and creative testing suite, in addition other methods like segmentation, conjoint and creative testing for a fuller picture; ultimately making it fast and easy to test ideas with real consumers.

“A big benefit of the platform is being able to look back and see what worked and what didn't and theme the learning to focus on better product options in the future. We have learnings we can now apply and get smarter.”

- Amanda Addison, Senior Manager, US Menu Insights, McDonald’s

• Sawtooth Software – Advanced, flexible modeling platform that includes TURF among other analytics tools like max diff and conjoint.

• SPSS (IBM) – Offers a TURF module, best suited for more technical researchers or teams with data science support.

• Alchemer – A user-friendly survey platform with data export options that integrate well with custom TURF tools.

What to look for in a TURF tool

There are a number of things to consider whenever you’re integrating a new tool or method into your process. Here are the top three things to keep in mind here: 

1. Can it handle the number of items you’re testing?

2. Does it offer clear visuals and easily exportable results?

3. Does it integrate with your existing survey or insights platform?

Now that we’ve covered how TURF analysis works and some tools to help you get started, let’s dig into some real world examples. 

Check out examples from familiar brand names who’ve leaned on TURF analysis for some of their big ideas:

Frito-Lay

When Frito-Lay was expanding its variety pack offerings, the brand needed to decide which snack combinations would appeal to the widest range of households. 

Using TURF analysis, they identified the optimal mix of flavors that minimized overlap in preference and maximized household appeal. The result? A refreshed lineup that increased penetration and reduced inventory complexity across retailers.

McDonald’s

During limited-time offer planning, McDonald’s has used TURF-style analysis to identify the menu items that would drive the greatest total reach without cannibalizing core items. 

For example, when selecting which McCafé beverages or new breakfast items to promote, the company applied this approach to target unique consumer groups without over-serving the same customers.

“At McDonald’s, Zappi Early Concept has been implemented as a ‘must do’ before an idea can be advanced into development. Strategically, our teams are hungry for focus and if there is an idea that isn’t worth moving forward – they just want to know that sooner to avoid timelining, and making commitments with supply change. For us, it’s very appealing to know that we are focusing on the right ideas earlier in the process.”

- Amanda Harvey, Manager Front-End Innovation Innovation Consumer Insights McDonald’s

Nestlé

Nestlé uses TURF analysis to evaluate product bundles in its global portfolio, especially in emerging markets. In one case, the brand was determining the optimal set of nutritional supplement products to offer in India. TURF helped identify the right mix of SKUs to cover the largest number of households without overwhelming shelf space or distribution systems.

Coca-Cola

In its retail execution planning, Coca-Cola applied TURF analysis and AI to understand which product combinations (e.g., Coke, Sprite, Fanta, zero-sugar options) should be stocked together in vending machines or small-format stores. The goal: maximize reach with limited shelf space and reduce duplication among overlapping drink buyers.

TURF analysis is one of those behind-the-scenes tools that can have a major impact on marketing and business decisions. It’s not flashy, but it’s smart. And in today’s data-driven world, that’s what matters.

When used thoughtfully, TURF helps you reach more of the right people with fewer resources. It keeps campaigns focused, product lines efficient and media spend effective.

If you’re not already using TURF in your research stack, now might be the time to start. Whether you’re optimizing product portfolios, ad campaigns and more, TURF can help you make confident, data-backed decisions that move your business forward.