Thursday, July 22, 2010
The premium food marketers that are approaching programming for iPad apps differently than iPhone apps are achieving a ‘Wow!’ factor.
Kraft Foods recently unveiled “Big Fork, Little Fork,” an iPad app that is targeting young parents and kids with information on healthy eating.
The iPad provides a wider canvas, which will include how-to videos, educational games and basic skills for kids in the kitchen, as well as recipes.
Kraft, with Meredith, has created content specifically for this platform.
– Advertising Age
By utilizing the larger screen space and incorporating video, iPad app developers are using the tool to its full potential to engage users.
“IPad lends itself to brand content if content makes sense for that brand,” said Derek Handley co-founder and CEO of Hyperfactory. “It’s different from business as usual. It’s the intersection of new-content development, product development and designing the user interface and how the consumer interacts.”
Have you marketed an app specifically for iPad? If so, what were your top priorities or concerns in using the new platform?
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Labels: advertising, Apple, iPad, iPhone, Kraft, marketing premium food, Mobile Marketing, Premium Food, Smartphone, social media, Stephan & Brady
Monday, July 19, 2010
Warning. Parts of this blog post are bound to get stuck in your head. That’s what a good advertising jingle does, after all.
Forbes magazine recently evaluated the best advertising jingles in history and premium food brands are well represented on the list.
Some of the tunes that made the cut include:
Coca-Cola: “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke”
Oscar Mayer: “I Wish I Were an Oscar Mayer Wiener”
McDonald’s: “Two All-Beef Patties”
Dr. Pepper: “Wouldn’t You Like to be a Pepper Too”
Campbell’s Soup: “M’m M’m Good”
I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke on YouTube
Go here to view the entire selection.
Jingles aren’t just a catchy tune to make your commercials fun. They can help differentiate your brand and improve product recall at point of purchase. How many of our female readers have had trouble remembering which mascara you wanted to buy only to recall that “Maybe you’re born with it. Maybe it’s…Maybelline.”
At Stephan & Brady, we understand the lasting power of a good jingle. Many of you in the upper Midwest might recognize the Auto Glass Specialists ditty:
“We’re the guys in the little red trucks”
What you may not know is that S&B is responsible for that jingle. We created it in the mid ‘80s and are pretty proud of the long and memorable run it’s had.
Are there any jingles other than those on the Forbes list that stand out in your memory? What about the Oscar Mayer B-O-L-O-G-N-A song? Or the Almond Joy vs. Mounds tune?
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Labels: advertising, advertising jingles, auto glass specialists, guys in the little red trucks, marketing premium food, Premium Food, Stephan & Brady
Friday, July 16, 2010
A good premium food marketer will have a crisis communications plan at hand for any potential emergency. But, how many have a social media crisis communications plan ready?
A social media strategy is not complete without a crisis communications plan. Before a social media strategy is implemented, it is important to review and modify an organization’s existing crisis communications plan; or if needed, draft a comprehensive crisis communications plan.
Social media not only presents new risks or threats that an organization needs to consider, it also introduces new ways to listen to conversations and respond to potential crisis situations.
Mashable recently reported on a new scam hitting Facebook that targeted Coca-Cola.
The scam promises to show you a video revealing the “truth” about Coca-Cola, but all it’s really after is your personal info.
The message reads: “I am part of the 98.0% of people that are NEVER gonna drink Coca Cola again after this HORRIFIC video,” followed by a link.
If you click on the link, you’ll be asked to share the video seven times. However, the counter doesn’t work, so eventually you’ll be tempted to click on a link that says “Cant Be Bothered To Wait? –> Click Here To Skip This.”
The second link takes you to a poll, which — you guessed it — is the central part of the scam. It asks you for personal information you should definitely not reveal to just anyone or any application.
As the interactive and social world continues to evolve, it is imperative that your organization has a plan of action ready for any potential emergencies. Have you implemented a social media crisis communications plan?
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Labels: coca cola, crisis communications, Facebook, marketing premium food, PR, Premium Food, public relations, social media, Stephan & Brady
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Being on-trend is important to premium food marketers – we’ve talked quite a bit about the latest trends. But salmon-flavored vodka? The Alaska Distillery in Wasilla, AK (the Wasilla of Sarah Palin fame) has infused the savory flavor of smoked salmon into the vodka.
Toby Foster, an Alaska Distillery partner and the one charged with coming up with new Alaskan-themed flavors, claims that the intent behind the flavor was to market a local vodka which would stand out among the numerous other bottles on the liquor store shelves.
“I was trying to think of something Alaskan. What’s more Alaskan than smoked salmon? It was one of those epiphanies, I suppose,” he said. – MSN
Convenience, another perennial customer favorite has led to the Candwich – a sandwich in a can.
While the peanut butter-and-jelly options seem at least edible, the BBQ chicken and soon-to-be-released cheeseburger varieties seem…less so. As reported by Eater.com, “Although it’s targeting the pre-school, camping, and construction worker demographic, it seems more like a novelty or a military ration than something anyone would actually eat on a regular basis.”
Are companies using a little too much innovation to market their premium food? Or, are they recognizing the need for super niche products in an effort to stand out? I’ll let you try both of the products listed in this blog and take your word for it. Please be sure to post your experience with your next salmontini or canned sandwich in the comments.
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Labels: advertising, Candwich, eater.com, food trends, marketing premium food, Packaging, Premium Food, salmon vodka, sandwich in a can, Stephan & Brady
Friday, July 2, 2010
As food trends continue to evolve, so do consumers’ demand for flavor – and plenty of it. Premium food marketers may find success by tapping into the growing request for bold, daring flavor combinations.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the current flavor boom is a big change for a nation known for its mashed potatoes, chicken sticks, macaroni and cheese and other unadventurous fare. It’s a reversal that has been building since processed food first began to drown out regional cuisines during World War II, food historians say. Another contributing factor is the growing interest in ethnic cuisines. As the global stage continues to become smaller and more diverse, Americans are much more adventurous with their dining selections.
Some examples of food companies embracing the flavor explosion include:
- Seasoning company McCormick & Co. Inc. says Americans now keep an average of 40 different spices, a figure that has grown roughly twice as fast in the past two decades as it did in the previous 30 years.
- PepsiCo Inc.’s Frito-Lay brand recently introduced Doritos chip flavors labeled First-, Second- and Third-Degree Burn, made with jalapeno, buffalo and habanero flavors.
- Gum-maker Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. is using technologies such as the textured crystals it calls Micro-Bursts to deliver a more intense flavor as well as new sweeteners to make flavors last longer.
“Consumers expect more from a flavor. It’s kind of like moving from regular TV to high-def TV,” says Stephen Kalil, corporate executive research chef at Frito-Lay’s Culinary Innovation Center.
Do you think Americans’ need to spice things up will eventually result in a desensitization to natural flavors? Is there really too much of a good thing when it comes to flavorful foods?
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Labels: food trends, marketing premium food, Premium Food, Stephan & Brady
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Want to add some punch to your lunch? Stephan & Brady is offering a free 30-minute consultation to help you deal with the tricky marketing issues or questions you just can’t seem to solve.
Through December 2010, we’ll bring one session every other month to our blog readers. Topics will vary from social and interactive media to public relations and design. While we’ll provide a topic for each session, we are open to discussing an issue that’s a hot button for you. We’re leaving the lines of communication open because It’s Your Call.
The best part? It really is free – no sales pitches, no gimmicks – just honest-to-goodness advice. The only thing we ask is that you leave a comment in this post letting us know why your company is the best candidate for the phone consultation. We’ll pick one winner at random from the responses. No need to enter more than once. You can provide a name and email and we’ll let you know you’ve won, or we’ll announce the winner based on their comment “handle,” in which case you’ll need to check back and email us with your info.
We’ll probably summarize the consultation into a blog post so everyone can benefit, but you can remain anonymous if you like.
Our first session will take place on Wednesday, August 4 over the lunch hour (or whatever timeframe best suits your needs). We’ll be taking submissions for this session today through July 23 and will select the first participant on July 28. Our first topic is “Does online advertising work for B2B?” But remember, if there is something else you’d really like to discuss, we’re open to that as well.
We’re excited to share our collective wisdom and look forward to stimulating conversation and interaction. Comment away, and good luck!
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Labels: advertising, Advertising Agency, marketing, PR, public relations, S&B, social media, Stephan & Brady, Stephan and Brady
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Everyone knows pork is “The Other White Meat,” but is it the only other white meat? According to the National Pork Board, it is.
The board, which consists of members appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture, recently sent a “cease-and-desist” letter to ThinkGeek.com regarding an obviously fictitious product called ‘Radiant Farms Canned Unicorn Meat’ and the use of the slogan ‘Unicorn – the new white meat.’
Of course, consumers can’t purchase this product from ThinkGeek. It’s part of an April Fool’s joke the site concocted earlier this year.
“It was never our intention to cause a national crisis and misguide American citizens regarding the differences between the pig and the unicorn,” deadpanned Scott Kauffman, president and chief executive of Geeknet, the site’s parent company. “In fact, ThinkGeek’s canned unicorn meat is sparkly, a bit red and not approved by any government entity.” – via the Washington Post
The real question here is to what extent brands should go to in order to protect their identity. It is understandable that the National Pork Board wants to preserve their brand and all trademarked materials that are a part of that. . . .but, unicorn? Really?
Do you agree with the Board’s decision to take legal action or should they have stepped back and let this one slide due to the nature of the contested material? What does a story like this do their reputation?
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Labels: April Fools Day, marketing premium food, National Pork Board, Premium Food, public relations, Stephan & Brady, ThinkGee.com, unicorn meat
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
According to a July 2009 report by Mintel, 52% of the general population is dining out less because of the economy. This presents an opportunity for premium food marketers to bring their message to the place where Americans are dining: their homes.
Here’s an out-of-the-box idea for reaching these in-home diners: cookbooks. In today’s digital world, you might be surprised to learn that many people still use printed cookbooks.
In a recent Better Homes & Gardens study, cookbooks ranked as the #1 resource women turn to for recipes, with 66% of total U.S. women and 91% of BHG readers selecting this option.
In addition, cookbooks took the #1 spot for quality of recipes – 84% of total U.S. women and 97% of BHG readers rated it the best source.
An excellent example of how to market your premium food with a cookbook is The Great Big Cheese Cookbook:
Authored by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (disclaimer: they are a client), the book features more than 300 recipes all containing the most essential ingredient: Wisconsin Cheese.
Does your premium food product lend itself to a cookbook? What are some of your personal favorites?
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Labels: cheese, cookbooks, food trends, marketing premium food, Mintel, Premium Food, recipes, Stephan & Brady, Wisconsin Cheese, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board
