Archive for the ‘Food & Nutrition’ Category

CRAVE blog: Sweet vs Savory,Who beat the buzzer?

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

Eloise Longobardi

“I don’t really like food.” – Have you ever heard someone say that? I sure haven’t! I definitely enjoy a good meal, but would I consider myself a “foodie” or someone with a “well developed palette?” – Absolutely not! Therefore being a judge in our March HomeMadeness competition was a perfect afternoon event to be a part of. The annual MSL New York event isn’t about the newest, trendiest flavors and combinations, but rather about comfort food with a twist. It’s about introducing family and personal favorites to the office to see who tops the competition for a year’s worth of bragging rights.

I had the privilege of tasting Courtney Ryder’s “Cheesy Cha Cha Chicken Enchiladas” vs. Ali Tadeu’s “Tadeu’s Titillating Truffles” in the first round and then Guinevere Habersham’s “Sweet ‘n Savory Chili” vs. Niki Chakravarthy’s “Spiked Nutella Zucotto” in the second round.  About 9 out of 10 times I will pick savory over sweet but for this match-up I picked 1 and 1 – I’ll let you make the decision on which ones I picked as a winner.

I will tell you that I appreciated the simplicity of these recipes. One’s that you can make for dinner quickly but still fill up your belly while satisfying your taste buds. I think it’s important to take ideas and make them your own – you don’t have to follow the rules all the time and things don’t have to be perfect to be good.

In the end, Niki Chakravarthy’s Spiked Nutella Zucotto and Courtney Ryder’s Cheesy Cha Cha Chicken Enchiladas took the honors in this round, and were then pitted against one another in the semi-finals. Ultimately, sweet took top honors with the Nutella Zucotto not only trumping the enchiladas, but against Brian William’s Hoagie Dip in the final as well! While the savory dishes more than held their own with comforting flavors and flawless presentation, the rich, choclatey dish prevailed as the Grand Champion.

It was fascinating to learn about where these recipes came from – were they family secrets passed down from generation to generation? Maybe just ideas they came up with themselves? Or were they just a go-to meal for their family? No matter what the reason they all took time, effort and some creativity but in the end they were all just, simply put, really good! They were all foods I would make at home and serve to my husband. Nothing was too over the top and they could all be made with stuff I already have in my kitchen.

In my opinion cooking a good meal doesn’t have to involve a ton of pots and pans or loads of ingredients you can’t pronounce – it could even come right out of a box. A good meal is one that you take pride in, have a couple laughs over while eating and doesn’t include any leftovers. I can say for sure that there were no leftovers from what I tasted at the 2012 MSL March HomeMadeness!

Eloise Longobardi is an Account Executive at MSL New York working on P&G’s Family Care brands – including  Bounty paper towels, Puffs facial tissues and Charmin toilet paper. With six years of experience in non-profit and consumer public relations, Eloise has developed expertise in the men’s and women’s lifestyle categories.

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CRAVE Blog: Roman Meal Company’s Whole Grain Challenge: A 100 Year Old Brand Finds Old Friends Online

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012

A family owned company based in Tacoma, WA, Roman Meal Company makes Roman Meal Original bread, a whole grain product that many baby boomers know and love. Steeped in heritage and family tradition, consumers view Roman Meal as “the bread your mom gave you” — wholesome, hearty, a tasty treat. Despite a loyal base of consumers, Roman Meal experienced a decline in product availability and sales during the 1980s and 1990s. As a result, many consumers lost sight of the nearly 100 year old brand. Our challenge: generate awareness for Roman Meal while reconnecting and engaging with lapsed users.

Since 2009, our method for connecting with consumers has been almost exclusively digital. While online and social media marketing are ubiquitous today, our recommendation to go digital was a departure for Roman Meal, especially given their target audience: health conscious women, age 50 and older. We held fast to our strategy because boomer internet and social media usage was on the rise. According to a Pew Internet & American Life Project study in May 2011, 32% of internet users ages 50 – 64 used social networking sites on a typical day, up from just 20% in 2010.

Over the last few years, our approach to digital outreach has included email marketing, online advertising and promotions (sweepstakes, coupons, etc.). We have had success with all of these tactics, but our strongest engagement tool continues to be our Facebook community. We started the page on behalf of Roman Meal in fall 2009. Thanks to a savvy social media strategy and a creative and enticing promotions schedule (which included our Whole Grain Challenge Sweepstakes, a promotion that invited consumers to pledge to eat more whole grains in exchange for a sweepstakes entry), the Roman Meal Facebook page now has over 55,000 Likes (and growing!). Our community is in line with the target audience — 74% are female, 45+ — and we continue to generate high levels of engagement.

How did we do it? Success in social media is never an exact science, but each of the following contributed to our growth:

Consistent voice – A consistent, genuine brand voice is key. Authentic brands stand out from the crowd.
Relevant content – Know your audience and what they care about. We identified topics relevant to our health conscious, female audience and tailored content — posts, images, videos, articles, etc. — to fit within these themes.
Offers – It’s a well-known fact that consumers interact with brands on social media for access to exclusive offers and discounts. We provided incentives while telling the Roman Meal story. Everyone wins!
Traffic drivers – If people can’t find you, it doesn’t matter how great your content is. We leveraged the Roman Meal consumer database and several types of banner ads to drive people to our community. In 2012, we’re using branded events to direct consumers to our online initiatives as well.

Natalie Kenna is a Senior Account Executive at Publicis Consultants USA, where she is responsible for driving social media, online marketing, event planning and media outreach for Roman Meal Company. With several years of digital experience, she knows how to seamlessly integrate social media into the overall marketing plan. Natalie has coordinated and managed programs for technology, non-profit and consumer goods clients: Roman Meal, XANGO, Microsoft and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Contact her at natalie.kenna@publicisconsultants.com and follow her @NatalieKenna.

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Social media: redefining our relationships with food

Friday, April 13th, 2012

Publicis Consultants USA's Steve Bryant

The Hartman Group's Laurie Demeritt

Social media has changed how Americans cook, shop, plan meals and share culinary secrets. However, it’s not enough for brands to simply build legions of followers or make a presence in social spaces. For long-term payoff, brands should instead take cues from how we develop and cultivate these personal relationships.

By Steve Bryant and Laurie Demeritt

Study results show almost half of consumers are now learning about food via social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, and 40% are learning via websites, apps or blogs.  A new online culture of food has profound implications for how marketers can use social and digital media to build meaningful and profitable relationships. Our joint study “Clicks & Cravings: The Impact of Social Technology on Food Culture,” found that social and digital media is now replacing mom as the go-to culinary source.   Consumers search online for what to cook, without ever tasting or smelling.  As a result, digital food selection is becoming less of a sensory experience and more of a visual and rational process. In the past, when consumers listened to the opinions of a few trusted sources — mom, as well as other family members — in deciding what to buy, cook or eat, modern consumers “crowdsource” the opinions of many before deciding what to buy.

Social media, a mealtime companion

What’s more, the infiltration of social media into the food experience goes far beyond purchasing and preparing food; it now includes the meal experience as well.  While eating or drinking at home, nearly one-third of Americans use social networking sites. Among Millennials (18-34 years old), this figure jumps to 47%. The “table for one” rarely exists anymore, even among single people eating alone at home. If you’re eating solo, chances are you’re also texting friends who live miles away or posting food photos to a review site.

Fundamental changes in food culture

Social media changes food culture by influencing how consumers think about, talk about and experience food. With the clicks of our fingers, social media alters the entire lifecycle of a meal from planning, to buying, to cooking, to eating.  As consumers use social media to discover, learn, and share information about food, they quickly become more active participants in food culture. They look to bloggers and the opinions of others online to expand their culinary horizons and make purchase decisions. Today’s consumers increasingly prefer to learn about products based on the experiences of “people like me,” rather than directly from brands. Social media allows them to do this with ease.  Social media engages consumers in a constant conversation. However, they must do much of their socializing alone, in front of a computer or in the palm of their hand. This leaves consumers craving contact with real people, even if virtually. For consumers to take notice, companies must use social media to communicate in ways that are authentic and personable. The good news is that when used correctly, social media is an excellent tool for companies to build personal and lasting relationships with their customers.

Traditional resources still relevant

This media transformation has taken years to evolve and it remains in flux. When asked if they spend more time reading about food from print or online sources, 46% of online consumers said they spent more time engaged online, as opposed to 31% who said they’re equally engaged with both online and print. While 31% say they are inspired by food shows they watch on TV, 25% are inspired by recipe websites or phone apps, and 17% are inspired by restaurant review websites or phone apps. Pointing to the future, Millennials now regard online media resources as their most valued sources of food inspiration— more than print (such as magazines or cookbooks) and food TV shows.

Consumers look to public communities

Some online food behaviors are less personal and therefore brands have more direct access to their food choices. For example, 47% say they’ve searched for online/digital coupons/specials, while 42% say they’ve consulted online recipes before shopping. Brands can also be encouraged that consumers are open to better and more highly specialized tools for shopping and meal planning. Moms, primary cooks and shoppers want easy-to-use apps that can make shopping, meal planning and saving money easier for them.

Influence is personal

But brand influence goes only so far. People look to stylish people, not stylish brands for food and lifestyle advice. Today’s consumers want to hear from people who eat and cook food more than they want to hear from the entities who sell. They follow people on Twitter, become friends on Facebook and read blogs of people with authentic voices, sincere posts, and meaningful content. Marketers will do well to recognize the limits of their direct influence in social media. They will succeed best by operating synergistically as part of the social culture of food and beverage online. Consumers are willing to engage with food brands and companies in this space, but only if the interaction promises to enrich their lives in some tangible way, whether through useful information, money saving deals or entertainment.  While an exceptional product and a great deal will initially attract consumers to you, this is only the starting point of a truly meaningful social media relationship.  To leverage the opportunities offered by this evolving platform, food and beverage brands must also: craft a distinct online personality, enlist the support of other authentic social media voices, reflect their customers’ values, reveal their true personalities and be generous and humorous. Even with small changes in approach, companies can better use social media as a tool to create more personable relationships with consumers.  That said, major gains may require a fundamental rethink about how consumers are willing to interact with brands online over the long term.

Steve Bryant is President of Publicis Consultants USA. Laurie Demeritt is President and COO at The Hartman Group. Bryant and Demeritt collaborated on the study, “Clicks & Cravings: The Impact of Social Technology on Food Culture.” To obtain the complete study, contact blaine@hartman-group.com

See the post in O’Dwyer’s March issue here

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Food Brands Have Seen A Seismic Shift In Consumption Influencers: Steve Bryant, President, Publicis Consultants USA

Monday, March 5th, 2012

Publicis Consultants USA, a food & nutrition marketing agency under MSLGROUP, recently co-produced a report on how social and digital media are replacing mom as the go-to culinary source of knowledge for many people.

Called ‘Clicks & Cravings: The Impact of Social Technology on Food Culture’, the study was jointly developed and conducted by consumer research firm The Hartman Groupand Publicis Consultants USA. The Hartman Group is a provider of global research on consumer culture, behaviors and demand and a leading advisor on market strategy.

Here are some more fascinating bites from the study:

  • While eating or drinking at home, nearly one-third of Americans use social networking sites. Among “Millennials” (18-32 years old), this figure jumps to 47 percent.
  • Almost half of American consumers learn about food via social networking sites, such as Twitter and Facebook

The Clicks & Cravings study also offers several lessons for food and grocery brands developing digital campaigns across the world. It’s no longer enough for food and grocery brands simply to be present in the virtual space or build up legions of followers.

In a quick tete-a-tete with us, Steve Bryant, President of Publicis Consultants USA shared his expert opinion on the trends in the sector, challenges faced by brands, how they can tackle the different types of consumers and influencers that the study has identified and some very interesting examples of food brands that are finding new life in digital and social media.

What are the broad trends in digital media strategies adopted by food and grocery brands this year?

Far and away, the biggest movement has been the rush to befriend vast legions of consumers for brand Facebook pages. Brands are now working to make these “friends” into more than discount or prize seekers.

Brands also continue to court influencers to speak for their brand innovations – those influencers are increasingly online, yet often reaching their audiences both online and offline media. Above all, the smarter brands are developing a conversation calendar so they always have something great to talk about and socialize.

What are the primary challenges that food and grocery brands face when it comes to digital campaigns?

Brands need to understand how to use the medium with greater finesse. Consumers are happy to get deals or recipes from brands, but those are not great relationship and preference builders. In social media in particular, consumers prefer relationships with real people. Corporations and brands do not qualify, with some exceptions. At a minimum, they need to adapt a human voice. Better yet, they can have real people within the company represent it to consumers, or work with credible third-party personalities as proxies or endorsers.

Please share with our readers the reason behind conducting the study ‘Clicks & Cravings: The Impact of Social Technology on Food Culture’.

We knew that digital and social media would change food culture — we want to know what how much and how fast. The extent of the change was startling, and the implications profound. For food and beverage marketers, the Holy Grail is in understanding what motivates each consumption occasion.

We’ll look back in ten years and recognize this as a seismic shift in consumption influencers.

What are the key takeaways from the study for brands?

It’s a long list, but here are two: Smaller brands are being empowered to rise quickly with a great story but with minimal marketing investments. That doesn’t mean they can reach scale, but they can take the luster off big brands and make them seem lumbering, staid and uninventive by comparison.

The pace of change and rapid opinion shifts made possible by online media are also rendering annual planning cycles quaintly antique. Brands need to start managing online opinion and discussion, much as financial managers monitor the stock market.

The study talks about different types of users – Spectators, Dreamers and Doers – tell us more about them and what is the ideal mix of these users from a brand’s perspective?

All three have an important role to play and they work synergistically. Brands will succeed when they craft an approach that motivates all types of users. “Spectators” use social media as an extension of their network of friends, family and peers. They use social media for product reviews, recipes and good deals. Brands need to design content that appeals to and motivates this group to purchase more.

“Dreamers” curate and push food related content through social networks. They aspire to have larger followings and more influence than they currently do. Brands that make content irresistibly share-able will motivate this group to light a fire among their friends. Brands can also partner with Dreamers to help them build an audience while romancing the brand.

“Doers” are the most engaged of the lot. They are the core of food and social media, and create content that inspires followers. Brands should treat the Doers as they would journalists and columnists. They have acquired the same level of influence – and in some cases, more – because they are trusted to speak from the heart, rather than as the employee of a media empire.

Please share examples of food or grocery brands that have adopted such an approach and the results.

Coke does a great job. In fact, if you want to find leaders in this space, look to brands that court Millennials - they have the most urgent imperative to invest in digital channels and social media share of voice.

That said, when we look back in five years, we’ll recognize that even the more socially advanced brands are still in the infancy stage.

Some of my favorite and most inspiring examples are brands like King Arthur Flour and Roman Meal Bread – these are very old brands that are finding new life in digital and social media. We work with Roman Meal, a whole grain sliced bread targeted at women over 45 years – not exactly the target that leaps to mind for social media markets. Yes, we’ve helped them collect a highly engaged Facebook community that loves the brand and looks for it in store.

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The Case of the Missing Sauce: How Publicists Turned Gumshoe Detectives at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival

Thursday, March 1st, 2012

Arielle Himy

For the last six years, MSL New York client, Amstel Light, has signed on as the title sponsor of the Amstel Light Burger Bash, hosted by Rachael Ray at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. It’s one of the most important events of the year for the brand, and each year we find new ways to add a fresh take on the event and make Amstel Light’s participation bigger, better and more impactful than the year before.

This time, we brought on Zakary Pelaccio, chef and owner of Fatty ‘Cue, one of New York City’s culinary hot spots. We were thrilled to be working with a chef who had a dedicated following, such an organic connection to the brand and it’s target audience, and we were even more excited when he shared his vision for the burger he’d prepare on behalf of Amstel Light at the Burger Bash:

Lamb Burger with Lady Jayne’s Salted Chilies and Rye Barrel Aged Worcestershire Sauce – excuse me while I wipe the drool off my keyboard!

With an amazing chef, exciting media opportunities lined up and a stellar weather report for South Beach, the team was ready to go for Burger Bash…or so we thought!

Our zeal took quite the detour when we found out that our hotel signed for and misplaced a package that included two key ingredients – Lady Jayne’s Salted Chilies and Rye Barrel Aged Worcestershire Sauce, both handmade by Chef Zakary Pelaccio and his fantastic sous chef, Jori Jayne Emde.

The question of the evening was…where is the 50 pound box filled with bottles of Worcestershire sauce and salted chilies? After a client dinner at the sceney Miami restaurant, Zuma, we returned to the hotel, where the team quickly went from publicists to detectives.

Lady Jayne's Salted Chilies and Rye Barrel Aged Worcestershire Sauce

The mystery breaks down as follows:

  • 10:45am: Box arrives and is signed for by hotel supervisor
  • 11:00am: Box is delivered to chefs room
  • 6:00pm: Chef Returns to his room and confirms that the box delivered to the room was not the box containing the key ingredients. Team notifies the hotel and the search begins!
  • 7:00 – 11:00pm: Team/Client dinner. Team is in contact with the hotel. Still no sign of the box.
  • 11:00pm – 12:30am: Send out the search party!

For an hour and a half, the MSL team scoured the hotel from top to bottom. Chef Bobby Flay was set to host an event at that same hotel on Saturday night, he was also a Burger Bash chef… we thought, “could it be a conspiracy?” Is Bobby Flay trying to sabotage the Amstel Light burger? So we searched high and low – every storage closet, every corner of the kitchen, and even the ice truck parked outside (episodes of Dexter came to mind), but came up empty. Where could a 50 pound box be and why weren’t we notified of its arrival in the first place? More importantly, what were we going to do if the two most flavorful and integral ingredients were missing and how could we come up with a “plan b” that would serve up flavor to 3,000 people?

After a sleepless evening and nightmares about Worcestershire sauce, we woke up to the best news of our marketing lives! The sauce and salted chilies had been located – mixed in with Bobby Flay’s ingredients in that ice truck. We’re still not 100% sure how or why they got there, but we were able to breathe a sigh of relief – that is until we filled up on burgers from 30 chefs and some Amstel Light. Now we just can’t breathe at all!

Zakary Pelaccio with Rachael Ray at the Amstel Light Fatty ‘Cue Burger Bash stand as Rachael sips on the infamous Worcestershire sauce.

Arielle Himy is a senior account executive in the global consumer marketing practice of MSL New York. With five years of experience in consumer public relations, Arielle has developed an expertise in the food, beverage/spirits and lifestyle categories.

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