18Mar / 2013

The Feed – An Online Foodie Community

Doesn’t this make your mouth water?

I watch cooking shows whenever I can, and one of my favourite PBS shows is America’s Test Kitchen. Basically, every episode has a theme (such as potatoes) and the chefs work hard to test recipes until they’re consistently “perfect” (factoring time, complexity, and number of ingredients). Check out this video for an amazing Potato Galette recipe. They do a fantastic job of effectively simplifying recipes (via demonstrations and using substitutes such as gelatin instead of braised beef bone) so that viewers don’t need to work so hard to decode the original chef’s message.

I finally decided to check out their blog, which is appropriately named “The Feed“, and I love how user friendly it is with large buttons and a clean display. I also think that community aspect of the blog is extremely well done, because the posts add value to its users (such as through tips and tricks gathered over the years) and encourage participation.

Edible Stained Glass

Another cool aspect is called “Foodles” which are, you guessed it, food related doodles (particularly that links to an infographic about cakes). This really aligns with America’s Test Kitchen’s objectives of educating and helping cooks of all ages and skill levels in their pursuit to satisfy their foodie cravings. Most importantly, their tantalizing images do an amazing job at affecting their target market’s physiological state (I’m getting hungry as I write this post).

Mmmm… Pizza

Although there’s a lot happening on this blog, I feel that the clean layout makes it easy for users to digest (particularly the live Twitter feed, which is something that I usually find to cause a website to become too busy). Following the AIDA Model, the television show provides awareness for the blog along with garnering interest, the tips engage users, and lead to their eventually trying out new recipes. I’m definitely bookmarking this blog!

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04Mar / 2013

“My Starbucks Idea” – Share. Vote. Discuss. See.

As a typical Starbucks fan, I became excited when I read Annie’s post (here), where she effectively describes the communication process which is demonstrated in the “Ideas in Action” blog. Aside from the service oriented approach that Starbucks employs with its baristas creating hand-crafted drinks for customers, this blog allows consumers to voice their ideas about anything Starbucks related, and highly popular ideas are often implemented in stores. One great example is to put names of customers on all beverage cups, a practice now adopted by every Starbucks I’ve visited in recent years. Not only are customers more likely to respond to the barista when their drink is ready for pick up, but the feeling that each drink is made personally for you is surely something that positively affects Starbucks (despite having a high density of store locations).

I agree that Starbucks acts as the sender and often uses the Internet as their communication channel (due to the high level of exposure it has with their target demographics of students and professionals), but what’s more important is the consumer involvement that exists on this blog. Various blog writers (who are employed by Starbucks) transmit their messages to consumers in the form of product endorsements, or simply promotional information.

In Annie’s post, she talks about the “Inside Story of Starbucks’ Tribute Blend” which chronicles the life of the coffee beans associated with that blend, and the journey that is accounted allows readers to better understand a bean’s path to their delicious cup of joe. By educating consumers, Starbucks is utilizing informational appeals, which increases the probability that those highlighted products will be purchased since it provides explanations for what benefits those products provide (such as the distinct taste of aged Sumatra coffee). After all, as mentioned in class, people don’t buy features, they buy benefits.

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04Feb / 2013

“Every Story Starts with a Reservation”

Tourism Vancouver has truly succeeded in creating an event that foodies near and far can look forward to each New Year: the annual Dine Out Vancouver Festival. With an increasing roster of participating restaurants (231 and 241 in 2012 and 2013, respectively), the festival allows consumers to enjoy three-course meals at three affordable price ranges: $18, $28, and $38.

The beauty of this festival is that these menus are unique to Dine Out Vancouver, and individual items are guaranteed to be priced cheaper than listed on regular menus. It is this unique promotion that Tourism Vancouver uses to help market and encourage consumers (including non-foodies) to try out new restaurants, with relatively low monetary risk involved. However, 2013 marked a bigger, and better festival, complete with a separate event for food carts, and increased partnerships with local hotels.

I think that this marketing campaign to promote Vancouver restaurants is genius; the excitement generated by the foodie community acts as free advertising of the event, and likely leads to many first time visits to restaurants that have an expensive reputation. Once having experienced the quality product that participating restaurants offer, consumers will remember the great food (affecting their benefits usage rate), along with the great deal that the festival offered. The result is increased motivation for consumers to visit Vancouver restaurants, even after the festival period, and perhaps to further take advantage of other food and entertainment the city offers.

The slogan of the festival is “Every story starts with a reservation”, and I think that the inviting feeling that is conveyed by these words helps to show consumers that Dine Out Vancouver is about getting together with friends and family to enjoy great food. After all, cheap food items can be found in abundance, but great times with loved ones are priceless. It is this message that allows Tourism Vancouver to truly touch the psychographic aspects of consumers including attitudes and lifestyle routines, and the reason for Dine Out’s 10+ years of success. I can’t wait for 2014’s festival to come around!

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20Jan / 2013

The Subway “Footlong” Crisis

As an avid foodie, I love food of all forms; be it fast food, slow food, and everything in between…as long as it satisfies my taste buds. Coming across this article, which talks about how a man exposes Subway’s marketing mishap, it makes me question how powerful habitual decision making is.

I’m sure many consumers, including myself, are so accustomed to buying a $5 Footlong that they have never questioned the validity of the product’s name. Further, although I haven’t measured a Subway sandwich before, the fact that consumers always had the option of accidentally exposing the Footlong’s flaw proves that this was a risky advertising strategy to begin with. To make things worse, the growth of social media platforms has allowed the picture shown above to become viral amongst Subway’s fans and critics alike. Due to this false advertising, Subway’s credibility is undeniably tarnished in the eyes of consumers.

Fortunately, the fact that Subway satisfies physiological needs prevents this mishap from damaging the company’s healthy image in the long run, and it is this aspect that the company should focus on stressing for their future marketing campaigns. I think that the monkey and Subway Eat Fresh campaigns related to healthy breakfasts and eating were very successful in portraying the company as a healthy choice for consumers. Moreover, Subway’s low prices, in comparison to competitors such as Quizno’s, has made it a go-to choice for thrifty consumers. Due to these aspects, and perhaps more promotions on Subway’s part to compensate for this mini crisis, it shouldn’t be long before the company bounces back. Something along the lines of the “Customer” appreciation month ($3 for a “6 inch” sandwich) would certainly be welcomed by consumers.

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18Oct / 2011

Mmm… lasagna… from Tim’s?

As an avid foodie, Li Ming Huang’s blog entry really got me excited. As of Monday, Tim Horton’s officially “launched beef lasagna casserole… on its [lunch] menu”. As mentioned by Huang, Tim Horton’s is adding lasagna (with a side of garlic bread) in order to differentiate itself from fast food giants like McDonald’s.

In contrast to her opinion however, I think that this is a great step forward for Tim Horton’s. When one thinks of lasagna, it’s either home-made, from an Italian/Greek restaurant, or a tasty frozen dinner. This new addition is certainly innovative in the fast food market, especially since none of Tim Hortons’ close competitors (namely McDonald’s and Wendy’s) are offering either items. Furthermore, I agree with that lasagna is a “natural fit” within Tim Horton’s signature comfort food image.

Regarding the fact that the addition probably won’t stop consumers from eating lasagna at pizza chains, one should remember that these places aren’t in direct competition with Tim Horton’s (which belongs in the broader general fast food market). Most importantly, Tim Horton’s is “second to McDonald’s in [the] lunch market”, and this launch only furthers their expansion of customer base to include lasagna-lovers as well.

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08Oct / 2011

Food Recalls: Should the Public be educated in more innovative ways?

: Picture: Courtesy of the CFIA

Even with all of our advancements in the field of health sciences, it looks like “the number of [the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s] most serious recalls increased from.. 129 in 2010 to 147… this year.” Interestingly enough, this relates to our class discussion regarding the utilizing of data to work towards innovation.

With all of the data collected by the CFIA, they are working on better “educating itself on how to better monitor risks.”However, if they were more focused on educating the public, I think that there would be even more recalls instead of food poisoning victims. Although Canada uses a “voluntary-based recall system”, a better educated population would reduce the chance of consumers falling prey to foods tainted with salmonella for example. Furthermore, the Agency could better market its data to the public, so that more Canadians would be aware of the risks they face at the supermarket.

Whatever marketing strategy they choose, however, it’s certain that their choice must be new and exciting to convey public interest. After all, even though a recall might be important, a more entertaining headline (like the release of the newest iPod/iPhone) could easily garner more public attention.

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Samantha's Marketing Journey

Category Archives: Food

The Feed – An Online Foodie Community

“My Starbucks Idea” – Share. Vote. Discuss. See.

“Every Story Starts with a Reservation”

The Subway “Footlong” Crisis

Mmm… lasagna… from Tim’s?

Food Recalls: Should the Public be educated in more innovative ways?