Finding Your Killer App
Any marketer of a food ingredient product who isn’t thinking about recipes is ignoring a critical marketing tool. Every product you purchase of any complexity — your iPod, pda and cell phone — comes with an instruction manual. So why shouldn’t your carrots, your cooking oil and your can of tomatoes come with one, too?
Like technology, some food uses are intuitive, so you can get started easily enough. We can all peel a carrot and crunch it raw. But then what? Just as I want to learn to download podcasts, not just listen to music; or get e-mails wirelessly, not just have a pocket electronic calendar; I will enjoy my carrot more if I can cook it in other ways. We are so familiar with food that we forget that we need to promote usage with smart thinking.
Where we tend to go wrong in the food business is in the lack of respect we have for recipes. The recipe is not something you rip off arbitrarily from the Internet or choose to tack on just because you have some space on your label. It should be your product’s killer app.
It should reflect an understanding of the target audience and their cooking behaviors. It should reflect your product’s positioning and be in tune with your marketing strategy. It should be the solution to the consumer’s cooking issues. And if you don’t understand recipes and the nuanced appeal of one recipe over another, get a food expert to help you figure it out. Don’t leave your killer app to chance.
To understand the power of recipes, just check out your supermarket this Thanksgiving. Cans of French-fried onion rings and cream of mushroom soup will have escaped from the stagnant middle aisles to take center stage. Sales will soar. Why? Because Green Bean Casserole has earned a place of honor on the American Thanksgiving table. This recipe that’s more than 25 years old is still a powerful purchase motivator.
INSIGHT: Everyone needs a killer app recipe. If you don’t know where to begin, contact Sandy Hu Food Marketing. I can help.
