Recipe books and social media

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They’re considered relics of antiquity now, but once upon a time, corporate sponsored cookbooks were all the rage. In my grandmother’s kitchen cabinets, you could find the Betty Crocker cookbook series, Good Housekeeping’s set, Kraft’s set, you name it. Dozens and dozens of cookbooks, some famous in their own right. Each of the cookbooks had hundreds of recipes, and of course, the directions would call for each company’s respective products as an ingredient in the recipes. Make that killer potato salad with Hellman’s or that great kids snack with Kraft Mac & Cheese.

The companies that created these cookbooks were on to something because it was one of the best ways to get your mind on their products without a direct hard sell. Who needs to blast “BUY NOW! BUY NOW!” for a bottle of salad dressing (that was ignored even before the Internet) when every salad recipe had your brand in it?

The soft sell in those cookbooks was made all the easier because the cookbooks solved a problem – what should we make for breakfast/lunch/dinner/that party on Saturday night? They solved the consumer’s problems and part of the solution was the product the company was trying to move.

Contrast this with the epic failures of selling in social media today, where every spammy Twitter DM is hawking a solution – for the seller, but not for you. Contrast this with the endless product pushes, pointless pitches, and total failure to present any benefit to the consumer, to the buyer. This is one of the many reasons people in social media hate things and terms like monetization – not because we begrudge companies the right to earn some money, but because what you’re selling simply isn’t useful, doesn’t solve a problem.

The next time you go home to a grandmother’s, mother’s, or aunt’s kitchen, go look on their cookbook shelf. Pick up a few, and then start to cook up your own products or services in a different way.

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Comments

14 responses to “Recipe books and social media”

May 14, 2009

Art Aiello

An excellent point. When pitching blog ideas to clients, I always work to make the blog not about the product, but about something bigger and more valuable to the consumer. If the client is into auto parts, for example, why not make the blog about auto repair? Blogs can turn into recipe books that solve problems for the consumer while having a timeless quality that will always keep your brand top of mind.

Reply
May 14, 2009

Art Aiello

An excellent point. When pitching blog ideas to clients, I always work to make the blog not about the product, but about something bigger and more valuable to the consumer. If the client is into auto parts, for example, why not make the blog about auto repair? Blogs can turn into recipe books that solve problems for the consumer while having a timeless quality that will always keep your brand top of mind.

Reply
May 14, 2009

Art Aiello

An excellent point. When pitching blog ideas to clients, I always work to make the blog not about the product, but about something bigger and more valuable to the consumer. If the client is into auto parts, for example, why not make the blog about auto repair? Blogs can turn into recipe books that solve problems for the consumer while having a timeless quality that will always keep your brand top of mind.

Reply
May 14, 2009

Stuartfoster

I was definitely indoctrinated by these brands growing up. Betty Crocker, Kraft and Good Housekeeping were all mainstays of recipes in the Foster household. Fantastic idea on the part of these companies because now I associate good food/good memories with those brands (and am more likely to buy them then some other.)

Reply
May 14, 2009

Stuartfoster

I was definitely indoctrinated by these brands growing up. Betty Crocker, Kraft and Good Housekeeping were all mainstays of recipes in the Foster household. Fantastic idea on the part of these companies because now I associate good food/good memories with those brands (and am more likely to buy them then some other.)

Reply
May 14, 2009

Stuartfoster

I was definitely indoctrinated by these brands growing up. Betty Crocker, Kraft and Good Housekeeping were all mainstays of recipes in the Foster household. Fantastic idea on the part of these companies because now I associate good food/good memories with those brands (and am more likely to buy them then some other.)

Reply
May 14, 2009

Art Aiello

An excellent point. When pitching blog ideas to clients, I always work to make the blog not about the product, but about something bigger and more valuable to the consumer. If the client is into auto parts, for example, why not make the blog about auto repair? Blogs can turn into recipe books that solve problems for the consumer while having a timeless quality that will always keep your brand top of mind.

Reply
May 14, 2009

Stuart Foster

I was definitely indoctrinated by these brands growing up. Betty Crocker, Kraft and Good Housekeeping were all mainstays of recipes in the Foster household. Fantastic idea on the part of these companies because now I associate good food/good memories with those brands (and am more likely to buy them then some other.)

Reply
May 20, 2009

Sleepless in Sacramento

You are right when you speak of those cookbooks as antiquities. As a mater of fact, I picked up some cookbooks such as what you are speaking of at a local antique store. The books I got were from the late 1930's and were geared toward new brides. The cookbooks had advertising from local businesses in the area (i.e. butcher shop, bakery, dress shop, fabric stores, beauty parlors, banks, insurance companies, etc). Those books were a hoot to look at.
But what you are getting at, yes they were soft sales, they offered solutions to real problems. I like the idea of not shoving things down peoples throats or making them believe you can fix their problems (often times it is just empty promises decorated with fancy trimmings).

Reply
May 21, 2009

Sleepless in Sacramento

You are right when you speak of those cookbooks as antiquities. As a mater of fact, I picked up some cookbooks such as what you are speaking of at a local antique store. The books I got were from the late 1930’s and were geared toward new brides. The cookbooks had advertising from local businesses in the area (i.e. butcher shop, bakery, dress shop, fabric stores, beauty parlors, banks, insurance companies, etc). Those books were a hoot to look at.
But what you are getting at, yes they were soft sales, they offered solutions to real problems. I like the idea of not shoving things down peoples throats or making them believe you can fix their problems (often times it is just empty promises decorated with fancy trimmings).

Reply
May 22, 2009

Ed Healy

Chris, I can see how you've applied this to your industry – giving free financial aid advice allows you to help without beating people over the head with your brand.

How would you apply this to the entertainment industry: movies, books, comics, video games? Any ideas?

Reply
May 22, 2009

Ed Healy

Chris, I can see how you’ve applied this to your industry – giving free financial aid advice allows you to help without beating people over the head with your brand.

How would you apply this to the entertainment industry: movies, books, comics, video games? Any ideas?

Reply
May 22, 2009

Ed Healy

Chris, I can see how you've applied this to your industry – giving free financial aid advice allows you to help without beating people over the head with your brand.

How would you apply this to the entertainment industry: movies, books, comics, video games? Any ideas?

Reply
May 23, 2009

tradeshow

This is one of the many reasons people in social media hate things and terms like monetization – not because we begrudge companies the right to earn some money, but because what you’re selling simply isn’t useful, doesn’t solve a problem.

Reply