Dive Brief:
- Kraft Foods is zeroing in on its audience of budget, or "strapped," consumers plus millennials and Hispanics with a new content hub, "Twist That Dish." The site combines this audience's tech savviness with its love for sharing recipes and hacks, or "twists," that they've come up with while stretching their budget each month.
- Kraft is reining in consumers with a range of related promotions, including a sweepstakes, videos, email, and digital banner ads, as well.
- While Kraft is now focusing on budget consumers and its recipe-sharing hub, PepsiCo Inc. is targeting the social media generation with a yearlong promotion comprised of various socially-conscious challenges instituted over social media. These challenges will be hosted by big names, or "ambassadors," in sports and entertainment — essentially a revamped "Pepsi Challenge" marketing initiative.
Dive Insight:
Whether you're talking about Kraft's "Twist That Dish" or the new-and-improved "Pepsi Challenge," the foundation of these marketing campaigns is consumer engagement. These companies aim to utilize the technologies that their target audiences use on a regular basis.
Brad Jakeman, president of PepsiCo’s global beverages group, said, “It is not about one big epic television commercial anymore. It is about this continuing dialogue,” reports The New York Times. The faster food and beverage companies adapt to this new marketing trend, the faster they could capitalize on a strategy that works for companies in many other industries.