Allrecipes.com

Challenge

Considering expansion of the allrecipes.com platform into new territories, Reader’s Digest were looking to develop a greater understanding of Chinese & Japanese food cultures both on and offline. The study involved not just developing a deep cultural understanding of the food rituals of these regions but how and to what extent these are reflected in online cultures and behaviours. Ultimately, the research looked to leverage existing behaviours in these territories to inform and design the most appropriate experience for this new customer base and in doing so it had to consider not just how to best get such different cultures engaged in the proposition but the likely acceptance of an American food brand to the region.

Our Contribution

Using techniques designed to reflect the ultimate outputs for the project, Intrepid conducted an extensive digital ethnography of food sites in the US, China and Japan to gain an understanding of the social networking ecosystem that already existed around food. This was then supported by a series of in-depth telephone interviews with Subject Matter Experts including global experts on brand, celebrity chefs in each country, cultural anthropologists and social media experts. The findings from the virtual ethnography and interview insights were incorporated into an overall presentation and strategic recommendations deck based on brand affinity metrics and cultural contexts The use of a highly innovative methodology meant that we were able to deliver a more valuable insight than we feel a traditional (and much more expensive) methodology would have offered for under $30,000 significantly less than other vendor’s had quoted.

Results

The recommendations made by Intrepid, have not only meant that Reader’s Digest have been able to successfully launch the allrecipes.com site and brand in China and Japan but as a direct result of the success in these areas they are currently preparing to launch in 11 other countries in 2010. Intrepid continues to be a valued vendor to Reader’s Digest, actively involved in projects across the organization.