2019 Winners & Shortlists

PHILLY SHOPPABLE RECIPES

BrandMONDELEZ INTERNATIONAL
Product/ServicePHILADELPHIA CREAM CHEESE
EntrantSPARK FOUNDRY Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryFast Moving Consumer Goods
Idea Creation SPARK FOUNDRY Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Placement SPARK FOUNDRY Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Additional Company INSTASHOP Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Background.

Philadelphia cream cheese belongs to the 'spreadables' cheese segment. Over the past few years, the spreadable segment witnessed significant growth driven by a shift in consumer taste preference and product innovations. While the category was growing, Philadelphia sales were not, due to low penetration and limited usage occasions. As far as consumers were concerned, Philadelphia’s usage is limited to making cheesecakes. Outspent in trade and out-voiced ATL, Philadelphia started investing heavily behind online recipe videos to break the stereotype of being a dessert cheese and inspire new consumption occasions. Yet while these recipes were garnering high engagement (+1.5%) and view-through rates online (35%+), product sales remained relatively flat. Which begged the question: If consumers were showing high level of interest in our recipes, then why weren’t they making their way to the dinner table?

Describe the creative idea.

We conducted a study to understand the barriers inhibiting moms from trying out new recipes, and discovered that the process of bringing a recipe to the dinner table is a lengthy and tedious experience. It involves creating a shopping list, driving to the supermarket, searching for the ingredients, waiting in line at the checkout counter, and making it back home. We partnered with InstaShop, UAE’s leading digital grocer, to introduce and pilot shoppable recipes in the region, whereby with a click of a button, our consumer could have the recipe's ingredients added to her basket. We worked closely with InstaShop to identify recipes from the Philly content library that are convenient to create, in terms of ingredient pricing and availability. Based on the chosen recipes, we created automated shopping lists on the platform. So instead of her spending time at the supermarket, we decided to bring the supermarket to her.

Describe the strategy.

Young moms represent the most valuable shopper segment, constituting roughly 70% of all category buyers. As the primary grocery shoppers, they decide which recipes to make. They lead busy lives juggling work, family, and me-time. They often turn to social media for recipe inspiration, and experiment with e-commerce: - 65% buy a food product they discovered on Facebook or Instagram - 27% of moms in the UAE have bought groceries online. Although moms love to experiment while cooking, time is a deciding factor when it comes to trying an unknown recipe. Empowered by this insight, we recognized that for moms to adopt our recipes, we needed to streamline the process from discovery to purchase and empower them to innovate in the kitchen by giving them time back. To translate online engagement into purchase, we used technology to streamline the consumer journey by creating the first-ever “shoppable” recipes in the region.

Describe the execution.

Recipes were hand-picked to ensure that: a. basket price was within shoppers' average checkout total, b. ingredients were available within InstaShop's inventory, c. the recipe included commonly-used ingredients. Recognizing that moms seek food inspiration on Facebook and Instagram, we targeted them with our shoppable recipes on these platforms. Upon clicking, they were redirected to a pre-populated shopping list on the Instashop app or website. Moms were able to customize the list by de-selecting items they don’t need, and with the click of a button, have them delivered to their doorstep within an hour. Thus we were able to combine craving with convenience, and encourage the modern mom to try her hand at exploring the endless possibilities that Philadelphia cream cheese offers.

List the results.

The results exceeded expectations. Whilst nationwide sales remained flat, our venture into shoppable recipes proved to be a big success. With a click of a button, we were able to remove all friction from the consumer journey and unlock new growth opportunities for the brand. Our shoppable recipes delivered: - 30% increase in online engagement vs. our standard recipes - 10% conversion rate (from clicks to sales), 2x industry average - 37% uplift in sales on the Instashop platform vs. organic sales of previous month (Mar’18 vs. Feb’18) More importantly, we were able to combine craving with convenience, and encourage the modern mom to try her hand at exploring the endless possibilities that Philadelphia cream cheese offers. Goodbye shopping list, goodbye supermarket queues, and hello cooking.

Credits

Name Company Role
Nikola Cabarkapa InstaShop Head of Brand Partnerships
Links
Social Media URL