RETURN TO: Case Studies
WINNER – PRSA-LA PRism Award
“Best Entertainment Convergence Campaign”
FINALIST – PR News Platinum Award
“Best Web Site Marketing”
SITUATION
Soon after it launched as the Web’s first food-themed social network and recipe swap, BakeSpace.com found itself challenged by many competitors – including several funded by major publishing companies. Most ominous were the big recipe database websites, which were scrambling to add social networking features of their own to threaten BakeSpace’s first-mover advantage.
Within this environment, ExcelPR Group was tasked with creating a “new recipe” for BakeSpace PR that would help the upstart succeed by leveraging its unique features.
OBJECTIVES
- Differentiate BakeSpace from its growing list of competitors.
- Increase site traffic and page views.
- Build relationships with prospective sponsors and marketing partners.
RESEARCH/PLANNING
ExcelPR Group reviewed BakeSpace’s member data to identify the most prolific and influential members (i.e., those with the most online friends, recipes, forum/blog posts and pass-along distribution of the BakeSpace member newsletter). The online activity of these opinion leaders was reviewed to determine their culinary interests and passions.
Based on this research, ExcelPR found that many of these influential members were avid TV viewers and moviegoers with an affinity for their favorite on-screen characters. This finding helped lead the PR campaign in an unexpected, “Hollywood-style” direction.
STRATEGY
ExcelPR Group used its entertainment/media industry expertise to identify what would become the campaign’s “key ingredient” — popular films and TV shows with some sort of connection to food. The idea was to connect people’s passion for cooking and sharing recipes with their affinity for their favorite TV and film characters.
The strategy would require a thorough understanding of BakeSpace’s technology platform and features, including member profiles that can be fully customized, and a proprietary “Recipe Feed” that provides each member with newsfeed-style updates on what his/her friends are preparing in the kitchen.
EXECUTION
ExcelPR researched popular TV shows and films/DVDs with any sort of relationship to food in the storyline.
The agency then created profile and recipe pages on BakeSpace for characters from ABC’s popular “Desperate Housewives” series. Thanks to BakeSpace’s “Recipe Feed” and profile customization features, the characters Bree, Susan and Edie could become active members on the site.
BakeSpace members who were fans of the show could then befriend each character on a peer-to-peer level, and swap recipes/cooking tips inspired by the show.
ExcelPR contacted ABC’s marketing department to request images and other media assets to further customize the profile and recipe pages. As anticipated, ABC embraced the campaign and provided exclusive video clips, as well as Desperate Housewives schwag for distribution to BakeSpace members.
The character profiles and recipes were then promoted to BakeSpace members via the site’s forum and a “Desperate Housewives”-themed newsletter. The schwag provided by ABC was used for giveaways to generate additional word-of-mouth.
ExcelPR then expanded the campaign to create profiles/recipe pages for other films and TV shows, which were used to pitch earned media stories in daily newspaper food sections and major food blogs.
RESULTS
Over the course of the campaign, tens of thousands of active BakeSpace members befriended and swapped recipes with the various film/TV show character profiles and branded recipes. They also generated substantial online buzz by sharing the recipes and discussing BakeSpace on food forums and blogs, as well as on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms.
Most impressive, the branded recipes and profiles generated mainstream media coverage in outlets such as The Orlando Sentinel, Cincinnati Enquirer, Chicago Tribune, The Oregonian and The Hartford Courant, to name just a few.
BakeSpace page views (as tracked by internal and third-party analytics) rose with each new wave of film/TV-related profiles. Visits to the “Desperate Housewives” profile and recipe pages alone elevated overall site traffic more than 20 percent. The novelty and success of the campaign helped BakeSpace forge relationships with TV network and film studio marketing departments. In addition, BakeSpace was featured alongside much larger marketing partners on official film and TV series websites. The campaign exceeded its objectives and continues to serve as BakeSpace’s unique “recipe” for social media PR.
