Everyone wants to be the hero of his or her own kitchen. In a survey by the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA-based National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA), when asked to describe their cooking style, 41% of respondents gave themselves “Foodie” status, often experimenting with new recipes and flavors in the kitchen.
NFRA’s “Real Food. Frozen” and “The Dairy Aisle…Beyond Cool” public relations campaigns are leveraging this trend by focusing on the real ingredients, fresh flavors, innovation and versatility that can be found in the frozen and dairy aisles of grocery stores throughout the United States.
The trade association’s PR efforts are arming consumers with tips and tricks using frozen and refrigerated dairy foods to create tasty, easy and convenient to prepare dishes. The campaigns have generated +478 million combined impressions to date with 6.7x more impressions for frozen and 10.7x more impressions for refrigerated over the same period last year.
In 2015, the NFRA will build on that success by expanding its Cool Food Panel of bloggers, a group of influential voices in the food world enlisted to help tell the frozen and refrigerated story. While 40% of consumers are still looking toward mom as the inspiration for cooking, another 39% are looking toward cooking shows and food websites. NFRA has cultivated a significant online community where chefs, culinary experts and food bloggers share recipes and tips and discuss current food trends.
To elevate that community, the association is eager to welcome Katie Workman on board the 2015 Cool Food Panel. She is an active and prolific food writer and cookbook author, founding editor-in-chief of Cookstr.com, and author of The Mom 100 Cookbook: 100 Recipes Every Mom Needs in Her Back Pocket. More importantly, she’s a mother of two children who provides nutritious meals for her family on a daily basis. Her approach to food and cooking is simple and practical, and in 2015 she will release a new cookbook focused on family-friendly recipes.
“We’re excited to work with Katie to bring delicious, mealtime solutions to kitchen tables across the country with trusted products from the frozen and refrigerated dairy aisles,” said NFRA President Skip Shaw.
Workman and the other panelists of expert foodie bloggers and chefs create compelling content featuring frozen and refrigerated foods and share it on their social platforms, as well as represent NFRA in various media outlets to secure national coverage. By optimizing social media strategy, working with media partners to expand reach and encouraging the trade association’s members to engage in the campaigns, NFRA is successfully generating a greater share of voice in traditional and social media and changing the conversation around the categories.
