Advertisements for staple foods increasing

The New York Times recently took an in-depth look at how the dynamics of advertising has changed in magazine since the economic collapse. Meal time products in magazines have dramatically increased, including advertisements for ketchup, mayonnaise and peanut butter. With shoppers buying more staple meal time products and avoiding the gourmet meals, these brands have found a wider audience in magazine advertising. It has also allowed for staple brands such as Betty Crocker and Bumble Bee to create more premium products under the familiar brand to capitalize on the consumer shift. Read the full article here.

Kraft focusing on value proposition

Kraft is turning its focus to the tight shoppers of the economy. By changing their marketing strategy and making their products more widely available to they're customers, they're hoping to seen a continuing increase in the sales of their products. It's positioning its products as affordable and focusing their marketing efforts to emphasize their value. They've also expanded to sell their products at warehouses and dollar stores, who have seen an increase in sales during the current economic recession.

Source: Chicago Sun-Times

Kraft's iPhone App Draws Shoppers

According to RetailWire.com, The iFood Assistant from Kraft Foods now ranks among iPhone's top 100 paid apps, and number three in the lifestyle category. Consumers have to pay a one-time 99-cent fee for the app, sit through ads and even provide Kraft with real-time selling data. But Advertising Age said the app has clearly caught on because it's "actually useful."

"When we look at consumers, we think that they're busy and they're looking for food-planning tools that can make their lives easier," Ed Kaczmarek, director-innovation, new services at Kraft, told Advertising Age. "We developed iFood Assistant as a downloadable app so they can use it anytime and anywhere."

Have you tried this app? We'd like to hear your experiences.