How do you unravel gift giving?
Introduction
In a research effort around a potential pitch, I came across data of a Holiday scheduling targeting opportunity with the slow cooker appliance. I created a search marketing strategy with search data from two target groups and recommendations for progressive content and influencer marketing. In this piece, I provide the full content I presented.
- Brand: Popular kitchen appliance company.
- Method: Think with Google: Google Trends.
- Project challenge: Interpreting search data to lay out appropriate online strategy specifically tailored before and after the holiday season.
- Deliverable: 40 slide deck.
- Insights and actionable recommendations: Search marketing using search data. Content marketing using food trends. Influencer marketing using chef bloggers. Digital marketing using Tasty videos. Print marketing using food magazines.
Executive Summary
When looking at this particular brand’s related queries on Think with Google: Google Trends, the top most searched appliance is the slow cooker. A simple search uncovered a remarkable pattern in search history for this kitchen gadget around the holiday season. There is currently great white space in this industry for this brand to be the leader in product category with well researched content marketing, advanced targeting, and high brand awareness right before, during, and right after the holiday season. I believe this proposed strategy is the start for this brand’s slow cookers to become a kitchen essential that’s helpful, fun, and desired for both novice and advanced cooks that’s a go-to gift idea.
Search Timeline
Brand’s Slow Cooker Search
When looking at the aggregated search data for this brand’s slow cooker, there is the same distinct pattern of 2 surges in search popularity year after year. 
- The first spike is consistently the end of November (11/22-29).
- The second spike is consistently the beginning of December or right before Christmas (12/14 – 12/24).
These searches are coming from the gift givers looking to buy a specific branded product as they are right before the holidays and stop searching after.
General Slow Cooker Search
When looking at the aggregated search data for the term slow cooker, there is the same distinct pattern but now with 4 total surges in search popularity year after year.
- The first spike is consistently the end of November (11/22-29).
- The second spike is consistently the beginning of December or right before Christmas (12/14 – 12/24).
- The third spike is consistently after Christmas to the beginning of January (12/28 – 1/10).
- The fourth spike is consistently the end of January (1/17 – 1/24).
So now this data set is showing searches from the “gift receivers” after they got the appliance as their holiday present. They’re looking what to do with their slow cooker.
Target Groups
Gift Givers:
- Search right before the holidays to see where to buy and compare prices.
- Shop on Google shopping.
- Believed to be boyfriends searching for girlfriends, husbands searching for wives, parents searching for daughters, and children searching for mothers.
Gift Receivers:
- Search after the holidays to find recipes.
- Believed to be girlfriends, wives, daughter, and mothers.
Geography
Where Are The Gift Givers?
Comparing all graphs, the strongest region for searching is the Northwest X Mideast, followed by the Southeast, and West Coast.
Where Does The Crock Pot Reign?
By downloading the CSV data of search popularity for “slow cooker” and “crock pot”, each state showed its preference for which appliance. For instance, South Dakota was the significantly more avid in searching the term “crock pot” over “slow cooker” while North Dakota searched for both terms almost evenly.
Where Are There The Strongest Searches for Product?
The colored regions show the states searching for slow cookers and / or crock pots.
Where Are There The Strongest Searches for The Brand?
The colored regions show the states searching for the brand.
Best Targeting Opportunity: Northwest X Mideast
The Northwest X Mideast region shows strong searching from gift givers looking for ideas for gift receivers, strong searching for brand, and strong searching for product!
Recommendation: It’s an ideal place to heavily target. Business Intelligence can confirm if these regions are the highest sellers as well.
Delighting The Gift Receiver
Taking advantage of the peak times after Christmas, this can insert itself as a leader in what to do with the slow cooker by aligning itself with what the gift receiver wants to cook and where they get their recipes from.
By investing in this step, this brand makes the gift receivers (regardless of brand of slow cooker or crock pot)
- more brand aware
- more trusting
- stronger brand advocates
- eventual buyers of related products such as slow cooker wraps
Carnivore Country
It’s a fact that Americans love chicken. Digging through posts from a Crimson Hexagon monitor revealed:
- People are unimpressed with the results from trying to cook chicken breasts in a slow cooker. They ask for help how to make it better.
- Responders in the forum provided four main answers
- Forget chicken! Use fattier meat like pork.
- Forget chicken breasts! Use chicken thighs.
- Cook less time and always add sauce after.
- Salsa chicken
Recommendation: This brand should address the issue of watery chicken HEAD ON with a series of posts or giant post on tips to avoid it. Bid on key words and get it high in search results.
Current Food Trends
It’s naive to assume you know what cooks want. Every year sees food trends of “exotic” or new foods. Whether turmeric, kale, or quinoa, people are unsure how to cook these things but want to try. Developing recipes with food trends grabs the attention of those not even in the market for a slow cooker yet and makes a strong case for why they need one.
Recommendation: Align new recipes on the blog with both classic recipes and those incorporating trending ingredients.
Using this yearly calendar of the most searched food trends, this brand can promote the most searched recipes ideas on their blog.
Recommendation: Promote recipe pins on Pinterest.
Partnerships
Chef Bloggers
Gain authenticity in a “grassroots” approach from readers interested in cooking.
This brand will more permeate the cooking world to gain trust, awareness, and links.
Tasty Videos
Gain brand awareness and trust from younger audiences.
The popular Tasty videos aren’t going anywhere yet. This is a fantastic partnership to secure showing the product’s value in a new way.
Food Magazines
Gain brand awareness and trust from foodies.
By sponsored articles in reputed magazines such as Bon Appetit or Saveur, this brand begins to position itself as a FUN kitchen essential like a sous vide machine or brûlée torch.
Future Recommendations
Target Gift Givers
Target potential gift givers not even searching for slow cooker yet. Uncover how they search and place smart advertisements in results. From just my research, I’m thinking boyfriends, husbands, parents, and offspring in the North X Midwest.
Target Product Searchers
Target those searching for slow cooker and / or crock pot. Also this brand’s slow cooker prospectors avidly use Google shopping so make sure they have the best experience with it.
Target by Certain Ingredients
Analyzing trends, search patterns, search times can point them to Everyday Good Thinking and other sources to incite need for a slow cooker.
Future Phases
Products with The Same Holiday Search Pattern
- Almost Exactly Same: Breakfast Sandwich Maker, Can and Jar Opener, Coffee Maker, Deep Fryer, Food Processor, Hand Mixer, Roaster Oven, Stand Mixer, Waffle Makers
- Same Spikes Seen: Bread Maker, Electric Knives, Indoor Grill, Toaster Oven, Toaster
