As a great part of our lives is becoming more and more digitized, the global market competition for digital sharing and discovery of recipes is drastically rising. The infinite availability of resources and recipes online creates at the same time inconvenience for the users to discover the best source, and for the recipe platforms to stand out among all competitors. However, due to the decreased demand for printed cookbooks and cooking-related products, it is inevitable to switch to digital.

IMP – International Masters Publishers creates and promotes cooking-related products (recipes, hobbies, home entertainment, and education). They approached Solveo upon the transition from printed cookbooks to a digital recipe-sharing platform, requiring a holistic brand strategy for a smooth transition, discovery of new customer segments, and rapidly increasing the customer base in the US.

• Conduct market research, competitors analysis
• Discover core values and unique selling points
• Brand audit and problem discovery
• Identify target consumers’ needs and behaviors
• Strategy for engaging current and gaining new users
• Develop a monetization strategy

During the four-week project, four multidisciplinary teams of five participants were guided by the Solveo team to create strategies for increasing the platform’s user base, engaging existing users, and discovering ways to monetize the business. The project launched with a detailed brand audit/analysis of the current status: number of new users, number of regular users, current marketing strategy, and UX/UI of the platform. By diving into market research, each of the teams identified specific problems to tackle and offered solutions. During the project, participants surveyed more than 300 people, analyzed more than 20 competitors, contacted 20 industry experts, and delivered data-backed solutions.

The Solution

The first step before providing a solution was to identify the key problems the business was facing. Having identified that the two main problems were low brand awareness compared to competitors and low user engagement, and by recognizing a new market opportunity, the teams created their solutions.

• To increase brand awareness: increase social media interaction with food facts, add a calorie calculator to the platform, and introduce regular video engagement.
• To improve customer engagement: create a culinary show featuring users.
• Identify a new market segment: mothers with kids or babies. Create a new category with baby/child food to attract and engage a new audience.