Posts Tagged ‘social media’

Stay in the Loop at the Annual Meeting & Food Expo

Friday, June 7th, 2013

Accessing and sharing information about the Annual Meeting & Food Expo has never been easier and more convenient. In fact, there’s an app for that! Additionally, the IFT Live show daily is the resource for in-depth coverage of the event, before, during, and even after the show is over. And let’s not forget about social media. Join us in spreading the word on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.

But let’s face it. You won’t be spending all of your time at McCormick Place. To ensure you make the most of your visit to Chicago, we’ve provided a slew of resources covering travel, dining out, and city-wide activities going on during the event.

IFT Mobile App

Available for iPhones, iTouches, iPads, Androids, and Blackberrys, the IFT13 mobile application is easy to download and available at no charge. It will keep users up-to-date on floor plans, exhibitors, the Scientific Program, and more. In addition, IFT Facebook and Twitter updates can be viewed within the mobile app. And keep an eye out for QR codes in exhibitors’ booths. Scan the code and the app takes you directly to the exhibitor’s product/service information.

IFT Live Show Daily

Don’t miss the daily digital edition of the IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo’s show daily (psst…you are on it right now!). You’ll find regularly updated articles on Annual Meeting programs and sessions, news from the show floor, competition results, and much more. Interactive content will include videos, photos, and Twitter feeds. IFT Live may be accessed at Internet Café terminals or through laptops, smartphones, or PDAs. Additionally, there is a direct feed from IFT Live on the mobile app.

Social Media

IFT is using the social media channels LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter (twitter/#IFT13), and Flickr (flickr/IFTphotos) to communicate about event highlights and changes during the Annual Meeting & Food Expo and to allow those on-site to engage in the virtual IFT community.

Choose Chicago

From towering skyscrapers overlooking tulips on the Magnificent Mile, to sun-filled baseball games at Wrigley Field and a stunning Millennium Park: summertime in Chicago is buzzing with energy and excitement.

Did you know, Chicago sees over 46 million tourists, including 11+ million U.S. business travelers, and 1.3 million from outside the U.S. each year? We are ready for you. Check out information on attractions, theater, events for visitors and discounts on Choose Chicago.

In the Loop

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) operates the nation’s second largest public transportation system–a regional transit system that serves the City of Chicago and 40 neighboring communities. CTA provides 1.64 million rides on an average weekday. Chicago public transportation is an easy and inexpensive way to navigate the city. In addition to rail and bus, the Chicago Water Taxi provides stunning views from the Chicago River.

Not Just Pizza and Hot Dogs

Celebrity chefs? Check. World-renowned restaurants? Check. World-renowned restaurants? Check. Ethnic dining from around the globe? Check. Chicago’s dining scene is unparalleled. From lavish cuisine to deep dish pizza, one thing is for certain in Chicago: an appetite is required.

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Using Social Media to Enhance the Product Development Process

Monday, June 13th, 2011

by Kelly Hensel

Oreo Facebook screenshotAccording to socialnomics.com, if Facebook were a country it would be the world’s 3rd largest and double the size of the U.S. population. As Karen Graves, Senior Scientist from Kraft, stated in her Monday presentation “Utilizing Social Media in the Product Development Process,” social media isn’t a fad … it is changing the way the world communicates. This has a huge impact on how companies reach out to consumers. Before social media, there was one-way communication from company to consumer. Now, social media enables two-way communication and interaction. Currently, companies are leveraging social media mainly within their marketing and advertising departments and not very much in product development. But, according to Graves, there is plenty of opportunity to enhance the R&D process through social media. “Of course, this is challenging because social media by nature is viral and not confidential,” explained Graves. She went on to share advice on how to use social media throughout the product development process—from ideation, creation & development, and launch, to maintenance—while keeping proprietary information confidential.

In the first phase—ideation—companies can use social media to connect with brand evangelists for ideas. Mountain Dew recently launched Dewmocracy, a contest that asked for consumers to come up with the new flavor of soda. The consumers were even able to help pick the winner, determine advertising, etc. Also in this phase, Graves advised monitoring social media for unmet needs that might enable a new product idea. It is also possible to create customized secure social networks and invite specific consumers based on demographics to test concepts and participate in surveys and chat groups.

In the creation and development phase (which Graves noted is often the most challenging to keep confidential), companies should consider leveraging bloggers by conducting a home use blog. In this case, the company would send a product home with consumers and have them blog/journal about their experience with the product in a secure social site. This enables you to “get in the consumers home early in the process and get the true experience,” said Graves. She also advised monitoring the use of Flickr and YouTube to see how consumers are solving packaging problems or frustrations. As Graves said, consumers may think of a “creative solve” that never even occurred to you. Additionally, it is possible to create a custom social network. In Kraft’s case, they have one called the Cultivar, in which they pick chefs brains about their products in development. In the case of Philadelphia Cooking Cream, Kraft received guidance from the chefs on flavor and texture elements, in addition to recipe development.

In the launch phase, social media is extremely important to spread the word about the new product and secure consumer liking. To do this a company can redesign its social network pages (such as Facebook) to highlight the new products and interact with consumers. When Jello Tempations launched, Kraft asked their fans to upload pictures of their kids stealing their adult Tempations. Once they loaded the pictures, they unlocked a coupon offer for the new product. Companies can also take advantage of YouTube’s popularity by posting commercials and clips. It’s also important to leverage couponing through mobile applications and group coupon sites.

Finally, in the maintenance stage, social media enables companies to keep their products alive and fresh in the marketplace. To do this, companies can redesign their social network pages and/or websites to encourage interaction. In the case of Kraft’s Mac N’ Cheese, the brand ran a campaign with Twitter encouraging consumers to tweet about the product. Then, within 24 hours, the company turned some of the tweets into commercials. Companies can also foster interaction via YouTube or Flickr. An Oreo and YouTube campaign involved a video competition asking consumers to share their “Oreo moments.”

Graves concluded her presentation by stating that it is important to embrace social media now because in the future she sees a “move to a virtual product development process” and “virtual consumer and sensory testing.” The truth of the matter is that consumers often have great ideas for your company and social media enables you to hear their ideas while at the same time creating a sense of community with them.

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Communicating Food Safety Issues in a Global Society

Sunday, June 12th, 2011

by Karen Nachay

Patrick Wall, Beacon Lecturer, June 12, 2011Outbreaks are not due to bad luck, they are due to bad management, explained Patrick G. Wall, Professor of Public Health at the University College Dublin and one of the Institute of Food Technologists’ inaugural Beacon Lecturers.

During the last 25 years many high profile food scares and outbreaks have occurred in the European Union that have eroded consumer confidence in the safety of the food supply and the regulators charged with overseeing food safety issues. As a result, a series of reforms to EU food safety policies and changes to the regulatory environment were established, including reforming EU food laws, creating the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to centralize risk assessment, and establishing a food and veterinary office to audit systems and establish standards for food products within and outside the EU. Wall explained in his presentation, “Reform of Food Safety Control in the EU: Are there Lessons for the USA?”, that despite the EU’s efforts in reforming how it addresses food safety, especially with creating the EFSA, challenges still remain in the global food market.

Patrick WallOne challenge Wall discussed in particular was communicating to the consumer in an era of a 24/7 news cycle increasingly dominated by social media and the blogosphere. When a food safety issue arises, media demand answers immediately, which can be burdensome to the regulators dedicating their time and resources to determining the cause of an outbreak. There is also disconnect between consumers and modern food production systems meaning people do not understand where their food comes from, said Wall. Scientists, regulators, and company officials should keep in mind that communication is a two-way process: They should answer questions as well as ask of others what should be addressed, added Wall.

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Special Events Pavilion Presents Key Exhibitor Presentations

Saturday, June 11th, 2011

by Kelly Hensel

It’s easy to get swept up in the craziness and excitement that is the Food Expo floor. However, Apart from holding meetings and presentations in their booth, some exhibitors will be featuring larger-scale presentations in the Special Events Pavilion, booth 8153. And this year there is some exciting presentations planned … everything from culinology, snacking, to product development competitions. Here’s the schedule:

IFT/RCA Culinology Presentation: Integrate Culinary Arts and Food Science to Develop Innovative Food Products
Sunday, June 12, 12:15–1:15 p.m.

Come attend this year’s IFT/RCA Culinology presentation to hear industry leaders share their thoughts on how they integrate culinary arts and food science to develop innovative food products. Participants Nick Landry, Corporate Chef/ Research and Development Chef, and Joe Orr, Director of Research and Development, from Louisiana-based Bruce Foods, will be discussing the product development process—from ideation to market—and how they work as a team to create new products.

United Soybean Board: Delicious Snack Food Opportunities: Leveraging the Dietary Guidelines
Sunday, June 12, 2:00–2:45 p.m.

The new 2010 Dietary Guidelines challenge consumers to eat nutrient-dense foods lower in solid fats, added sugar, and sodium. How can snack foods leverage this directive? Learn from Marilyn Schorin how to improve the healthfulness of food products, including lowering saturated fats and adding omega-3s. In addition, understand why fats and oils are an essential part of the diet and explore the latest consumer research that shows consumers seek healthier alternatives and are willing to pay a premium. Robert Reeves will demonstrate functional/sensory characteristics of enhanced oils. Finally, you can taste sweet potato fries and baked pita chip prepared in enhanced soybean oil.

Social Media and Word of Mouth Marketing: Conversations Mean Business
Sunday, June 12, 3:15–4:15 p.m.

How are you talking to customers? How are customers talking about you? Social media and Word of Mouth Marketing aren’t just for consumer communications. In this presentation by Zócalo Group, you will earn why companies must embrace opportunities to engage their audiences and generate recommendations … for your company, your products, your services, and your reputation. Learn how leading global brands are leveraging online/offline channels to generate conversations that mean business.

Great Science Meets Great Taste: A Revolutionary New Approach for Formulating Great Tasting Reduced Calorie Beverages
Monday, June 13, 10:30–11:30 a.m.

Brought to you by Cargill, this presentation examines replacing nutritive sweeteners with a high potency sweeteners and how it creates differences in the taste, sweetness, and mouthfeel. Traditionally, the industry has focused on the addition of flavors to minimize taste differences between diet and full calorie beverages, but little innovation has occurred in the area of mouthfeel. Cargill is running a multi-year research and development program to understand how beverage ingredients interact to affect taste, sweetness and mouthfeel to ultimately drive overall consumer liking. In this session, Brian Guthrie, Research Fellow in Cargill’s Global Food Research group, and Andy del Rosal, Team Leader of Cargill’s beverage application scientists, will present the preliminary results of this research in lemon-lime beverages and a new approach for optimizing taste in reduced calorie beverages.

Kraft: Utilizing Social Media in the Product Development Process
Monday, June 13, 12:00–1:00 p.m.

Social media has revolutionized the way companies connect with consumers. It can include media such as social networks, blogs/microblogs, photo/video sharing, and podcasts. Since the adoption of these technologies, companies have successfully leveraged social media for marketing and communications. There has been, however, little research in the application of these technologies to the product development process. This presentation by Kraft will discuss potential applications of social media monitoring, blogs, and social networks in product development.

Disney-IFTSA Product Development Competition: Nutritious Food for Kids
Monday, June 13, 2:00–5:00 p.m.

This competition has challenged student members of IFT to address an important wellness need by creating healthy snacks for kids. Participating teams must develop a nutritious, unique, and innovative concept, applicable to a food or beverage item for retail or foodservice, and intended for children under 12. Based on preliminary reports, the following teams were chosen as finalists and will present their products in this session.
• Rutgers University: Gitchi Gitchi Goo
• University of Arkansas: Phenomenal Funchies
• University of Nebraska: CarsZone
• University of Wisconsin, Madison (Graduate): Pixie Dust Fruit Beverage Mix
• University of Wisconsin, Madison (Undergraduate): Tangerine Dream
• Washington State University: Mater’s Craters

Mintel: The Future for Natural Flavors and Colors
Tuesday, June 14, 10:30–11:30 a.m.

Consumers appear to be looking for natural colors and flavors. This presentation will look at how companies are responding with new products and reformulated products. This session will look at the most common natural colors and flavors, and discuss differences from one part of the world to another.

Emerging Consumer Trends: The Protein Opportunity
Tuesday, June 14, 12:00–1:00 p.m.

According to the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, recent research shows that consumers are looking for protein sources beyond traditional options. One key driver: nearly a third of consumers are cutting back on meat. Learn the challenges they face, the role that dairy protein can play, and consumer-tested ways to position dairy protein for this group.

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Stay in the Know at the Annual Meeting & Food Expo

Thursday, May 5th, 2011

Accessing and sharing information about the Annual Meeting & Food Expo has never been easier and more convenient. Here’s a look at a few of the options.

Smartphone Mobile Application: Available for iPhones, iTouches, iPads, Androids, and Blackberrys, the new IFT11 mobile application is easy to download and available at no charge. It will keep users up-to-date on floor plans, exhibitors, the Scientific Program, and more. In addition, it will provide Twitter updates and offer full search capabilities.

IFT Live Show Daily: The Annual Meeting & Food Expo’s digital show daily will deliver a comprehensive overview of the event’s happenings. Check it out for reports on Annual Meeting programs and sessions, Food Expo news, competition results, and much more. IFT Live may be accessed at Internet Café terminals or through laptops, smartphones, or PDAs.

Social Media: IFT is using the social media channels LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter (twitter/ift11), and Flickr (flickr/IFT) to communicate about event highlights and changes during the Annual Meeting & Food Expo and to allow those on-site to engage in the virtual IFT community.

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