By late 1999 and 2000, CorningWare had lost its edge. Created in 1958, it was viewed as mom's cookware - outdated, and irrelevant to a younger generation of cooks.
The company challenged Patrice Tanaka & Co. to develop a campaign that would put CorningWare in Gen X cupboards. But the agency recognized that the problem went deeper
than just a lack of brand relevance. "We came back to an inherent problem," says Judy Musa, PT&Co. VP. "People weren't just not purchasing the product, or not using the
product if they were purchasing it: they didn't know how to cook."
The agency's research showed young people increasingly relying on take-out and pre-packaged foods rather than cooking from scratch. And even if they had the time, they didn't
have the skills to create a meal. A 1998 National Pork Producers poll revealed almost 75 percent of people taking a simple cooking test failed, and a McKinsey & Co. report
showed by 2005, many Americans would never have cooked a meal from scratch. But CorningWare's research also showed that the trend was reversible: the more comfortable consumers
were with basic cooking skills, the more they cooked and entertained.
Kicking Kitchen Illiteracy
The agency turned to the Web as the perfect vehicle to reach potential CorningWare consumers and get them cooking. "Gen X does so much online these days," Musa says. "No one
had undertaken an online cooking school. There are places to find recipes, but they don't teach technique, they just tell you how to put things together." Plus, the Web's 24/7
model made sense for time-pressed young people who didn't have enough hours in the day for in-person cooking lessons.
PT&Co. partnered with Johnson & Wales University, a well-established culinary school, to create the CorningWare eSchool, a free Web site offering instruction in the
basics of food prep. "Our goal was to eradicate cooking illiteracy," Musa says. The eSchool offered instruction on topics like roasting, broiling, grilling and baking. JWU
provided lab instructions, chef's techniques and tips, recipes, food safety tips and a glossary.
Find Your Inner Chef
PT&Co. scrambled to coordinate with the University and build the architecture of the Web site in a two-month window. The site was designed to include simple graphics and
easy navigation, but the team had to give careful consideration to content and copy in order to appeal to varying levels of expertise. "We had to write it in a way that would be
interesting to a novice as well as someone who might be a dabbler and wanted to expand their repertoire," Musa explains.
Once the site was up and running, the agency launched national media outreach for a "Find Your Inner Chef" campaign. At a New York press event, CorningWare execs presented a
retrospective on CorningWare achievements, positioning the eSchool as the latest example of the company's leadership. Members of the press were able to log on to the site and
receive their "graduation certificate" upon completing each short course.
Tchotchkes included a unique combination of aprons and mouse pads. Media relations included a press kit and pitches featuring the results of a national survey on the "State of
Cooking in America." The agency also distributed a VNR and b-roll package featuring JWU instructors and survey results.
Tasty Results
The eSchool received an impressive 97 million media impressions, including the front page of The Wall Street Journal. CorningWare received attention from media that had never
been interested in the cookware arena before. Newsweek's Kaplan Guide to the Internet, Family PC and CNN.com all covered the site in the context of lifelong learning, and books
targeted at younger women (Self, Cooking Light and First For Women) all featured the site as a timesaver.
CorningWare saw a hike in retailer confidence, and several retailers approached the company about partnering with the site. The eSchool is now under the umbrella of
CorningWare's main site, http://www.corningware.com, and World Kitchen, CorningWare's parent company, is looking at ways of expanding
it.
"The focus was to take the world of cooking and make it far less fearful - to make it fun and interesting," Musa says. The Web site accomplished that goal for 2,500 unique
visitors a month in 2000, who logged on for their own e-certification in fast, user-friendly cooking.
(Contact: Judy Musa, 212/229-0500 ext. 242, [email protected])
Campaign Stats
Budget: Under $300,000 The relatively small budget was a challenge since
it prohibited PT&Co. from procuring a celebrity chef as a spokesperson.
Costs included: Web-building, content creation and design, curriculum development,
giveaways, press kits.
Timeframe: August 1999 - 2000
PT&Co. Team: Ellen LaNicca Albanese, President & Co-Founder;
Judy Musa, VP; Maddy Cohen, Senior Counselor; Sasha Bellato, Ass't Account Executive
Partner: Johnson & Wales; eSchool curriculum development
Sample Recipes Online (at http://www.corningware-eschool.com,
designed to add a little pizzazz to "your mom's cookware"): Moroccan Baked Red
Snapper; Vermont Cheddar Cheese Soufflé; Alaskan Halibut with Grainy Mustard
Crust; Spicy Oriental Chicken Wings; Virginia Ham & Swiss Quiche; Challah
Bread Pudding.