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."
Launched in December, Kraft's app promises "over 7,000 recipes at your fingertips," browse-able by ingredients, meal type or prep time. The app also features step-by-step directions for making dishes, how-to videos with guides to portion sizes and knife skills, and a built-in shopping list. Users can also build their own mobile recipe box of their favorite recipes. With navigation similar to an iPod, the app also features a "recipe of the day" to inspire aspiring cooks.
"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."
Not surprisingly, most recipes feature Kraft products. Advertising Age noted that a recently-featured recipe for "chicken cacciatore pronto" called for Kraft Light Zesty Italian dressing, chicken thighs, garlic, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, red peppers, whole-wheat spaghetti, Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese and Kraft 2 percent Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese.
Kraft is running ads throughout the app, some before the instructional videos and some with searches. Since users sign onto Kraft Foods before downloading recipes and shopping lists, Kraft also gains information about which recipes are most popular and which ingredients are most used. The company also gains insight into when and how consumers shop.
"In terms of being paid, we think it's a tremendous value for 99 cents," Mr. Kaczmarek said. "For the price of a song, we're delivering a robust offering, and any upgrade with more services and content will be free to the consumer."
According to Advertising Age, The App Store's 83 reviews were mixed. One reviewer exclaimed, "Not good at all!" while another said, "Wow ... best 99 cents spent." One reviewer said, "I have used Kraft online and this is just as good, plus there are more features," but lamented that the shopping lists weren't comprehensive enough. Another wrote, "I've never really cooked a lot but these recipes make me feel like Rachael Ray in the kitchen! Thanks Kraft!"
Discussion Question: What do you think of the iFood Assistant app from Kraft Foods? Do you think food planning is a natural for mobile device applications?
[Author's commentary] The number one lifestyle app at App Store is Grocery iQ, a shopping organizer preloaded with over 130,000 items to enable shoppers to quickly view items by brand and size. Shoppers can sort the list by aisle, customize item sizes, and add notes. It also has a history of past purchases. One touted advantage is being able to e-mail the shopping list to another family member. The app costs $4.50.