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Foodie News Friday

Publish date 13/01/2012 Frog

We took an extended break before getting stuck back into the Foodie News for 2012 but here it is – the first post! This week the team take a look at Little Chef, SnapTags and free books with happy meals…

Felicity: I was a little saddened to hear the news about Little Chef this week, although not at all surprised. Whilst a popular staple with families and motorists since the late 1950′s the company made the now obvious mistake of not reinventing itself properly. The key to the success of any company is a strong brand presence that keeps it fresh and relevant to the public; something Little Chef failed to recognise. Whilst it’s still an iconic brand it conjures up feelings of nostalgia rather than those of a place you would want to eat in the 21st Century. Other companies should take this as a valuable lesson in brand rejuvination and plan to stay one jump ahead of the competition in 2012 and beyond!

Angharad: It was reported towards the back end of last year that only eight people used QR codes in 2011 that didn’t work in PR or Marketing – an apparent 50% increase on the year before. Whilst those statistics don’t make for great reading America has already moved on to something new. Introducing SnapTags! They work in the same way as a QR code but can be branded, making them look more user friendly and recognisable for consumers. Accessed from smart phones the brand name or product fits inside a ‘code ring’ that is read by the app when scanned and programmed to do something – take you to a website or download a free game or whatever. Big brands in the US like Coca Cola are already trying it out and we’ll be keeping an eye to see what opportunities, if any, there will be for UK brands. Everyone jumped on the QR code bandwagon without much success; my guess is we’ll hold back on SnapTags until we’re sure they’re worth it. Watch this space!

Lauren:It has been announced this week that McDonald’s are planning to hand out books with Happy Meals as part of a partnership with publisher HarperCollins. Each book comes with a finger puppet which, according to the restaurant chain, will “help parents bring the stories to life for their children.”

I think the idea is brilliant and is a great way to get children interested in books and reading from an early age. There are, of course, some critics who will argue that this is cleverly constructed plan to manipulate parents into taking children to the fast food chain and feed them with junk food, and perhaps rightly so, although McDonald’s do stress the books can be purchased for 99P without any food.

I believe a treat every now and then never did anyone any harm, and claiming a free book to enhance a child’s learning and development, regardless of where it comes from, could never be called a bad thing.