A Tasty Takeover: The Rise of Facebook's Favorite Foodie Channel
As humans, we've always loved what we can't have. For me, this is the cinnamon-roll french toast bake I find myself watching on Facebook at 8 AM. There is something so intriguing about being able to see how some of the most indulgent, lavish meals and created. And for this I have Tasty to thank for the countless hours I have, and will continue to spend, watching every breakfast, lunch, desert, and every dish in between being prepared before my eyes.Tasty is a Facebook-only cooking channel launched by the American internet-media company, Buzzfeed. With over 30 million loyal foodie followers, its videos continually get tens of millions of views and remain a favorite channel for many Facebook users.
Tasty's astounding growth and popularity over the past few months can't just be attributed to the delicious food they share with us everyday. Buzzfeed's biggest success lies with their strategic choice to use Facebook as their primary social media platform. Facebook's newsfeed features short-motion videos that attract viewers by first showing them the meal's finished product, then continue by sequencing the steps to make the dish yourself. No sound is required to see, for example, a cheese-stuffed pretzel pizza in the making. In fact - within 24 hours, that video had over 37 million views, 650,000 likes, and 750,000 million shares.
Their strategy of posting video content directly on Facebook (rather than posting it directly to their Buzzfeed site) was a huge win for them. They are less concerned with directing web traffic back to Buzzfeed and more concerned with getting the Tasty brand in the eyes of the consumer. Facebook's algorithm favors anything that keeps users on Facebook longer, and have used these videos as a way to keep their brand front-and-center of their millenial target audience (genius if I say so myself).Tasty's recent success has lead them to launch Proper Tasty - a similar Facebook-only food channel for British people. In this digital day in age, we can all look to the brilliance and strategic excellence Buzzfeed has displayed. Proper platform + effective communication + appropriate target market = success. Props to you Buzzfeed!
Works cited:
Griffith, Erin. "BuzzFeed’s Foodie Channels Are Blowing Up on Facebook." Fortune Tech, Fortune, 19
Jan. 2016.
I love watching Tasty videos! I didn't actually realize they were a Facebook only platform. I like Tasty because I can watch the video, and if what I like what I see, I have the ability to either try the dish myself, share with my friends to see if they'd want to make it with me, or direct message it to my mom to see if she can cook it for me the next time I come home. It is extremely effective because of the ways I can share it, so I agree with you that their strategy is a complete win.
ReplyDeleteI also didn't realize that Tasty was a Facebook only brand. It's interesting to see that they are so successful without their videos being directly linked to the Buzzfeed website. It would interesting to also know how Buzzfeed has benefitted from this type of platform. I like the idea of Tasty being it's own Facebook only brand as it makes it feel more original and less advertorial!
ReplyDeleteLoved this post! It is funny because lately the only reason I go on Facebook is to scroll through the hundreds of Tasty videos and other food videos. I feel like Buzzfeed's idea with creating the Tasty videos is brilliant because a lot of people love to watch any kind of video so it attracts a lot more viewers than just a regular old link to a recipe would. It shows how easy it could be to actually make the recipe and typically they are quick and easy recipes. Huge fan of Tasty videos to say the least.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I love watching Tasty videos and seeing the different recipes and ideas for cooking. I never realized Tasty was a Facebook only cooking channel. My favorite part about Tasty is that you can save the videos to your favorites on Facebook so you can come back to them and use them at a later date. I am a visual person so being able to watch someone else make the recipe first helps when I go to cook that recipe and it makes me realize how easy and quick it is. I agree that their strategy is a complete win because posting their videos directly to Facebook allows its followers to share it to friends and family.
ReplyDeleteI find myself doing the same thing. Okay, maybe not at 8am, but when I am scrolling through Facebook at any point in the day, I will take the very short minutes to watch the Tasty compilations that they show how to make. I tell myself every time, "I want to make that for dinner" but end up not actually doing so. Posting to Facebook over their Buzzfeed is a smart play I think because for people like me, I definitely get on Facebook way more then I do Buzzfeed. Reaches to a broader audience, and for those just killing time can actually turn into a productive time figuring out what's for dinner.
ReplyDeleteTasty is honestly where I spend 50% of my time on Facebook. I find myself staring at these videos almost every time I visit Facebook. This is very interesting to see that they're using a Facebook only marketing strategy here. It is smart, though. Most of the videos I see are not directly from Tasty but shared by my friends. I also find myself guilty of sharing many of these posts. It's important to see what drives people to share posts and promote a company without even knowing it.
ReplyDeleteMy friends and I love Tasty videos! I remember when they first were becoming popular and I had no idea how much of a success it will be. The other day I saw that Tasty has created a new stovetop that is actually a Tasty brand appliance. It will be interesting to see how Buzzfeed uses the brand to grow into the retail space.
ReplyDeleteI'll be honest, I used to HATE Tasty videos. As someone who really, really knows their way around the kitchen, I used to think that they were just another trendy fad that was taking over social media. Coincidentally, I'm the same person that can't stand when people don't even know how to boil an egg. Then it hit me: Buzzfeed Tasty is quite literally helping our generation with basic skills like cooking and using the right kitchen utensils on a non-stick pan. Their Facebook-only strategy is genius in that the only overhead is the labor and costs of making the videos, which are most likely offset by sponsored videos and advertising revenue.
ReplyDeleteI love Tasty videos so much that I even follow a Tasty video account on Twitter. The recipes and step by step videos help improve millennials presence in the kitchen. I even saw where Tasty had started selling their own Tasty brand kitchen appliances. It's incredible to see the growth that has resulted from what started simply as a few cooking videos.
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