Kraft Foods? new iPad application aims to teach users about healthy eating while drilling love and loyalty for the food giant?s brands such as Kraft Singles, Ritz Crackers, JELL-O and Mac & Cheese.  

Targeting parents in their 20s and 30s, the Big Fork Little Fork application offers users about 300 recipes, tips via in-depth articles, videos and games. Kraft brands are built into the experience, which is also meant to help families, eat, cook and live well together.

?We?re excited with the launch of our new iPad app, Big Fork Little Fork," said Ed Kaczmarek, director of innovation and consumer experiences at Kraft, Glenview, IL. "We truly believe it will transform the way families approach cooking and eating together.

"The launch of this brand new platform reinforces our commitment to engage with consumers in innovative ways and demonstrates our ability to leverage technology in making consumers? lives easier and more delicious,? he said.

Kraft Foods is one of the largest food and beverage companies in the world. It is home to brands such as Nabisco and Philadelphia and it markets many brands in more than 155 countries.

According to a recent study, last year alone, 37 million Web searches were conducted for family and kids? food-related resources.

However, no dominant source exists for this type of information, per Kraft.

The "Big Fork Little Fork" application is meant to make mealtimes a teaching occasion, a fun experience and a bonding moment while keeping kids engaged and entertained.

Big Fork Little Fork builds on Kraft's relationship with Meredith Integrated Marketing (MIM), Meredith Corp.?s business-to-business unit that provides the brand with custom marketing services and helped in the development of this application.  

Meredith tapped in-house mobile marketing agency The Hyperfactory for this application.

The Big Fork Little Fork iPad application costs $1.99 to download from the Apple App Store versus 99 cents for Kraft's iFood Assistant that was launched in November 2008 to much acclaim.

?Big Fork Little Fork is another example of  Kraft?s commitment to their customers," said Martin Reidy, president of Meredith Integrated Marketing, New York. "Through this app, Kraft is using emerging technology to accelerate its promise to reach families and teach them how to prepare food and eat more sensibly through an engaging tool.?

The recipes section of the ?Big Fork Little Fork? application is filled with pleasers for picky eaters. It includes nutritious recipes, desserts for special occasions, food ideas with kid-friendly directions, videos and food photography.

Kraft also packs the application with tips and information on nutrition and healthy habits, along with tricks for kids such as using lemon juice to make invisible ink.

The instructional ?How-to? videos show parents step-by-step instructions for teaching kids to crack an egg, measure liquids or dry ingredients and learn about stove safety.

The games in the application let kids blast off into outer space to learn about the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food pyramid or join in the action at Berwyn's Deli, exploring math skills to measure ingredients for hungry customers.

?Kraft is a brand with extremely valuable content and they?ve done a tremendous job leveraging that content to reach their target audiences,? said Julie Nielsen, senior director of partner development at appssavvy, New York.

Appssavvy did not create the Kraft application. The company provided feedback because of its expertise in the application market.

Ms. Nielsen pointed out that often times brands have a difficult time convincing people to use their applications.

However, Kraft has had tremendous success with its iPhone application, which is still to this day one of the most successful brand-dedicated iPhone applications on the market.

?They continue to innovate to reach their audience where they are spending their time,? Ms. Nielsen said. ?It?s a pretty advanced strategy.

?They offer a significant amount of resources to their consumers that actually provide utility and benefit and it?s clearly paid off,? she said. ?Lastly, it?s really nice to see big brands leverage new platforms ? and quickly.

?They moved fast, and as we have all learned, being first to market can often be more valuable than the experience itself.?

Advertising in disguise
The application does not outwardly market anything, but instead smartly incorporates Kraft brands into the experience, marrying the content with a form of non-intrusive advertising. It really is the future of mobile advertising for branding purposes.

?Many brands are probably scratching their heads at trying to figure out what the iPad means or could mean for them right now," said Derek Handley, cofounder/CEO of The Hyperfactory, New York.

"Everyone involved with Big Fork Little Fork truly believes that it?s really setting the bar and Kraft as a client have been bold enough to buy into a strikingly unique vision which we have helped them realize,? he said.  

This is not Kraft?s first foray into mobile marketing. The company launched its very first mobile application in December 2008 (see story).

Called the iFood Assistant, the application can be downloaded from the Apple App Store for installation on any iPhone or iPod touch. The application targets consumers on the go looking for recipes.

The iFood Assistant includes more than 7,000 tested, searchable recipes with detailed instructions and video demonstrations and an alternative horizontal view to follow along while cooking.

Application users can review comments posted on the recipes and share with others.

Consumers can also create shopping lists with nearby store recommendations and add custom ingredients.

Finally, the app offers tips and shortcuts such as "Dinner Tonight" and "Recipe of the Day" that feature daily recipes.

?The thing I like about this app concept, particularly with the iPad, is that the device seems at home lying around the kitchen, where families tend to hang-out, which is of course perfect for Kraft,? said Brennan Hayden, vice president of WDA Mobile Marketing, East Lansing, MI.

?It?s hard to imagine a more effective proximity marketing tool for a food brand, at least per user,"he said. "I remember several years ago, NCR was laughed at for a prototype Microwave oven with a built-in Web-browser. Today, I think it is a head-scratcher why a personal computing device of some sort isn?t built into every kitchen.

?Obviously, the iPad is portable, so the use of the Kraft app isn?t limited to the kitchen at all, but I think having the option is just brilliant.?

Final Take
Here is a demo of the application

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