Brief:

• Rubbermaid is sponsoring a cooking class on Instagram Live starring author Katherine Schwarzenegger, who will demonstrate how to make food with everyday ingredients while being stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic. The "Brilliance Prep School" will livestream at 1 p.m. ET on July 9 from her @katherinescharzenegger account on the app, per an announcement.
• Jocelyn Delk Adams, the cookbook author who runs the "Grandbaby Cakes" blog, will show Schwarzenegger how to make a variety of dishes using staples and keep them fresh using Rubbermaid's Brilliance food storage containers.
• Schwarzenegger and Adams have handcrafted the recipes shown in the cooking class, which shows different dishes to make with the same core ingredients, per the announcement from Rubbermaid, which is owned by Newell Brands.

Insight:

With millions of people cooking more often at home instead of eating out during the coronavirus pandemic, Rubbermaid aims to show how its food storage products can help people in the kitchen. By sponsoring a livestreamed cooking show on Instagram Live, Rubbermaid can lure an audience seeking advice on how to improve their kitchen skills while touting its Brilliance containers.

Katherine Schwarzenegger, the daughter of actor Arnold Schwarzenegger and journalist Maria Shriver who has written several books, has 905,000 followers on Instagram, helping Rubbermaid to reach a target audience of people who follow her lifestyle posts.

Rubbermaid's cooking show is consistent with the helpful tone that many brands have adopted to show how their products and services are more essential during the pandemic. The message is likely to register with some consumers, with 53% of U.S. adults saying they're more likely to buy from companies that help people during the crisis, per a Morning Consult survey. For consumers who are looking to improve their home cooking and save money by keeping it stored for the week, Rubbermaid's cooking show may be useful.

Rubbermaid is the latest brand to participate in a cooking show on social media to reach homebound consumers who use the platforms to watch videos and stay connected with the outside world. Spice maker McCormick in May hosted a virtual taco-making party with actress Drew Barrymore on Instagram Live while raising awareness for COVID-19 relief. The same month, fast casual chain Shake Shack started streaming a cooking show on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to demonstrate how to make its signature menu items at home. These efforts can help to build stronger online communities around each brand.