Betty and the Doughboy...

Of course PR professionals and firms stay current on trends and online phenomenons but what about everyone else?


My love for baking stems from long afternoons in the kitchen with Grammy. Currently attending college five states away from home, satisfying my sweet tooth presents a problem. Overnight care packages provide instant gratification but more commonly, I brave boxed mixes.

Bakers are an interesting bunch. They can be coy and competitive yet sugary sweet, cautious to disclose recipes unless totally prepared from scratch. I've come to realize, many a baker occasionally substitute homemade for the home baked taste of treats cooked from boxed ingredients. Pillsbury, a household name for generations, offer such products. Pillsbury has recently designed a mechanism to take their name to the next level.

The "Pillsbury Community" provides a forum for exchange, grievances and connection. At first glance, I was convinced there were in house individuals posing as consumers, but they weren't. Any Internet user can view one of the nine topics ranging from Quick and Tasty Breakfast to Kid-Friendly Fun in the Kitchen. Members of the community have the ability to comment on threads and Pillsbury newsletters.

The first thread voiced concerns from diabetic bakers wondering why Pillsbury's sugar free product are difficult to find. "Janette at Pillsbury" comments back providing the company's perspective on the given topics. This format is FREE! Pillsbury's facilitation of this community allows for them to monitor their product line constantly with individuals who purchase their product. In regards to the discontinued sugar-free products, Amy1958 said, "No one I know has ever heard of them either. Apparently, Pillsbury did not do effective advertising." BOOM automatic FREE feedback!

Competitor Betty Crocker takes a different perspective.

Not only does "Conversations" from Betty Crocker field product questions, the company goes the extra mile. The in-house commenters provide practical product information as well as genuinely commenting on homemade recipes and sharing personal experience experiences of culinary creations utilizing Betty's bakery makings.

Community.Pillsbury versus Community.BettyCrocker represent competitive online marketing strategies cooked up to provide each organization with a taste of consumer feedback.