Tasty is a BuzzFeed division that produces and shares content related to comfort food. Tasty is mostly known for recipe video series posted on its Facebook page. The page is self-described as "Food that'll make you close your eyes, lean back, and whisper "yessss." Snack-sized videos and recipes you'll want to try." Tasty Facebook page was launched on July 31, 2015, and has over 77 million followers as of December 2016. According to BuzzFeed, every fourth Facebook user watches Tasty recipe approximately once a month. Tasty recipes have received over 1.5 billion views on Facebook in October 2016, making the page 4th most watched Facebook publisher and #1 channel in a culinary genre. The department is responsible for "37 percent of BuzzFeed`s video views". The popularity is explained by the content being specifically optimized according to features of social media.
Video recipes and links to Tasty website are the main content of the Facebook channel. The page includes four segments, including "Tasty Junior", "Tasty Happy Hour", "Tasty Story" and "Mom vs. Chef". Besides Facebook channel, it additionally has official accounts on Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Vine and Twitter. Tasty has the website, which operates as a division of BuzzFeed website. The website features video recipes, as well as food-related quizzes and articles. Tasty has six international spin-offs, such as "Proper Tasty" for Great Britain, "Tasty Demais" for Brazil, "Tasty Japan" for Japan, "Tasty Bien" for Spanish-speaking countries, "Einfach Tasty" for Germany and "Tasty Miam" for France. Each spin-off produces videos in the language respective to the country. Buzzfeed also manages two other video series with aesthetics similar to Tasty: "Nifty" that focuses on do it yourself ideas and "Goodful" that produces content related to a wellness lifestyle. On November 23, 2016, Tasty released customizable "Tasty the Cookbook". In July 2017, the Tasty One Top was announced, in partnership with GE Appliances. The device is a multi-purpose cooktop which integrates with the Tasty app via Bluetooth.
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History
BuzzFeed
BuzzFeed is an American privately-owned digital media company founded by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III in 2006. While being a co-founder of The Huffington Post, Peretti created BuzzFeed as a viral lab that tracked viral content online. In 2014 BuzzFeed received $50 million investment from the venture capital company Andreessen Horowitz and was able to expand to roughly 500 employees. The company has grown into multinational media, technology, and entertainment company with 12 offices worldwide.
BuzzFeed is self-described as "a cross-platform, global network for news and entertainment that generates seven billion views each month. BuzzFeed creates and distributes content for a global audience and utilizes proprietary technology to continuously test, learn and optimize."
Tasty on Facebook
In December 2013 Facebook changed its algorithm and added a default auto play setting for videos that significantly increased video viewership on the platform. BuzzFeed started observation on which videos become the most popular and it turned out to be 40-second-long videos. The company formed a team "FB40", which aimed to decide on the content of BuzzFeed videos created for Facebook. After considering the variety of options, the choice fell on recipe-genre, as it "was a sweet spot" to the Facebook audience.
On July 31, 2015, the team launched Facebook page Tasty that features short first-person DIY recipe videos. The connection to its popular parent brand, BuzzFeed, was only acknowledged in the page URL that contained "buzzfeedtasty" and small signage "From BuzzFeed" in the corner of the page.
Funds
In 2015 NBCUniversal made the equity investment of $200 million in BuzzFeed, making the digital media company worth $1.5 billion by that time. In 2016, the investment deal was increased to another $200 million, raising a pre-money evaluation to around $1.7 billion. The deal resulted in the partnership between Tasty and NCB`s Today show that together produced "on-air cooking segment" that started airing on September 23, 2016.
Revenue and Partnership
Reportedly, Tasty is responsible for half of Buzzfeed`s revenue in 2016 that is estimated at $250 million. Due to high numbers in Tasty`s viewership, the franchise conducted numerous sponsored campaigns that substantially contributed to its earnings. It is predicted that by 2018 Tasty will generate three-quarters of BuzzFeed`s annual revenue due to increased interest in digital advertising.
Fossil
In 2016 Tasty partnered with Fossil to launch "Behind the Hands of a Tasty Producer" campaign that consisted of three short behind-the-scenes video series. Each video featured a Tasty producer, who wore Fossil smartwatch while recreating the most popular Tasty recipes. According to Jill Elliott, Fossil`s chief creative officer, the branded series increased brand awareness among younger demographics. The partnership appeared to be a novelty to both companies, as it was the first time for Fossil to advertise with non-fashion media and for Tasty to work with a fashion brand.
Bundaberg Rum
In late 2016, Tasty produced two sponsored video series for Australian brand Bundaberg Rum. On October 13th, Tasty posted "Chicken Parma Roll" recipe on its Facebook channel that featured new Bundaberg`s premix drink. The video received high engagement rate with over 2,5 million views and more than 20,000 shares. A week later, the second recipe for "Sweet Chili Prawn Skewers" was released that also featured the drink and added the link to Bundaberg Rum Facebook page. Rum aimed to advertise the drink to younger demographics by utilizing Tasty`s ability to target a specific audience.
Newell Brands
On March 3, 2016, on Tasty published a recipe for "Jalapeno Popper Burger" that used Newell Brands` Oster grill to prepare the ingredients. The video performed better than other Tasty videos in terms of viewership and was watched over 60 million times on its Facebook page. The Oster grill was sold out on Internet retailers, such as Amazon and Target, despite the fact that the links to purchase the item were not included in Tasty post. The initial goal of the series for Newell Brands was to raise the brand awareness, but it clearly resulted in "purchase-intent campaign", as it was the only running advertisement for an Oster grill in March 2016.
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Content
Production
Tasty content videos are filmed and produced by 75 employees at BuzzFeed Motion Pictures office in Los Angeles, USA. During the weekly meeting, the crew, including the cooks and the producers decide on the final recipes of the future videos. The production process starts with the purchase of needed ingredients online or through the local grocery store. At the in-house kitchen studio, the ingredients are unpacked and prepared for the filming. During the shoot, the food is being prepared with the simple hand movements from the first-person perspective. Through the editing process, the material is mounted in chronological sequence, using the quick cuts, slow motion, and short on-screen instructions and is accompanied by instrumental music track. At the final frame, the cook separates a piece of the well-presented dish, then the Tasty logo appears accompanied by "Oh yes!" catchphrase.
As Facebook's auto-play feature plays video with no sound by default, Facebook-tailored Tasty recipes are "audio independent", leaving the major emphasis on intense visuals. The square-framed sped-up 30-to-120 seconds video is aimed to educate Facebook audience with "the most instruction possible in the least amount of time," according to Tasty producer Andrew Ilnyckyj. The video recipes are published approximately two times a day on Tasty`s Facebook and Instagram accounts. Some extended versions of the recipes are posted on Tasty YouTube channel as well the website.
Cuisine
The subject of the recipes is easy-to-make comfort food. The variety of meals prepared by Tasty includes entrée, main course, beverages, appetizers, and desserts. According to BuzzFeed's Chief Marketing Officer, Frank Cooper, the recipes are popular, because "People love tasty foods and the kind of foods that remind them of their childhood, comfort food, or food that reminds them of an experience."
Starting from December 2015, Tasty launched several international spinoffs, such as Proper Tasty, Tasty Japan, Tasty Bien, Tasty Demais, Einfach Tasty and Tasty Miam with recipes respectively adopted according to national cuisine. The videos are produced in 50/50 ratio by American division and the national division. The recipes are written in the language respective to the country, but the video description can be translated into English by Facebook translation feature.
- Proper Tasty
"Proper Tasty" page focuses on British cuisine. It was the first international adaptation of Tasty and was launched on Facebook on December 15th, 2016. As of December 2016, it is the most-liked page out of Tasty international adaptations with 14,585,906 likes. The page is described as "Food that's tasty, tempting, and a bit naughty. Unique twists on beloved British recipes you'll want to cook. Like Tasty, but in grams not cups." "Proper Tasty" has a Pinterest page.
- Tasty Demais
"Tasty Demais" page focuses on Brazilian cuisine. "Demais" translates to "too" from the Portuguese language. It is the second biggest international spinoff on Tasty with 13,223,811 likes on Facebook. Additionally, "Tasty Demais" has accounts on Instagram and Facebook.
- Tasty Japan
"Tasty Japan" focuses on Japanese cuisine and is self-described as "pleasant to see, fun to make" (translated from Japanese). Its Facebook page has over 1,652,545, likes as of December 2016 and the Instagram page has over 1 million followers.
- Tasty Bien
"Tasty Bien" page focuses on Spanish cuisine. "Bien" means "good" in the Spanish language. Its Facebook page was launched on March 30, 2016, and has 10,562,983 followers as of December 2016. Additionally, "Tasty Bien" has the account on Pinterest with the content written in the Russian language.
- Einfach Tasty
"Einfach Tasty" focuses on German cuisine, notably on chocolate and liquor, according to its self-description on Facebook. "Einfach" translates to "easy" from the German language. The Facebook page has 1,918,587, as of December 2016.
- Tasty Miam
"Tasty Miam" focuses on French cuisine. "Miam" means "Yum" in the French language. Its Facebook page was launched on April 6, 2016, and gained 1,671,046 likes. "Tasty Miam" also has an account on Pinterest.
Segments
- "Tasty Junior"
"Tasty Junior" features recipes with the low level of complexity. Children can contribute to the cooking process by performing actions, such as add seasoning, mix ingredients, etc.
- "Tasty Happy Hour"
"Tasty Happy Hour" features recipes for alcoholic beverages.
- "Tasty Story"
"Tasty Story" features celebrity chefs preparing the recipe of their choice and share the story associated with the recipe.
- "Mom vs. Chef"
"Mom vs. Chef" features a competition between a professional chef and a mother with amateur cooking skills. The competition lies in preparing the dish with one secret ingredient that varies in each series within the time limit of 30 minutes. Once the dishes are prepared, they are evaluated by Andrew Ilnyckyj, "Tasty" producer, and two children. During the final scene, the winner is announced.
Popularity
Tasty`s most viewed video on pizza puff pastry twists has been watched 146 million times on Facebook. In comparison, "the most-watched broadcast in television history, the 2015 Super Bowl" was watched by 114.5 million viewers. The rising amounts of viewership can be attributed to the fact that "a society has become more visually oriented" due to the fast-paced lifestyle and excessive usage of technology. According to psychologist Dr. Larry Rosen, videos evoke attention due to visual stimuli that triggers brain more than auditory stimuli.
Tasty videos are reportedly easy-to-adjust due to its simple aesthetics, short length, dynamics and entertaining content. Low textual load of Tasty videos makes them more appealing to the audience that is overwhelmed by news and social information overload online. According to Frank Cooper, Buzzfeed`s chief marketing officer, "It taps into a simple truth: People love tasty foods and the kind of foods that remind them of their childhood, comfort food, or food that reminds them of an experience". Visuals of comfort food trigger nostalgic and sentimental emotions in the viewer. According to the study published in Health Psychology Journal, experiencing comfort food is capable of temporary distracting a person from negative emotions and anxiety.
The goal behind Tasty recipes is "to position cooking as this natural thing that anyone can do" according to Andrew Gauthier, creative director of BuzzFeed Motion Pictures. The culinary tutorials use easily accessible ingredients and minimal kitchenware that suggests the simplicity of recreating the recipes at home.
Criticism and Controversies
Tasty recipes are criticized on an excessive usage of bacon, cheese products, and dough ingredients that result in low nutritional value and high-calorie content per dish. The nutritional information, such as calories, fats, protein, and carbohydrates, of 8 most viewed recipes on Facebook was analyzed by Vocativ, and it was discovered that the recipes, on average, "had more calories, fat and carbohydrates in a single serving than a McDonald`s double cheeseburger". For instance, a single serving of Tasty`s One Pot Chicken Alfredo contains 1,0005 in comparison with 420 calories found in one double cheeseburger.
In 2015, the Appetite Journal conducted a study on the relationship between watching culinary shows and body mass index. It was found that people that obtain recipe information from a cooking program are more likely to have high BMI. People did not necessarily prepare food, according to the recipes, but their perception of food was influenced by what they saw on cookery television. The recipes seen on the show remain in memory and people were more likely to prepare the meal with the similar ingredients. As the result, culinary programs, including Tasty are criticized for not demonstrating corporate responsibility by providing nutritional information on recipes, leaving the audience unaware of the potential health consequences of consuming prepared meals.
In July 2016 Tasty was accused of plagiarizing the recipe from food writer J Kenji Lopez-Alt. According to Lopez-Alt, the recipe for "Chicken and Rice (NYC Street Cart Style)" published on May 26, 2016, on Tasty`s Facebook page was "nearly identical" to the recipe he developed and published several years ago. In 2010 the writer interviewed the owners of several food carts in New York City and conducted experiments and trials on the innovative recipe. Based on his experience and knowledge, he derived the recipe for halal-cart style chicken and rice. In 2011, Lopez-Alt published the recipe on culinary website Serious Eats.
Lopez-Alt contacted Buzzfeed to discuss the case of plagiarism and, according to the writer, Buzzfeed editor verified that the recipe was plagiarized, however, no official editorship statements regarding the event were released. Lopez-Alt comprehended that the recipes are not subject to Copyright Act in the USA and the case of plagiarism was a "question of integrity".
Cookbook
On November 23th Tasty released the ordering website for "Tasty the Cookbook"- a printed collection of Tasty recipes converted into text and images, which can be customized in more than 10,000 ways. Out of 1,000 top-rated Tasty recipes, potential buyers can choose the recipes by selecting the food-lover archetype: Entertainer, Carb Lover, Health Nut, Ingredient Obsessed, Too Busy To Cook, World Traveler, Lil` Ones. The second step of building a customized book offers to add a personalized message that will appear on one of the pages of the hard copy of the cookbook. The message can be paired with emojis. The book can be printed in hardcover or paperback. Once the book is checked out, the order is converted into PDF format that is sent to HP Indigo Press that prints customized books on-demand. Each order comes with the branded apron packaged together with the cookbook into a carton box. During the first week of sales, more than 20, 000 orders were placed, making the cookbook a New York Times bestseller.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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