Walmart’s ‘Cookshop’ Celebrity Collaborations Use Content To Build Deeper Relationships With Consumers

Walmart and video tech company Eko are expanding their Cookshop partnership, a series of shoppable recipe videos that feature brand collaborations and celebrity partnerships to create attention-grabbing, shareable videos. Sofia Vergara will join the running roster of high-profile hosts, which currently includes Jamie Oliver, Patti LaBelle and the Pioneer Woman.

This latest partnership is part of Walmart’s continued effort to explored “new ways to use technology to improve the e-commerce experience,” said Justin Breton of Walmart’s brand partnerships team, in Eko’s release announcing the expansion. The Cookshop videos are a step beyond the typical grocery store branded recipe video, both in the quality of their content and in their shoppability, with interactive shopping features guiding consumers frictionlessly along the purchasing path.

Other Walmart Eko video series include the Cook Together tutorials, which feature professional chefs chosen more for their culinary expertise than their celebrity status, and the Camp videos, geared toward children. These content offerings are especially effective right now, mid-pandemic, as stuck-at-home consumers seek both learning opportunities for themselves and activities for their families. In Breton’s words, the content suite “provides much needed inspiration and joy while many are safely staying at home throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“Cookshop is the result of a strong multi-year partnership with a tech-savvy retailer, Walmart,” Eko General Manager Tom Fishman said in the release. “We continue to explore new avenues of connecting experiences with commerce and are constantly amazed at the possibilities interactive video provides.”

Walmart’s videos are the latest addition to the ever-growing genre of branded grocery content. Texas-based supermarket chain H-E-B has made a name for itself on YouTube with its short- and longform culinary content. The chain’s “Back to Basics” videos encourage more consumers to take up cooking, and consequently to shop for more groceries, with cooking fundamentals tutorials. For more serious cooks, virtual cooking classes teach how to make involved meals and how to master complex techniques.

Publix, oft-praised for its social media strategy, has built up a multimillion-customer following across platforms by differentiating its channels to cater to each platform’s users. As Maria Brous, Publix media and community relations director, once explained, “Our social media presence has always been about engaging with our customers where they are and extending our in-store service online. Pinterest allows us to inspire and entertain with recipes and holiday and event planning ideas. Instagram will further our connection with our online community through photos and videos showcasing our brand personality and strong company culture.”

While Publix goes broad, offering a range of content across platforms, Trader Joe’s has made a name for itself with its specificity, creating a unique brand voice showcased in its popular “Fearless Flyer” circular and its newsletter. The vintage-inspired, whacky visual identity and the irreverent tone have garnered the chain a cult following, generating anticipation for new deals and products.

Meanwhile, Whole Foods is building its relationship with fans in a more direct way: through one-on-one virtual conversations. Its chatbot for Facebook Messenger allows consumers to ask the AI bot for recipes, for dietary information, and for inventory updates, reported Venture Beat. As Jeff Jenkins, the chain’s then-VP of digital strategy and marketing, said at the time of launch, “We are living in the ‘expectation economy,’ where consumers expect to have information at their fingertips, and we want to keep innovating to meet our customers where they are.” Meanwhile, grocery delivery service FreshDirect’s credit card-enabled chatbot both provides information and allows for in-chat ordering, reports Jasoren.

By expanding the range of informational content available, supermarkets embed themselves in consumers’ routines. Owning the cooking process from recipe to purchase, these chains can guide consumers to specific products, can promote new offerings, and can gather valuable data about consumers’ appetites and curiosities.

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