Kiwis are being challenged to be more creative in the kitchen in light of research revealing that most of us rely on just a few routine recipes for meals.
“Deciding what to make for dinner week in and week out can be a lot, so it makes sense that most of us tend to fall back on a handful of crowd-pleasing dishes we’re confident preparing,” says Sarah Austin, New World Retail Marketing Manager.
She was commenting following the launch of New World’s MasterChef cookware promotion through which the supermarket’s customers can redeem items from a six-piece cookware range by collecting a sticker for every $20 they spend instore or online.
Austin and her colleague Katie Mooyman, New World’s Project Marketing Specialist, had to get creative themselves in bringing this promotion, which has been over a year in the making, to the public.
“The first thing we did was analyse the results from hugely successful previous promotions like SMEG and KitchenAid, the popularity of which made it clear our customers really love the option of using quality items from iconic, international brands,” in their kitchens, she says.
“We then thought: What’s next? We decided to draw upon our experiences and those of many New Zealanders who end up using the same cookware for upwards of 10-15 years, often reusing the worn-out pots and pans either passed down from relatives or gifted to us when we go flatting. We thoroughly pre-tested this concept with shoppers through a series of focus groups to ensure the lineup was appealing and useful.
“So, for this promotion we worked with MasterChef to carefully select pieces that would not only stand the test of time and allow people to refresh their kitchens, but also provide participants with the tools to get a bit more imaginative with their cooking with a series of recipes developed specifically for each item in the range.
“We put a lot of time, consideration and research into coming up with these recipes and we hope they help some of our customers grow their cooking skills with confidence,” Austin says.
“All 18 of the recipes are free and available to pick up instore or online, and some of our favourites include a One Pan Apricot Chicken and a Chocolate Pudding cooked in a fry pan, would you believe!”
When developing the promotion, Austin and Mooyman also factored in research conducted in New Zealand and Australia by Nestle under the Maggi brand in 2021 which concluded that Kiwis rely on much of the same recipes on a week-by-week basis with most of us having just seven recipes in our repertoire to draw from. The research also revealed that 60 per cent of households favour chicken dishes, 55 per cent prefer spaghetti bolognese and 54 per cent go for stir fry.
“We knew that we wanted to offer a series of Masterchef-inspired recipes, but the research showed us that we needed to cater to the classics as well. That’s why we’ve included cooking staples like vegetable stir fries and roasted chicken meals we hope people will find comforting and familiar,” Austin says.
“At its core, this promotion is about making our customers’ lives easier. An always-improving shopping experience is at the forefront of New World’s mantra, so we let that guide our decision-making process.”
MasterChef New Zealand 2022 winner, Sam Low, has been road testing the cookware and the recipes and says people are going to love them.
“The recipes are delicious, and I’ve put the cookware to the test; it really stands up to repeated use and is super easy to clean,” he says.
“I’m expecting to see a lot of this range in kitchens across the country.”
The promotion runs in all 148 New World stores throughout the country until November 5. The MasterChef non-stick range uses high quality stainless steel instead of aluminium and includes a two-piece Utensil set, 26cm Fry Pan, 28cm Non-Stick Fry Pan, 18cm Saucepan (suitable for all cooktop types including induction), Non-Stick Roaster with Rack and a 24cm Casserole pot.
The range includes features like an ILAG Swiss crystal coating, an extremely durable, scratch resistant material that is easy to wipe down and great for regular daily use.
Mooyman says there has been a good response to the promotion so far with New World’s initial customer research showing 80 per cent are aware of the campaign. While there is plenty of stock to go around - the items fill a whopping 120 containers of product – she advises people to redeem their stickers as soon as they can to avoid disappointment.
New World Head of Marketing and CX Giselle Bleakley, says pulling together the promotion is a mammoth operation and the New World team put significant efforts into making sure shoppers have an opportunity to get their pick.
“We appreciate that our collectable promotions resonate with New Zealanders, so we’ve done some pretty robust calculations to predict what item is likely to be the most popular and to make sure we have the right amount available where and when customers want it – something which is a huge undertaking for a nationwide promotion in stores serving thousands of customers every day.
“We’ve designed the range to be versatile so you don’t need the whole collection but can mix and match with what you might need or want at home,” she says. “We’ve also included prominent displays at the front of stores to show customers what stock is currently available in their local New World.”
Customers can redeem the range by collecting between 20-80 stickers, with one sticker earned with every $20 spent instore or online. Items can also be redeemed using a combination of stickers and a cash top-up. Bonus stickers are available on certain products each week to help fast track redeeming.
The MasterChef cookware range is exclusive to New World and not available at other retailers. The promotion runs until November 5 to collect stickers and until November 19 to redeem stickers. Items are strictly while stocks last.
For more information visit: New World/MasterChef