Betty Crocker™ Launches New Cookbook for iOS

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Betty Crocker™, a leader in the food content space, today announced its popular free digital cookbook app has been refreshed to make cooking with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch even easier.  Inspired by its best-selling cookbooks, the newly launched Betty Crocker App features more than 15,000 kitchen-tested recipes, all at your fingertips, and is available now on the App Store.

Inspiring a new generation of cooks

"Today, 7 in 10 consumers are using their smartphones or tablets (as a reference or digital cookbook) while cooking,¹ and we've seen that consumption of recipe content in mobile apps is growing even faster than consumption through mobile web sites,^2" said Audra Carson, digital marketing leader for Betty Crocker.

With one-third of all mobile recipe users accessing recipes via apps, it is more common for usage to be daily, compared to web users who access recipes maybe one to three times a month. Of mobile recipe app users, more than half are Millennials.²

"We are extremely excited to see this growth with mobile recipe app users," said Carson. "It provides a great opportunity for us to reach a new generation of (millennial) consumers with a digital Betty Crocker Cookbook that is relevant to their lifestyle."

Betty's digital cooking insight

"With technology becoming a mainstay in the kitchen, we needed to understand how to make the cooking experience better for consumers," said Carson.  "So we went on a two month 'learning journey' where we had people cook with their devices to learn about common pain points that we could solve for in our new app."

During the journey, the team looked at both traditional cookbook and app usage behavior, such as how consumers search for recipes, and what app features they actually used. 

"There is certainly no shortage of digital food content or apps out there, but what we heard from consumers was that there was an opportunity to help them sort through the clutter and quality of recipes," explained Carson.  "We also learned that most consumers already have their own systems in place for managing grocery lists and coupons for shopping, so this was something they didn't need from us."

"We made it our goal to focus on connecting consumers to quality recipes that they can actually make, and on how to improve the cooking experience in the kitchen, which is what we know best."   

New features on the Betty Crocker Cookbook App

The new app features beautiful food photography, with content organized by 'chapters' of Betty Crocker's most popular and highest-rated recipes – even including chapters for gluten-free and vegetarian diets.  Consumers can even save favorite recipes to their own personal 'chapter' of the cookbook app. 

Users will also receive the latest and greatest Betty Crocker recipe content with new chapters updated and sent seasonally, without having to upgrade the app.  In October, a chapter will appear for fall baking (think apple & pumpkin desserts) and in November, one for holiday cookie recipes and ideas. So there will always be something new to discover and make. 

When cooking with a device there is nothing more frustrating than having to touch the screen with messy hands when the screen locks up. With the new app, users can easily navigate through a recipe, complete steps and even walk away without the screen locking. They can also keep track of what ingredients they've added and steps they've completed along the way by simply checking or "tapping" them off as they go. And for those that need to adjust recipes, there are in-app tools for substitutions and conversions in context of each recipe.

With connectivity being extremely important to the millennial consumer, users can also easily text, email or socially share a recipe with family and friends directly from the app. 

And with over 90 years of understanding and helping home cooks, Betty Crocker knows the importance of recipe success.  The new app features more than 15,000 kitchen-tested recipes incorporating decades of learning. 

"Many remember the affinity their grandmother and mom had for Betty Crocker cookbooks while growing up," said Carson "We plan to bring those same memories and successful cooking experiences to a new generation, this time on their device," explains Carson.

The Betty Crocker Cookbook App is available for free on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, or at www.AppStore.com.   

To learn more, go to: www.BettyCrocker.com/apps.  

About Betty Crocker

Since her creation in 1921, Betty Crocker has enjoyed a distinguished history as a multimedia superstar. Featured in radio, TV, print, and now online, this cultural icon has rightfully earned her reputation as the "Original First Lady of Food."  Minneapolis is the home of the Betty Crocker Kitchens, where a team of culinary experts develop food ideas that combine trends with consumer needs. 

BettyCrocker.com is one of the top websites in the food category. Betty Crocker's Facebook community has over 3 million fans that enjoy interacting with the brand, and millions have downloaded Betty Crocker's mobile app.  Betty Crocker branded products garner more than $1 billion in sales annually.

About General Mills

General Mills is one of the world's leading food companies, operating in more than 100 countries around the world. Its brands include Cheerios, Fiber One, Haagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Yoplait, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki, and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., USA, General Mills had fiscal 2014 worldwide sales of US $17.9 billion. Visit www.generalmills.com.

Sources:
¹ Crowdtap Cooking App Study, GMI, February 2014
² Comscore, 2013

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SOURCE Betty Crocker