Heinz Revamps Foodservice Web Site, Traffic Rises

HeinzFoodservice.com-BLast year, Heinz discovered a lack of business-building resources for domestic foodservice operators. With the help of Communispace -- Omnicom’s online community unit -- the ketchup king determined that these business owners were looking to share information and inspiration among their peers.

Sensing an opportunity, Heinz redesigned its Foodservice Web site to reflect industry demand. The result? Just eight weeks after the relaunch, site traffic has exceeded total visits from the previous year and continues to increase steadily, according to Josie Cellone, digital marketing manager for Heinz Group57.

The investment has already paid off based on “the high level of quality engagement we’ve seen with the site, as well as the volume of return visits," said Cellone.

The site now suggests new menu ideas, business tips and recipes, while offering a platform to engage with food operators around the country.

In addition, new trend articles are published twice a month around topics such as health, nutrition and sustainability, while Heinz foodservice-related experts post monthly blog posts and respond to operator questions on discussion boards.

In the past six months, more than 28,000 operators have visited the site, according to Cellone.

Omnicom's Diversified Agency Services division acquired Communispace in early 2011. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but at one point, Communispace was reportedly valued at $100 million.

The deal came on the heels of Omnicom's Diversified Agency Services' purchase of predictive modeling and advanced analytics firm The Modellers.

 

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