COM 400 BuzzFeed Channel Case Study Analysis: Tasty A.J. Gersh, Haley Jones, Sasha Levin, Lindsay Schiffman

1. BuzzFeed Channel Case Study
Analysis: Tasty
Syracuse University, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
A.J. Gersh, Haley Jones, Sasha Levin, Lindsay Schiffman

2. “People share videos like they share a meal together, and
we happen to be a bridge between the two."
- Andrew Gauthier, BuzzFeed Motion Pictures

3. Tasty
Basic Data:
- Launched: July, 2015 (Beckett, 2017)
- Views: More than 1.8 billion across more
than 2,000 videos (Beckett, 2017)
- Facebook: 89,422,035 likes
- YouTube: 4,072,258 subscribers
- Instagram: 13.6 million followers
- Twitter: 526k likes
- Pinterest: 825,610 followers
- Audience: Midwestern moms (Duca,
2017)
Channels Evolving from Tasty:
- Tasty Vegetarian, Bien Tasty, Proper Tasty,
Tasty Proper, Tasty Junior, Tasty Japan,
etc.
- Different platforms for different regions
around the world and different types of
ingredients.
- Tasty app
- Tasty Cookbook
- Sold over 100,000
copies within just
the first 2 months
of its release.
http://add-ink.com/tasty-cookbook/

4. Strategy (Duca, 2017)
Specific content
- Silent videos
- Sped up videos - 1-2 minutes
- Aesthetically pleasing
- Unique filming - birds-eye view of the
process
Look at data
- How many likes, views, shares etc. did a certain piece of content
receive?
- What types of things are trending or gaining popularity right now?
Analyze content creatively
- What job did you intend on being accomplished vs. what job was
actually accomplished?
- Why was that piece of content successful or unsuccessful?
- What is the “share statement?”
Make iterations of that content
- What made previous successes so popular and can it be imitated?
- If what you thought was the successful part of the content didn’t
reproduce similar results, try something else!
Know your audience!
@buzzfeedtasty

5. What’s Working?
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJFp8uSYCjXOMnkUyb3CQ3Q
Identity: Chocolate Lovers Memories: Cheeseball
Nostalgia
Utility: Avo Hack

6. What Isn’t Working?

7. Tasty’s Impact So Far
- On social:
- Producing some of most popular digital
content in the world
- Style: Videography
- Overhead shots, or “P.O.V.-style instructional
food porn” (Manjoo, 2017).
- “DIY” *simple* home cooking recipes
- Trailblazing with video:
- Smooth-motion, Silent
- IRL
- Easy way to cook with friends
- “Let’s do this!”
-

8. Growth
- Adapting viral content to different platforms
- Continuing use of feedback, analytics, SEO to
keep creating viral content
- More “Tasty” brand products
- Drive brand awareness
- Product (cooking appliances, food-cameras,
etc.)
- Smart Appliances https://tastyonetop.com/
- More business partnerships (NBCUniversal,
Tasty X TodayShow)
-

9. Present Recommendations/How Can They Grow?
Present Recommendation:
- Work with celebrities to create more “guest chef”
Tasty videos
- Already posted:
- “Martha Stewart made Beer-Battered
Onion Rings”
- Future Ideas:
- “Watch Justin Bieber make his favorite
Canadian Bacon!”
- “Watch Seth Rogen and James Franco
make their favorite munchies snack”

10. Present Recommendations/How Can They Grow?
- Promote DIY recipe challenges - like the show
Chopped on Food Network, but winner gets their dish
featured on Tasty
- Continue to better utilize platforms like Snapchat and
Instagram stories as an alternate route to view Tasty
recipes.
- Expand upon the six current international Tasty
channels for a more widespread audience:
- Proper Tasty (Britain)
- Tasty Demais (Brazil)
- Tasty Japan
- Tasty Bien (Spanish speaking regions)
- Einfach Tasty (Germany)
- Tasty Miam (France)
- Maybe add Tasty Australia, Tasty Italy, Tasty China,
etc.
- Continue to use branded and sponsored content

11. References
Beckett, J. (2017, September 20). Social Media Case Studies: BuzzFeed Tasty's Social Media Content. Devumi Social Media
Marketing. Retrieved September 28, 2017, from
https://devumi.com/2017/09/social-media-case-studies-buzzfeed-tastys-social-media-content/
Duca, B. (2017, September 26). Social Media Strategy Presentation.
Main, S. (2017, June 01). These BuzzFeed Videos Are Unexpectedly Impacting Local Businesses Around the World. Adweek.
Retrieved September 28, 2017, from
http://www.adweek.com/digital/buzzfeeds-unexpected-impact-on-local-businesses-around-the-world/
Manjoo, F. (2017, July 27). How BuzzFeed’s Tasty Conquered Online Food. The New York Times. Retrieved September 28,
2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/technology/how-buzzfeeds-tasty-conquered-online-food.html
Smith, G. (2017, January 05). Delicious Irony: BuzzFeed's Old-School Cookbook Is Bestseller. Bloomberg. Retrieved
September 28, 2017, from
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-05/delicious-irony-buzzfeed-s-old-school-cookbook-is-bestseller