Butterball “Togetherness” at Thanksgiving, Along with Hosting Pants
Source: Hedley & Bennett
To my eye, Butterball (as in the turkeys) has long owned Thanksgiving.
Back in 1981, the brand started a call-in hotline during the holiday where six “home economists” would answer calls from consumers about cooking their turkeys. The brand said it wanted to help people get over their “turkey trauma.” Brilliant. The “hotline” has now grown to multiple channels including Alexa, social channels, text, and chat with over 100,000 inquiries in the US in November and December alone. Wow.
This year, looking perhaps looking at a different kind of “trauma” (my words), Butterball released its “Togetherness Report” for Thanksgiving with some of the findings as follows:
89% of consumers plan to celebrate Thanksgiving with an average of 9 people, which seems to me to be about larger gatherings (ironically, we are hosting a table of 9 this year, right on average!)
Consumers are prioritizing family time, which for Thanksgiving means food and relaxation (and I might add in football)
While 28% worry about inflation, only 21% will compromise on Thanksgiving food — and they won't cut corners on the turkey (that inflation number seems low to me TBH)
And no surprise, when it comes to the Thanksgiving table, the turkey remains the undisputed centerpiece, and consumers feel confident cooking it (I don’t, but then again my husband does the cooking!)
Seems about right given the state we are at, setting aside the current mood to escape for the holidays with food uniting the family for a gathering.
Thank you Butterball for the insights.
And here’s another fun gift from Butterball for the holiday … hosting pants. In a limited edition drop, the brand partnered with famed chef apron brand Hedley & Bennett to create pants that hosts can wear that uniquely make cooking a turkey a little bit easier. With a small pocket for the thermometer, a loop for a towel, etc. Take a look …
Fabulously fun, and yet again owning Thanksgiving. I want a pair!
Butterball, you never disappoint this time of year and you keep building upon it year after year. A holiday tradition.
What’s your experience? JIM