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In the Spotlight

Drawings of five flowers in a row are shown with different social media logos the pistil of the flower. Starting at the left, the social media company logos are Pinterest, Blogger, R S S Feed, Facebook, and Twitter.
Figure 16.1 Social media marketing through Pinterest, Twitter, and other platforms is one way to reach consumers. (credit: “Growing Social Media” by mkhmarketing.wordpress.com/about/flickr, CC BY 2.0)

Chapter Outline

16.1 Traditional Direct Marketing
16.2 Social Media and Mobile Marketing
16.3 Metrics Used to Evaluate the Success of Online Marketing
16.4 Ethical Issues in Digital Marketing and Social Media

When Dominik Richter, Thomas Griesel, and Jessica Nilsson launched meal-kit provider HelloFresh in October 2011, they did what many successful entrepreneurs seek to do: disrupt a market. While the idea of not having to plan and shop for dinner meals seems enticing for consumers, changing consumer behavior is a challenging task.

HelloFresh needed to convince consumers to stop planning and shopping for meals the way they’ve always done it. The founders recognized that they needed the right combination of traditional direct and online direct marketing tools to persuade consumers to make a hard pivot.

It starts with the HelloFresh website, which offers a beautifully designed, user-friendly experience that makes customizing meals, scheduling delivery, and placing orders easy and secure. HelloFresh also uses social media to drive visitors to respond to a variety of calls to action. For example, website visitors are presented with a variety of offers aimed at persuading them to try HelloFresh, including free shipping, surprise gifts, and free meals.

HelloFresh also recognizes the power of direct mail by sending offers similar to those presented on its website and social media to targeted consumers at home via the US Postal Service. It’s clear that there is integration between HelloFresh’s digital messaging and its direct mail pieces.

HelloFresh has certainly reaped the rewards of an excellent direct and online direct marketing strategy. In 2021, HelloFresh led the market with more than 7.2 million subscribers.1

Check out these additional resources about Hello Fresh:

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