ARLINGTON, VA – Over the past five years, USA Rice has deployed a network of food influencers through its relationship with
thefeedfeed, the largest digital food community, to develop new rice recipes, distribute industry talking points, and engage with consumers throughout the year. At the halfway point of the 2022-2023 program, results show a growing audience of home-cooks that appreciate the versatility of U.S. rice as a basis to re-connect with their heritage and explore new cuisines. They’re also receptive to industry messaging that highlights sustainability topics including wildlife habitat, limiting food waste, and supporting American farmers.
The influencer program kicked off with a custom National Rice Month weekly story series hosted on thefeedfeed platform and two editorial sponsorship postings, along with content curated by four influencers selected for their expertise and background with rice. Each influencer is tasked with creating trendy, yet approachable, rice recipes that are professionally photographed and then distributed across each influencer’s social platforms and websites. All created content and assets are then amplified through
thefeedfeed social channels.
“While the tactics of this influencer program have been modified over the years, the goals remain consistent: to spread awareness and make the case for buying U.S.-grown rice, and to promote the use of rice throughout
thefeedfeed platform,” said Michael Klein, USA Rice vice president of communications and domestic promotion. “The midyear metrics, and especially the engagement rate, demonstrate we are making great progress in reaching those goals with much more to come this program year.”
To date, four new recipes have been distributed and amplified along with three
original editorial postings from
thefeedfeed. In total, the social media campaign has generated more than 7.2 million consumer impressions and 1.2 million direct engagements.
Recipes shared include Tomato Rice, Com Chien Fried Rice, Thanksgiving Wild Rice Stuffing, and Clay Pot Rice. Original editorials included Tuna Onigiri, Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice, and Aji de Gallina, a Peruvian chicken and rice stew.
“An important takeaway from this year’s program is that consumers were most engaged with rice content that featured unique dishes and global flavors,” continued Klein. “This key consumer behavior also has been reinforced by USA Rice’s consumption research for the past two years, and points to a great opportunity to reach a broader audience and promote the U.S.-grown message.”
By the end of the fiscal year, the influencer program will have developed and shared twelve rice recipes and eleven original editorial posts. USA Rice owns and has the right to all created content and recipes which will live on
thinkrice.com.