Taurus season is upon us, and if your birthday falls between April 20 and May 20, you’ve probably heard that you are dependable and hardworking—and also a little stubborn. But even if you check your horoscope every day and have memorized the ins and outs of your birth chart, most Tauruses have probably never been told that they should head to the kitchen and whip up an iced latte with McCormick’s Ube extract. The Baltimore-based spice company has teamed up with the astrology app Sanctuary to promote its new flavors and offer up specialty recipes that correspond with each zodiac sign.
Top line
McCormick rolled out the 21st edition of its Flavor Forecast this week, which features four flavor trends that correspond with water, fire, air and earth signs. These spices feature undiscovered ingredients from the ocean, tap into the mindfulness of eating, incorporate flavor palettes from all around the world and honor the transition to plant-based alternatives. More information on the astrology-inspired recipes is available on Sanctuary’s Instagram page.
The brand has also partnered with HelloFresh to roll out a specialty hoagie recipe that is a nod to McCormicks “Plants Pushing Boundaries” theme.
“Despite global travel restrictions, lockdowns and logging in from vastly different time zones, it was moving to see everyone committed to our mission to study emerging trends and identify the flavors that will undoubtedly spark inspiration for both the home cook and professional chef for years to come,” said Kevan Vetter, McCormick executive chef and director of culinary development.
Between the lines
McCormick, which appointed 360i as its media agency of record in March, has adjusted its marketing throughout the pandemic by rolling out cooking shows and Q&As to make up for a loss in restaurant sales. Traffic on the company’s site was up over 200% last June, and chief marketing excellence officer Jill Pratt attributed this change to the realization that cooking is “not as hard as people thought it was.”
Bottom line
McCormick’s campaign with Sanctuary and HelloFresh is just another example of the recent effort from brands to ditch outdated marketing habits and connect with consumers through innovative partnerships.
Throughout the pandemic, a sneaker brand partnered with an instant messaging app to create a custom pair of kicks, a wine company worked alongside a dating site to sponsor post-breakup moving trucks and a meditation platform aligned itself with a news company to alleviate election night anxiety.
