Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on September 16, 2010 under Kosher Technology | 
Kosher cooking enthusiasts who wish to share the joys of kosher cooking now have their own web site, thanks to JoyofKosher.com. Launched in time for Rosh Hashanah. The website offers opportunities for recipe sharing along with social networking, allowing everyone from the serious foodie to amateur cooks to post their own recipes, comment on message boards, search a comprehensive database of recipes, and share recipes with one another while making new friends who share a similar passion. Users can also customize their own cookbooks, upload photos of their dishes and download coupons. Created by Tamar Genger, a registered dietician, the new online community for kosher cooks comes after years of popular mainstream cooking websites and cooking shows, even an entire network about food. But kosher chefs are often excluded from these options, as they do not take into account every sensitivity to kashrus. This new online community was “created to enable members to share their favorite Jewish recipes with food lovers all over the world, create new friendships and preserve our most sacred family traditions, from matzo balls to mandel bread,” says to Ms. Genger .
“After getting off to a very slow start, the kosher world is still playing catch-up online, but there is a lot to be hopeful about,” explained Ms. Genger. “There is an explosion of online kosher supermarkets and specialty stores, well-written kosher food and wine blogs and innovative mobile applications for all things kosher. By embracing Facebook, Twitter and emerging websites like JoyofKosher.com, companies can directly engage their audience with coupons and promotions, receive immediate feedback and build powerful brand loyalty.”
Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on August 23, 2010 under Kashrus Organization, Social Media |
Chicago…by Staff Reporters…Does plain roasted kasha require kosher certification? How about Sun dried tomatos without any flavors or added oil coatings, which usually are listed in the ingredients? These are some of the questions addressed to the rabbinic team at the Chicago Rabbinical Council via Twitter. According to Rabbi Sholem Fishbane, its Kashrus Administrator, social media is increasingly being used by the agency to transmit kashrus alerts and solicit subscriptions for their kashrus newsletter. Several rabbis involved in kashrus say that they “keep in touch” with many customers and even companies they supervise via Facebook. But social media is just at the early stages for the industry as a whole, industry sources say. Sam Davidowitz, the IT specialist at the Orthodox Union (OU), says that despite the agency’s comprehensive Web presence, there is still very little activity through social media. Rabbi Zechariah Senter of the Kof-K Kosher Certification agency said that most of the communications by consumers with the agency “is still through e-mail.” Many in the kosher industry believe that “it is only a matter of time” when social media plays more of a role in the growth of kosher. They say that there already is a network of “kosher foodies” that use social media extensively, even offering up-to the-minute alerts about specials in the neighborhood. Rabbi Fishbane believes that the kosher agencies should begin to promote social media like Twitter to expand their reach to the kosher market.
Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on June 30, 2010 under Marketing, Out of the Box |
Harriett, the accounts payable executive at a medium-size appliance store, did what she normally does to bills that come in for co-op advertising. She made a copy of the bill and forwarded it to one of the manufacturers that they carry to reimburse her for 40% of the bill. Within a week, she received a shocking response: “In reviewing the advertisement, we were not satisfied with the size and resolution of our logo. Please review the terms of our co-op advertising agreement for the specific requirements of our participation.” The bottom line was that the manufacturer refused to pay their share of the bill…
