Whisk Taste Testing

One of our Communication Campaigns requirements is that we have a multimedia video or slide show to display at the trade show. Whisk has created a promotional video using iMovie. We start out with a slideshow, displaying pictures of cupcakes and cookies. These same pictures can be found on our newsletter template and on our Web site, thus we've established unity in all of our media pieces. Next we transition into a taste test. Two girls taste two cupcakes, one is gluten-free and the other is not. Each girl must then describe the cupcake taste for viewers, ultimately determining which cupcake is gluten-free. Lucky for us, both girls thought that the normal cupcake was the gluten-free one, proving that gluten-free sweets don't have to taste bad. We've uploaded the video to our Facebook page and YouTube to further promote Whisk.

 You can also watch it below:

We've also decided to tie this video in with our interactive event at the trade show. While previously we were planning on having a decorate your own cupcake table, we decided that really isn't that creative or interesting  Since we'll already have decorated cupcakes that people can sample, there would be no incentive for people to stop what they're doing and decorating an additional cupcake.

We've discovered a taste test software, which projects a chart onto a computer screen. The chart would show who correctly identified the cupcakes as gluten-free and regular. It will also depict a graph representing the number of people who mixed up the cupcake types. The latter is what we're hoping for. This activity would not only be more interactive, but it would give us something to show at our booth. The only downside is that one person would have to sit by the computer to type in sample results; however, that wouldn't really be a problem, and we can take turns rotating through the different positions at the booth. Additionally, this would give us less work to do in terms of baking because we can make two sheet cakes, one with regular mix and one with gluten-free, instead of creating hundreds of cupcakes to be decorated.

In other Whisk news:

We took some promotional photos of the Whisk group for our press kit and Web site. True to our theme, everyone wore black or polka dots, and we all donned the same red bow headband and pearls. Our look is coming together nicely, and our synchronized polka dots should definitely be identifiable at the trade show.

Now for some bad news. As mentioned in an older posting, we submitted a request to Wegmans for a donation or discount. Wegmans accepted our request and issued a 50 dollar gift card for our project. However, two other groups also submitted requests to Wegmans, and not realizing we were from different groups, we all got put on the same gift card. Wegmans probably isn't going to provide three different groups with 50 dollar cards, so we have to either get the money split into three or request a discount for each group. Whisk is hoping for a discount as we have so many baking products to purchase that we might save more with 20 percent off.

Bringing the best of State Street to the Student Union

As mentioned earlier, each business at the trade show must provide giveaways to catch the attention of passersby. These are designed to persuade visitors to vote for certain booths as well as provide incentive for people to attend the show. Additionally, they create competition between booths, as groups fight to see who can come up with the best promotions. The catch is that all giveaways must be relevant in regard to the products sold at the business.

Whisk is pretty excited about its giveaways for the show. We wanted to come up with something that everyone would find useful, so we're drafting a press release saying that Whisk's cupcakes will soon be available at bar/restaurants in the Erie area, such as: Cornerstone, Molly Brannigan's, Matthew's, Calamari's, The Brewery, Nelson's and Slugger's. Each of these bars has donated a gift card to our cause, so anyone who puts tickets in our booth can win gift certificates to the bars of downtown Erie. Who could argue with the logic that free drinks appeal to college students? And for voters who are underage, each bar also doubles as a restaurant, so the gift cards are practical and can be used by everyone. All of the bars have been incredibly helpful in giving donations.

We're going to divide our total number of cards into two baskets, one for more guy themed bars like The Brewery and the other for more feminine places like Matthew's martini bar. That way we'll have two baskets appealing to our booth's visitors. Additionally, we're going to put martini glasses in the girl's night-themed basket, while the guy's night will receive beer mugs. We also plan on including Pulako's or Romalo's chocolates in the girls and a Plymouth t-shirt in the guys. Finally, we want to put a movie in each basket, which pertains to cooking or baking. We're thinking Julie and Julia for the girls, but we're having problems thinking of a guy friendly flick that includes a restaurant or bakery. Although we still have plenty of time to sort out these last minute details, so we're not too worried yet. Thus far Whisk has made a lot of progress. Our next order of affairs will likely be beginning to piece together our booth.

Whisk aims to cause a stir on the Internet

Social networking is becoming an important part of conducting a successful business, especially when trying to integrate a new business into the market. We're using Facebook and Twitter to promote Whisk, including plugs for both media outlets on our brochure, in our newsletter and on our Web site. 

Read the following article to find out how we plan to use social networking to keep our customers involved in the operation of Whisk, and click the links to view Whisk's Facebook and Twitter pages...

     Have something you want to say to Whisk? We want to be actively involved in our customers' lives, so find us on Facebook and Twitter to strike up a conversation.

     We believe that using social media sites will help us interact on a more personal level with our clients.

     If you love one of our cupcake flavors, let us know, and we'll work to incorporate it into our flavor lineup on a more regular basis.

     Did we run out of your favorite cookies last time you stopped by the store? Tell us, and we'll help ensure your sweet tooth is met upon your next visit.

     Become a fan of Whisk Bakery on Facebook to post on discussion boards, talk to fellow customers and interact with others who have Celiac Disease. Vote on upcoming cupcake flavors and gain access to coupons and other deals, exclusive solely to our Facebook friends.

     Follow WhiskGlutenFree on Twitter to find out what we're baking each morning and what treats still remain as the day progresses. Tweet us questions, and we'll be sure to answer. No question or comment goes unread.
     Stir things up online, so Whisk can whip up even more tempting treats.

View the video below to learn even more about social networking in a business-related setting...

Cupcakes for the masses (will be a pain in our asses)

With less than one month till the trade show, Whisk is scrambling to acquire donations for our giveaways and the creation of our products.

We've estimated that we'll need to bake approximately 300 miniature cupcakes for the trade show. This number was enough to stop our hearts, as we realized how many hours we'll soon be spending in the kitchen. Gluten-free mixes are pretty pricey, so Whisk's founders have come to the conclusion that it's time to get moving as far as collecting donations go.

We're currently weighing out our options in terms of cost and convenience. If we decide to make our cupcakes from scratch, we can purchase Gluten-Free Pantry flour. One cup of this flour replaces one cup of regular flour, so converting standard recipes would be easily simplified. One package of said flour costs an average price of $4.39. Pair this with the cost of the other ingredients required to produce our delectable cupcakes, and we've hit quite a cost per batch of cupcakes, especially considering each group is limited to spending only $300 on its entire booth.

Next we come to our second, much more pleasing option. Being that we are indeed four seniors approaching our final weeks of college, stressing about jobs, schoolwork, summer plans, etc., none of us are eager to spend hours upon hours making hundreds of cupcakes, which sadly, we won't even get to eat. Enter Whisk's savior, Betty Crocker. Known by lazy bakers everywhere for its prepackaged mixes, Betty Crocker has developed a new line of gluten-free baking mixes. Available in yellow and devil's food, we'll be able to create a variety of cupcakes, adding only a few minor ingredients. Additionally, the Betty Crocker mix serves 11, whereas there is only enough gluten-free flour in the Gluten-Free Pantry package to serve 10. While one extra serving isn't too significant, in terms of cupcakes, it'll save us around four mixes or $20. Each package is $4.79 (0.30 cents more than the flour), but we must consider that nearly all of the ingredients are included in these cake mixes, making Betty Crocker mixes the easiest way possible to produce Whisk's trade show treats. 


Watch the video below to receive confirmation from My Gluten Facts that Betty Crocker mix is indeed a smart, gluten-free choice:

Now that Whisk's decision is made, we must tackle the task of securing donations. We've sent requests to Wegmans and Betty Crocker, hoping for either some free baking mixes or a discount on our purchases. In exchange for said discount, we'll display the company's logo at our booth to show visitors that we used Betty Crocker products or a Wegmans donations to create our cupcakes. This will be a convenient way for Betty Crocker or Wegmans to generate buzz in Erie, receiving some effortless PR. The Wegmans Web site has a page titled Donation Request, which leaves our group fairly confident that Wegmans will contribute something to our trade show booth. To learn more about Wegmans community donations, visit the following link: Community Giving at Wegmans

Now, we'll just have to sit tight, waiting for a response from either company. Once we hear something, we'll continue preparation on the baking portion of our project. In the meantime, Whisk's employees will continue working on our company's literature, brochures and Web site. Keep checking back for updates on Whisk's development. Only 22 days until we "stir things up."

Company Values and Identity

With our trade show deadline looming over our heads, Whisk is starting to get a little stressed about putting everything together.

Class today was slightly therapeutic as each group was given crayons and paper to create a mascot for its respective company. It wasn't all fun and games though. This activity was designed to help us think about Whisk's mission, vision and values, some of which should be visible in our choice of mascot. In other words, our hypothetical mascot should follow in accordance with the look and feel Whisk is trying to convey. We chose to create Crumb the cupcake. In harmony with Whisk's colors, Crumb's icing is white; he has black sprinkles and a red paper bottom. On the red paper, we placed a no sign with a grain of wheat in the middle, to note that our cupcakes are wheat-free. Though we probably won't use our mascot at the trade show, if Whisk decides to include a kid's section on our Web site, we can put him there. Check out the picture on the right to review some of the company mascots we discussed in class.

While it's obvious that one of Whisk's values is to remain gluten-free. We've put together our brochure and fact sheet, both of which help emphasize some of Whisk's other goals and customer guarantees. Large portions of each document are devoted to explaining how Whisk caters to customers. From accepting call-ahead orders to creating an online store to serve out-of-town consumers, Whisk aims to satisfy everyone, while promising exceptional quality baked goods. Additionally, the fact sheet shows some of Whisk's community initiatives, making our devotion to the Erie community and our willingness to aid those afflicted by Celiac Disease apparent.

Click the links below to open the rough drafts of our fact sheet and brochure. (Note: Because these are rough drafts, the brochure is not yet formatted.)


Brochure 


Fact Sheet 

Whisk visits the Erie Home and Garden Show

This weekend Whisk's creators were required to visit the Erie Home and Garden Show at Family First Sports Park in order to gather ideas for our upcoming trade show. The show was huge and there was a lot to take in. Overall, I'd say we gained a lot of information and picked up some great ideas on how to put together a booth that will get noticed.

Since no one in our group was really in the market for purchasing siding or pots and pans, we were most often drawn to displays for homeware or decorations. These booths were set up with carpeting, furniture and lamps, plus wine glasses, purses and other personal touches one might find in his/her own home. 

Obviously we won't be setting out lamps and furniture at Whisk's booth; however, one booth laid down foam mats in lieu of carpeting, which if we could find in a solid red color, would look great with Whisk's black, white and red theme and would add a nice touch. We also intend to make our booth as homey as possible by using colored tablecloths, placing lace doilies under cupcake displays and maybe incorporating a few red potted Gerber daisies for decoration.We also want to put a cookie scented candle on a candle burner to provide ambiance and make our booth visitors think of freshly baked cupcakes and cookies.

Another important component of the home show's booths was giveaways, free samples and product examples. While the booths couldn't provide free samples of their siding or other housing materials, they created displays for people to touch their products to examine quality, durability, etc. They also set out bowls of candy to encourage people to stop at their booths. Other samples included certificates for money off when products were actually purchased as well as free in-store trials upon presentation of a coupon. While these were valid incentives for visiting the store, they didn't really draw much of a crowd as people couldn't tell what the forms were from a distance. The most common giveaway was a drawing for a flat-screen TV or free windows, siding, etc. 

Whisk will definitely be stocked in the free samples department, as we will have a table featuring all of our products with miniature cupcakes available for visitors to taste. We are also making frequent buyer cards, where customers will have a hole punched in their card after purchasing a cupcake. When the card is filled, the customer will receive a free cupcake. Though these won't really be valid since Whisk is fictional, they are another example of a giveaway or incentive for customers to shop at Whisk in the future. While it certainly is not in Whisk's budget to give away a flat-screen TV, we will be putting together gift baskets that visitors can win at the trade show. We haven't fully developed their contents yet, but we're hoping to include gift certificates to local restaurants and other places in Erie.

The only booth at the home show that included something interactive was the booth for the Erie Art Museum. This booth was directed toward children and featured chopped potatoes dyed a variety of colors. Children were instructed to create a building, person, etc. using toothpicks to connect the potatoes. Their creations would then be added to an Erie potato city skyline, which would be added to each day of the home show. Of course my group participated in the activity, and we built a boat, dog and two people. The activity was fun and definitely made me more interested in visiting the Erie Art Museum, particularly because the people at the booth were friendly and their enthusiasm for their work was apparent. 

Whisk intends to have an interactive activity for visitors, and while we haven't exactly decided what it will be, we're thinking about having a table devoted to decorating your own cupcake. We're also thinking about having a cupcake eating contest. We're not sure how well this would work out as we'd only be able to have one, so we'd have to schedule a time, but we think it would definitely provide entertainment at the trade show.

Lastly, the home show booth operators were not really good at engaging people. In fact, the only person that actually spoke to us without our visiting the booth, prompting them to do so, was a peculiar man who prodded us to accept some candy. However, he did so in an incredibly creepy manner, and his candy looked like it was five years old and had been sitting in a candy dish in a grandmother's house.

 When we are stationed at our booth, we intend to make an effort to speak to passersby, encouraging them to take a cupcake, decorate their own or enter to win a gift basket. This way we'll come across as being friendly, and we will hopefully be successful in engaging visitors.

Creating History

As mentioned in my last post, creating a mock business means doing a lot of background work. While it may seem simple, putting together a history for Whisk was actually difficult, particularly because we had to formulate logic that would adequately explain why four girls with successful careers in exciting cities would leave their new homes, returning to Erie to open a bakery.

Since we would essentially be eschewing high-profile careers (naturally, we’ve all imagined ourselves to be immensely successful, working dream jobs in dream locations), taking on roles as professional bakers, we decided to run with a Stepford wives theme, emphasizing our willingness to go from business casual to housewife chic. To fully fit the role, we’re working on sewing black and white striped aprons complete with red and white polka dot bow accents (pictures to follow once actual progress is made). We’re certainly going to look the part; however, getting these treats to taste and look spectacular may be another story. 

Anyway, here’s what we came up with:

A Stepford beginning…

It all began with four Mercyhurst College graduates. Though they’d gone their separate ways, they remained in contact. As the years progressed, each woman married and settled down to begin a family. Coincidentally, they found that their children were around the same age and each suffered from celiac disease, a severe wheat allergy. This allergy greatly inhibited the life of each child, forcing mothers to prepare special meals. Birthdays and holidays were even complicated, as the flour in cakes, cupcakes and cookies could not be consumed. Discussing the difficulty of juggling careers with preparing specially made baked goods several times a week, the women researched the allergy and found that one in 133 Americans has celiac disease, though not all are diagnosed. With climbing celiac statistics, Marissa Lewis, Katlin Hess, Allie Miniri and Alexandra Halin decided to return to their old stomping grounds, ditching their business professional attire and donning aprons. Working together, they established Whisk, Erie Pa.’s only organic, gluten-free bakery, supplying celiac sufferers and healthy eaters with affordable baked goods and cakes. Their children now have access to all the organic, gluten-free goodies they desire, as does the rest of the Erie community as these “desperate housewives” continue to whip up new delectable treats.  

While we’re on the subject of history, I should mention a little bit more about celiac disease:

Celiac disease is an allergy to gluten, a protein that is found in various types of grain. All forms of wheat contain gluten, thus cannot be consumed. People with celiac disease must also abstain from eating related grains such as rye and barley. 

Unlike other minor allergies where one may incur a rash or runny nose upon exposure, if a person with celiac disease consumes gluten, a toxic reaction occurs within the body, damaging the small intestine and disrupting the body’s absorption of food. Therefore, celiac disease is considered an autoimmune disease.

Researchers are still unsure as to what causes celiac disease. It may appear at any time in one’s life and can be triggered after surgery, stress, pregnancy, etc. Symptoms include abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss or gain, anemia and lack of energy. Though not necessarily genetic, when celiac disease is triggered in a person, doctors typically recommend that all immediate family members undergo a blood test to check for the disease.

A Project in the Making

This blog is for my Multimedia Storytelling class; however, I will be using it to discuss my progress on a project for Communication Campaigns.

Comm. Campaigns is a course requiring classmates to break into groups of three or four to develop a business. Each year has an assigned theme which students must center their businesses around. This year's theme is "Food for Thought" meaning all businesses must produce goods that are environmentally friendly, organic, etc.

Though the business is obviously not created in its entirety, each group is responsible for producing public relation and marketing materials, creating an event that benefits the community and summarizing the company's basics including mission statement, history, location and products. Additionally, each group must build a booth, displaying their mock-company's press materials and product prototypes. Each booth must provide visitors with product samples and giveaways, enticing visitors in an attempt to collect votes. Booths will be set up in the Mercyhurst Student Union Tuesday, May 11 for the annual tradeshow, which will run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 

Students as well as professionals from the Erie community will attend the trade show, voting for students booths to determine who has created the best mock-business. Erie media outlets may also be in attendance as the event attracts an average of 300+ people. 

My group has chosen to create Whisk, a gluten-free, organic bakery, which will be located in on West 8th St. in Erie. 

While most of you are probably relatively familiar with organic food, or food that has not been genetically modified, making it all-natural, gluten-free may be a new vocabulary word. The term gluten-free means that the product in question does not contain any wheat. This is particularly beneficial to those who suffer from celiac disease, a wheat allergy, which greatly restricts one's diet. People with celiac disease are typically unable to eat cakes, cookies, brownies, bread and pasta.

Whisk will sell affordable cookies, cupcakes, brownies and cakes that contain nutritious ingredients and can be consumed by a wide range of people, helping those with celiac disease find treats that taste just as good as the originals.

My group came up with this idea after we noticed that shops selling exclusively cupcakes were becomingly increasingly popular. I'm from Pittsburgh where my friends and I frequently visit such bakeries, stopping by for a snack whenever we're downtown. In Squirrel Hill, a neighborhood of Pittsburgh, there is a cupcake shop, Dozen, and a gluten-free bakery, Gluuteny. Whisk will combine attributes of both Dozen and Gluuteny, producing unique flavored cupcakes that are fancily decorated and gluten-free.

Whisk aims to exude a classy vibe, relying on the colors white, black and red to create a brand identity. Because the project does not need to be completed until May 11, plans are still underway; however, continue to stop back to monitor Whisk's progress, view our products and read excerpts of our press materials. Trust me, when it comes time to mass produce hundreds of cupcakes and assemble a booth, things are definitely going to get interesting.

In the meantime, click the links to the right to visit Pittsburgh bakery Web sites and learn more about eating organic or living with celiac disease.

Here's a look at Whisk's logo: