Leading Irish Burger Brand Uses Crowdsourcing to Invite Consumers to Co-Create New Products

Its initial programme, “Big Al’s Kitchen” is now inviting consumers throughout Ireland to collaborate with others in inspiring and innovating the future of Irish-made beef products.

Dec 14 2011 --- Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board, is championing new crowdsourcing methods to help Irish food and beverage companies innovate with their consumers. Its initial programme, “Big Al’s Kitchen” is now inviting consumers throughout Ireland to collaborate with others in inspiring and innovating the future of Irish-made beef products.

Consumers throughout Ireland will be eligible to win prizes simply by sharing their thoughts, ideas and opinions through www.bigalskitchen.ie.  Participants will collaborate, engage and contribute, to help develop ideas for Big Al’s.  Some of these may include new products that could appear on shelves in-store. 

The programme was conceived and is funded by Bord Bia’s foresight4food programme which aims to support Irish food and drink brands in delivering consumer focused innovation. 

“Bord Bia is constantly seeking new ways to help Irish food and drink companies innovate, out compete and get closer to their markets ”, said Helen King Head of Insight and Innovation, Bord Bia. “Crowdsourcing represents a powerful new way for leading brands like Big Al’s to connect with and include their consumers in a very meaningful way.”

The crowdsourcing programme was developed by Giraffe The Agency, one of Ireland’s leading marketing agencies, and its partner Chaordix, the global standard in crowdsourced market intelligence.

“This crowd engagement is one of the first of its kind in Ireland and follows a global trend of leading brands turning to crowdsourcing to encourage consumer collaboration in the development of insights and ideas” said Mark Skinner of Giraffe The Agency. “Bord Bia have spotted this trend and have been very quick to seek ways to drive innovation of Irish food and drink brands through crowdsourcing”.

“Participation is the new brand key.  People around the world have demonstrated that they are eager for the opportunity to interact with the products and brands they care most about”, said Shelley Kuipers, CEO of Chaordix. “We're proud to be partnering with Giraffe and Bord Bia and applying our Crowd Intelligence technology and methodologies to blaze a new trail for consumer engagement in Ireland.”