Food2: Something to Sink My 20-Something Teeth In?

The Food Network has a new plan to target the young 20 something’s. As a foodie by family association, I was intrigued about how they would go about targeting someone like me.

They are doing it by Food2.com. (Warning: full of food puns) And I have to ask: is this what they think is appetizing for us? I’m a fan of the Food Network programming. In fact, I’m a fan of programming about food on other channels too, such as Top Chef.

But Food2 looks like it’s a mix of Nickelodeon and some nonspecific blog. They think bright colors, flash and videos is what will keep us coming back or staying longer than the average 56 seconds. I don’t think so. That’s what keeps children around. If they really are targeting the 25 year olds, then they aren’t taking into consideration of what 25 year olds are looking for.

With growing demands on our attention and our time, entertainment on a sub site is usually not what we are looking for. We are searching for information. For Food2 and any other potential sites targeting the same audience with the same technique, it’s time to think about what will get us there.

For me, as a potential foodie (just wait until I get a kitchen in a few short weeks), here are a few reasons why I would visit Food2:

- Recipes

- Google search results

- Drinking games (yes, some of us never grow up)

- Cocktail party ideas for my generation

Things I won’t be visiting for:

- Videos

o I’ve got Hulu, I’ve got cable, I don’t need to follow any more television shows

- Read the blogs

o I’m going to assume that the recipes in the blogs will pop up in their recipe section.

o Once again, I’ll only visit if Google takes me there

Overall, I just feel like the impression of my generation is that we really just spend our time on the Internet, looking at junk, starting memes, and overall not being productive

I’ll have you know, that sure I like to be entertained, but I also like to be functional and relevant. Food can become relevant (Top Chef), but as of now, Food2 and Food Network is hardly cultural relevant, it’s punch line right now.

Image Source:Food2.com