2014 THANKSGIVING TRENDSWhat American Families are Cooking and Eating

Confirming Thanksgiving as THE U.S. cooking holiday of the year, 96% of home cooks surveyed (1,500 home cooks participated in an independent online panel) plan to prepare or attend a Thanksgiving dinner. Their motivation? For 62%, it’s gathering with family to celebrate a special meal. Who’s hosting? It looks like Baby Boomers have passed the whisk to their younger cohorts. Heading up the kitchen brigade are GenXers with nearly 62% of respondents planning to host Thanksgiving—a 19% increase over 2013. The fastest growing segment? Millennials. Fifty-six percent plan to host this year’s gathering, a 30% increase over last year.

INSIGHT #1 Who’s in the Kitchen This Thanksgiving?How will you celebrate Thanksgiving Day this Year?

I will have Thanksgiving dinner with family/friends

Gen X Baby Boomers

Millennials Gen X Baby Boomers

Millennials

56% 52%62%

47%52%

56%

41% 43%

31%

41%34%

39%

20

14

20

14

20

14

20

14

20

14

20

14

2013

2013

2013

2013

2013

2013

I will host the meal at my house

I will attend a Thanksgiving dinner at family/friend’s home

As you might expect, Allrecipes experiences a massive surge in traffic during the days leading up

to the holiday feast. Last year on the day before Thanksgiving, 6.6 million home cooks consumed 34 million Thanksgiving recipes, reviews, and videos,

making it Allrecipes’ busiest day ever. Traffic of this magnitude allows us to quickly and confidently identify shifts in holiday cooking behaviors. For this year’s

Allrecipes Thanksgiving Measuring Cup Trend Report, we looked at historical analytical data and results from our 2014 holiday survey to identify home cooks’

shifting habits ranging from generational differences to the influences of mobile, video, and social media on Thanksgiving meal behaviors.

Thanksgiving is America’s biggest cooking holiday

Allrecipes.com Measuring Cup 2014 THANKSGIVING TRENDS 1

Grandma’s Lemon Meringue Pie

1,400 reviews

Pecan Pie V

1,559 reviews

Apple Pie by Grandma Ople

6,098 reviews

INSIGHT #2 Pumpkin Pie Season Proving there’s never a down time for baking a delicious pie, 69% of pie bakers say their pie baking efforts are not limited to just the holidays. The greatest inspirations for pie baking? Nostalgia, family members requesting pie, a desire to try a new recipe, and watching a how-to video. About two-thirds (62%) of home cooks take advantage of convenient store-bought crusts at least some of time, while 38% rely on homemade crusts. When it comes to holiday pies, pumpkin and apple continue to rule the oven.

Pumpkin

Apple

Pecan

Sweet Potato

Coconut

Chess Pie(lemon or custard)

Lemon Chiffon

75%

58%

40%

24%

16%

8%

10%

Which of the following pies will you bake this holiday season?

#1

Buttermilk Chess Pie

117 reviews

Crustless Cranberry Pie

752 reviews

Sweet Potato Pie 1

1,565 reviews

Perfect Pumpkin Pie

1,464 reviews

Old-Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie

944 reviews

Allrecipes’ Most Popular Holiday Pie Recipes

Allrecipes’ Fastest Trending* Thanksgiving Recipes *Based on page views November-December 2012 and 2013.

School Lunchroom Cafeteria Rolls

+1080%

Tom Szaller’s Great Pan or Bird Stuffing

+960%

Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole

+632%

Poppy Seed Bread III

+631%

Stuffing of Champions

+917%

Southern Italian Thanksgiving Stuffing

+798%

Holiday Hot Spinach Dip

+629%

Chef John’s Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy

+515%

INSIGHT #1 continued

Allrecipes.com Measuring Cup 2014 THANKSGIVING TRENDS 2

INSIGHT #3 Screen SaversTight paychecks and rising food prices are motivating families to use a variety of tactics to stretch their food budgets, especially Millennial families. Holiday food shopping is no exception. The most popular tactics? Stocking up on on-sale items in store is a top strategy, followed by using on-hand ingredients and downloading on-line coupons. About one-third of holiday shoppers will stretch their dollars by purchasing ingredients in bulk. Millennial and GenX home cooks are most likely to look for online coupons to save grocery money.

Use ingredients on hand

60%

60%

65%

Look for coupons/special offers in the store

74%

70%

75%

SALE

What Strategies Will You Use to Stretch Your Food Budget This Holiday Season?

Purchase food items in bulk

27%

19%

35%

12 ct.

Look for coupons/special offers online

60%

52%

65%

Save 20%Add to cart

¢ Millennials ¢ Gen X ¢ Baby Boomers

INSIGHT #4 YouTube Can CookCooking new or unfamiliar dishes is common practice during the holiday season—especially among younger home cooks. A few decades ago, most home cooks would have called mom or grandma for cooking advice. Today, online how-to cooking videos watched on tablets and phones while cooking have replaced mom as the most trusted, sought-after source for learning techniques. This practice is most common among Millennial home cooks. The most popular sources? Recipe websites (62%) and YouTube (57%). The peak viewing times? Weekends and evenings.

77%

58%

31%

57% 60%

74%

17%11%

6%

I view cooking videos on:

Food and Recipe Websites

Blogs

¢ Millennials

¢ Gen X

¢ Baby Boomers

Allrecipes.com Measuring Cup 2014 THANKSGIVING TRENDS 3

cl ick *

*

INSIGHT #5 Mobile MillennialsWhen it comes to seeking help with holiday grocery shopping and cooking, not surprisingly, Millennials depend on their mobile devices far more than any other age group. More than three-quarters plan to use their smartphones to assist with holiday grocery shopping, and 70% will use mobile devices to help with holiday cooking. Contrast this with Baby Boomers who favor personal computers (laptop/desktop), particularly when it comes to planning holiday grocery shopping.

Which of the Following Will You Use...

... to Help with Holiday Cooking?

¢ Millennials

¢ Gen X

¢ Baby Boomers

... to Help with Holiday Grocery Shopping?

Tablet

Smartphone

53%

78%

19%

27%33%16%

Personal Computer

(laptop/desktop)59%

46%

81%

52%40%

20%

70%

39%

10%

69% 71% 75%

INSIGHT #6 A Place at the Table for Social MediaSocial media is now a ubiquitous guest at the dinner table, a welcome participant at special holiday gatherings. For 41% of home cooks, social media sites such as Allrecipes, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Stumbleupon and Twitter are sources for grocery discounts, product coupons, and special offer information. Right behind this pursuit are inspirational activities such as showing off holiday dishes, finding recipes, and gathering decorating ideas. Millennials, of course, are the most socially active, with more than half looking at photos for recipe inspiration (53%), and posting photos of holiday dishes (62%).

41% 40%

35% 34% 29% 27%

37%To find grocery discounts,

product coupons, and special offers

To post photos of holiday dishes

To get recipe inspiration from photos others post

To gather and save recipes I plan to make

To get holiday decorating and homemade gift ideas

To get inspiration from recipes people share

To share recipes of favor-ite and interesting dishes

How will you use social media this holiday season?

Allrecipes.com Measuring Cup 2014 THANKSGIVING TRENDS 4

INSIGHT #7 Please Bring a DishWhen hosting Thanksgiving meals, busy home cooks often seek to spread the work load and cost by asking guests to bring dishes. More than half of home cooks attending Thanksgiving gatherings as guests plan to

prepare and share dishes such as desserts and sides at the gatherings they attend. The most generous group? Millennials, with 67% planning to bring side dishes and 63% bringing a dessert.

Dessert56%

Liquor/Spirits

8%

Non-alcoholic beverage

12%

Beer

12%

Bread

15%

Side

55%

Wine

23%

Entree

22%

Salad

16%

What will you bring to the Thanksgiving celebration you will attend?

Allrecipes’ Fastest Trending*, Most Travel-Worthy Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes

Allrecipes’ Fastest Trending*, Most Travel-Worthy Thanksgiving Desserts

Tater Tot® Casserole

+1035%

Lemon Pepper Green Beans

+640%

Vernita’s Broccoli Casserole

+497%

Chef John’s Sweet Potato Casserole

new in 2013

Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole

+632%

Glazed Carrots

+520%

Gluten-Free Crustless Pumpkin Pie

+664%

Yummy Lemon Coconut Loaf

new in 2013

Kahlua® Pumpkin Cheesecake

new in 2013

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

+502%

Squash Cookies

+508%

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

new in 2013

Chef John’s Twice-Baked Potatoes

new in 2013*Based on page views November-December 2012 and 2013; recipes new in 2013 were standouts, averaging more than 20,000 page views during November-December 2013.

Allrecipes.com Measuring Cup 2014 THANKSGIVING TRENDS 5

Methodology

Data cited in this Measuring Cup Report is derived from an external panel fielded in September 2014, and consisting of 1,500 U.S.-based participants using age and gender filters to provide a representative sample. Respondents were over age 18 and under age 55, and included only households with children. Age and gender filters were applied, and approximately 42 percent of survey respondents had children in their household.

About Allrecipes

Allrecipes.com, founded in 1997 and based in Seattle, is the world’s largest digital food brand, with more than 1 billion annual visits from consumers who connect and inspire each other through shared recipes, reviews, photos, videos and blog posts. Allrecipes is a leader in the digital video food how-to space with more than 1 million YouTube subscribers. Allrecipes’ industry-leading mobile apps for iPhone, iPad Android, Kindle Fire and Windows have been downloaded by more than 18.5 million home cooks. The brand has 19 sites serving 23 countries in 12 languages. In 2013, Allrecipes magazine was launched as the first large-scale digital-to-print brand extension of Allrecipes.com. Published six times per year, the magazine's current rate base of 900,000 reaches an audience of 5.4 million. Allrecipes magazine is based in both Meredith's New York, and Des Moines, Iowa, headquarters. Additional information may be found at:

• www.allrecipes.com

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About Meredith Corporation

Meredith Corporation (NYSE:MDP; www.meredith.com) is the leading media and marketing company serving American women. Meredith features multiple well-known national brands—including Better Homes and Gardens, Parents, Family Circle, Allrecipes.com, Fitness, American Baby and EveryDay with Rachael Ray—along with local television brands in fast-growing markets. Meredith is the industry leader in creating content in key consumer interest areas such as home, family, food, health and wellness and self-development. Meredith uses multiple distribution platforms—including print, television, digital, mobile, tablets, and video—to give consumers content they desire and to deliver the messages of its advertising and marketing partners.

Please Contact:

For a full survey report and additional details, please contact:

Esmee WilliamsVice President, Consumer & Brand Strategy206–436–7416esmee@allrecipes.com

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