Not Your Mama’s Frozen Food
Are you old enough to remember the classic “TV dinners”? It was a complete frozen meal in a little tin tray. Mom could bake it in the oven and then 45 minutes later you would have complete meal with no mess to clean up. I remember seeing the commercials and thinking they sounded so cool (due in no small part to the fact that the family in the commercial got to actually eat in front of the TV, which my mom would never allow). I begged mom to get us some and eventually she gave in.
The reality of the dinner was nothing like the commercial or picture on the package. You basically got a bad soggy version of fried chicken, some strange tasting version of mashed potatoes, hard green beans and a serving of chocolate cake that was always much too small. (On top of that mom totally missed the point of “we could eat it in front of the TV” and made us sit at the kitchen table!) I remember eating only the chocolate cake and ditching most of the rest of the meal in favor of sneaking a peanut butter and jelly later in the evening when mom wasn’t looking.
Of course today I am the mom trying to make meals in a hurry that my family will still eat and enjoy. I am happy to say that frozen food has come a long way since those early frozen TV dinner trays of our childhoods. There are actually some great options out there!
The December issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray delves into this very issue in an article titled, “The New Fast Food.” The magazine walks readers through a quiz to help determine what “heat and serve” meal is “right for you.” And, I am proud to say that SeaPak’s Culinary Classic, Sun Dried Tomato Wild Salmon, is featured as one of the five great frozen meal options! Everday touts it as the way to enjoy frozen seafood at home and helps families save at least 20 minutes of meal prep time. Now that is not you’re your mama’s 
frozen TV dinner of decades gone by! Today we have frozen choices that are perfect for dining in front of the TV yet nice enough to be served at the dining room table. A frozen food home run!
So if you’re looking a quick and easy dinner tonight why not try Rachael Ray’s pick, SeaPak’s Culinary Classics fish or any of the other great SeaPak options? You don’t have to feel guilty sharing frozen foods with your family any more! So what are your family’s favorite frozen food options? Are there some frozen seafood options you wish you could find, but can’t?
POSTED BY Jenna Reed AT 10:53 am Wednesday December 9th 2009 1 COMMENT
Barbara ( January 1st, 2010 at 11:39 am )
Dear Jenna,
As a marketing executive, the company’s P.R. & marketing for the Tomato Encrusted Salmon and the Culinary Classics product line is some of the best I’ve seen. Rachel Ray’s Everyday food, Men’s Health, among others and the enormous effort made in the trade press speaks to its strong PR strategy.
Here’s the “but.” A great PR campaign defeats its purpose when the product is impossible to find and the company offers no assistance in finding it. I’ve been looking for the product for almost two years. I discovered it on a trip to So. Florida (Target) and despite an enormous effort on my part, cannot find it (Boston, MA area).
I’ve called the company multiple times, I’ve commented in bite of the best blog and have called Target 8 times; Walmart 4 times (based on direction from Seapak in bite of the best); spent hours on line searching and still can’t find it.
I’ve asked both Target and Walmart if they would special order it for me (no – and neither has it online). I’ve tried Whole Foods. I’ve even tried to see if I could get it through grocery stores that carry the Sea Pak line – no, again.
At $300/hr (my hourly rate), I’ve calculated that I’ve sacrificed about $15,000 in income based on the time spent trying to find the product. If that’s not the sign of a good, loyal (maybe even a bit obsessive) customer Sea Pak should bend over backwards to help, then it might be time to turn off your ovens.
A great customer experience and getting a customer for life and are the cornerstones of my marketing. I know first hand the flip side means a bad or frustrating customer experience will result in losing that customer for life – especially after 2nd, 3rd, and more chances.
I understand the complexities of food & grocery distribution. But as a responsible manufacturer with a good marketing instinct, Seapak Shrimp Co. should be able to get deliver and find a way to get the product into a devoted customer’s hands – no more hours on the web, no more phone calls to Target, no more trips to Whole Foods, or Walmart (if you’ve ever tried to call a store and ask – forget it). I know, I’ve done it and if the compnay is committed to its customers, Seapak will find a way to get the product in my hands (and freezer).
Before losing a customer, I’m asking Seapak Shrimp Co. to step in to get the product for me and a source to continue to get it – either locally or from a retailer – on or offline – who will ship it to me. I’m more than willing to pay the cost of shipping – if that’s what it takes.
Jenna, I’d appreciate your sharing this with the executives in the organization and have someone contact me. Finding a product shouldn’t be this hard or take years not to mention the effort. Most customers wouldn’t go to the extreme I have.
Thanks very much – my email address is listed above but in the event it’s not communicated directly to you, it’s info@zing2market.com. i’d be more than happy to share other contact information when appropriate.
Thank you – almost a lost customer who loves your product!
Barbara