How Chicory Helps Non-Food Brands Win with Contextual Commerce Media
When people think about online recipes, they often assume it’s a space exclusively for food brands. The truth is, though, that contextual commerce media offers use cases for all types of non-food brands, from personal care to paper goods.
Chicory’s ad formats prove that recipe content isn’t just for food brands—it’s a high-intent environment where even non-food products can seamlessly connect with inspired consumers to encourage relevant—and even impulse—purchases.
The Power of Contextual Commerce Media
Consumers browsing recipes are already in active decision-making moments. Whether they’re meal planning or looking for inspiration, this is a prime opportunity for brands to position their products in a relevant and engaging way.
For brands, this means reaching shoppers in the moments that matter, whether that be pre-shop, mid-shop, or post-shop. By reaching shoppers on recipe pages, non-food brands can position themselves as viable, relevant products right when consumers are considering ingredient choices.
Why Recipe Ads Work for Non-Food Brands
Here are three key reasons why recipe-based advertising is a winning strategy for brands beyond traditional food categories:
High Purchase Intent: 63% of shoppers make buying decisions before reaching the store—recipe content captures them in this critical moment.
Strong Engagement: 78% of consumers say in-recipe ads increase brand recall and consideration, making it an effective tool for keeping products top-of-mind.
Relevance at the Right Moment: 91% of consumers use online recipes for meal planning, making recipes the perfect place to introduce complementary products.
Let’s dive into some various use cases and see how different non-food brands can win this year with contextual commerce media.
Use Cases: How Non-Food Brands Fit into Recipe Advertising
Chicory’s ad formats show how non-food brands can tap into a range of consumer moments, from wellness to homecare and beyond.
For example, for wellbeing and healthcare brands, a recipe for chicken noodle soup could feature an ad for cough drops, reminding consumers to stock up and stay on top of their seasonal wellness.
Non-food items like napkins and paper plates could be highly relevant to feature on recipes for special occasions and large get-togethers, like burgers or barbecues. This is especially relevant as spring and summer outings and gatherings start rolling in.
Even personal care brands can leverage recipe pages as contextual ad environments. Think of it: seasonal recipes in the next holiday season, like homemade peppermint bark, could be the perfect place to highlight scented soaps for consumers seeking holiday-themed scents.
The possibilities for non-food advertising on recipe pages are highly flexible. Let’s see the tangible results brands see from running these sorts of campaigns with Chicory.
Success Story: Driving 30% Sales Lift for Top Personal Care Brand
A globally recognized personal care brand partnered with Chicory to showcase its limited edition, seasonally fragranced soaps, scrubs, and lotions, aiming to enhance the visibility of their core portfolio as well.
These personal care products were strategically paired with holiday baking recipes, as their scents evoked the delightful aroma of baked goods such as peppermint bark, sugar cookies and pumpkin cinnamon pie.
To reach holiday bakers, Chicory utilized its shoppable Premium Pairings ad unit across recipe websites to reach holiday bakers, targeting relevant categories like “holiday baking,” and “desserts,” and more.
Through this campaign, this non-food brand saw a 68.82X attributable ROAS and a 1.51X incremental ROAS—with a notable 30% increase in sales for the promoted seasonal items.
Considering Chicory for Non-Food Campaigns
The use cases for ingredient and food brands advertising their products on recipe pages is clear. However, with 91% of shoppers saying they use online recipes for meal prep and inspiration, it’s clear that this ad environment has more potential than it leads on.
Chicory’s ad solutions allows brands of all kinds to integrate seamlessly into the recipe experience—whether audiences find themselves in a pre-shop, mid-shop, or post-shop phase.
Whether it’s healthcare products, cleaning supplies, personal care, or home storage, non-food and non-food brands can reach high-intent audiences in an organic way, driving incremental sales and reaching new and lapsed shoppers.
