McCormick Flavors Holiday Baking with Inspiring New Programs

‘The Big Cookie Share’ and ‘The Merry Merry Menu Planner’ on Facebook Put a Twist on Recipe-Sharing Online

SPARKS, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 14, 2011-- Holiday baking season is in full swing — and it’s a big time for flavor. According to McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE: MKC), a global leader in flavor, recipe searches for holiday cookies on McCormick.com spike during the first two weeks in December, accounting for 7 of the 10 most-searched recipes. As demand for flavors like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and vanilla surges, McCormick is sharing its passion for flavor with creative consumer activations and new digital programs, offering home bakers fresh ways to find and share flavorful ideas, both on and offline.

To bring holiday baking to life in fans’ social streams, McCormick launched The Big Cookie Share — a festive Facebook app allowing users to make and share digital cookies and recipes. Taking the spirit of sharing to the streets, McCormick is teaming up with The Treats Truck owner Kim Ima, author of The Treats Truck Baking Book, to serve up festive McCormick cookies from her bakery-on-wheels in New York City. Also on Facebook, the Merry Merry Menu Planner makes party-planning a snap, giving friends and family the chance to plan and vote for favorite holiday menus together. And, throughout the season, flavor experts from the McCormick Kitchens will be joining in, offering support by answering fan questions.

“The holidays are an important season for McCormick. At a time when laptops and tablets rival spatulas as the most-used kitchen tool, our innovative programs reach consumers where they’re already searching for recipes and inspiration,” said Jill Pratt, Vice President of Marketing for U.S. Consumer Products at McCormick. “More importantly, we are offering our fans new ways to share the holiday spirit and create memorable taste experiences — whether they’re putting the holiday menu up for a vote or frosting Facebook cookies for faraway family members.”

McCormick is bringing festive flavor to the holidays with the following initiatives:

• THE BIG COOKIE SHARE
  On December 1, McCormick launched “The Big Cookie Share” at Facebook.com/McCormickSpice. Starting with a signature recipe from the McCormick Kitchens, fans can customize their cookie with flavorful additions like cranberries, nuts and almond extract. They’ll be rewarded with a virtual e-cookie to share with Facebook friends — complete with a personalized message frosted right on the cookie — and the unique recipe so they can bake up a batch of holiday memories at home. Additionally, Kim Ima unveiled three new Treats Truck recipes flavored by McCormick spices and extracts, throughout the month of December. To inspire home bakers to host cookie shares in their own communities, Ima also offered her followers the chance to win McCormick Cookie Share Kits from her Twitter handle @TheTreatsTruck.

• THE MERRY MERRY MENU PLANNER
  Holiday hosts can put party menus to a vote with “The Merry Merry Menu Planner,” on Facebook.com/McCormickSpice. After selecting a meal category, such as brunch, cocktail party or dinner, hosts can choose among festive menus to post on their Facebook Walls. Friends and guests can then vote for their favorite – a fun, effortless, foolproof way to choose a winning menu.

About McCormick

McCormick & Company, Incorporated is a global leader in flavor. With more than $3 billion in annual sales, the Company manufactures, markets and distributes spices, seasoning mixes, condiments and other flavorful products to the entire food industry—retail outlets, food manufacturers and foodservice businesses. Every day, no matter where or what you eat, you can enjoy food flavored by McCormick. McCormick brings passion to flavor.™ Visit mccormick.com, mccormickcorporation.com and Facebook.com/McCormickSpice for more information.

Source: McCormick & Company, Inc.

McCormick & Company, Inc.
Laurie Harrsen, 410/527-8753
Laurie_Harrsen@mccormick.com
or
Weber Shandwick
Sara Ballard, 312/988.2406
sballard@webershandwick.com