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How We Revolutionised Brand Engagement: Story on Harnessing AI to Elevate Customer Experiences and Influence Public Health
Ksenija Latković Kozarac
At the 2024 Native Advertising Days Conference, Ksenija Latkovic Kozarac, the Digital Communications Director at Podravka, shared her insights on how they leveraged AI technology to enhance user engagement and promote healthier eating habits on their digital platform.
By targeting Gen Z and incorporating personalized, user-generated content, they successfully addressed growing health concerns while fostering a sense of community. This presentation highlighted key strategies and innovations that blend tradition with cutting-edge technology, driving both engagement and social impact.
Engagement and Community Building
Podravka platform, known for its rich culinary heritage, has become a hub for Croatian food enthusiasts and home cooks alike, with 95% of its 200,000 recipes generated by users. This strong community-driven approach reflects how deeply food is tied to culture and identity in the country, where sharing recipes and meals is not just a matter of sustenance but an expression of love and belonging. The platform has evolved over the past 20 years to become one of the most popular culinary sites in the region, consistently appearing at the top of food-related searches. This success stems from its ability to create a sense of community, encouraging users to contribute and engage in meaningful ways around a shared passion for food.
Recognizing the changing demands of modern consumers, the company understood that numbers alone were not enough—they needed to act on emerging trends. With increasing awareness of health issues and the rising demand for more nutritious food options, the platform aimed to foster healthier eating habits, especially among the younger generation. Gen Z, known for their health-conscious behaviors and preference for natural, sustainable ingredients, became a key target for the company. By focusing on this group and their evolving preferences, the company set out to not only provide recipes but to spark a broader conversation around wellness, sustainability, and mindful eating.
Technology and Innovation
To address the growing demand for healthier food choices and engage users more effectively, the company launched an AI-powered virtual assistant on its platform. This innovative tool is designed to guide users toward healthier eating habits by offering personalized suggestions and support. By integrating OpenAI’s natural language processing capabilities, the assistant can recommend recipes, suggest substitutions for healthier ingredients, and even provide tips on sustainability, such as using locally sourced or zero-waste ingredients. The virtual assistant stands out by creating an interactive experience, incorporating emojis, and maintaining a friendly, conversational tone, making it feel more like a trusted companion than a typical AI tool.
What makes this AI solution particularly unique is its focus on long-term impact rather than short-term gimmicks. Instead of simply pushing products or adding another sales channel, the assistant's core mission is to promote health and well-being through personalized, user-centered recommendations. The platform prioritizes content integrity by sourcing all information from nutrition experts and health professionals, ensuring accuracy and trustworthiness. Through advanced personalization features, the assistant adapts its suggestions based on user preferences, dietary habits, and feedback, helping users make better, healthier choices in their everyday lives. This technology-driven approach has transformed how the platform interacts with its community, positioning the company at the forefront of the digital wellness space.
Results and Learnings
The launch of the AI-powered assistant has yielded impressive results in a short period. In just eight months, the platform attracted over 240,000 users who exchanged more than 809,000 messages with the assistant, reflecting the high level of engagement it has generated. The time users spent on the platform increased by 31%, with Gen Z engagement seeing a significant rise of 40%, highlighting the effectiveness of the campaign in reaching a younger, health-conscious audience. Additionally, the conversational element of the assistant led to a 16% increase in interaction time, with users spending an average of three minutes per session, underscoring its ability to maintain user interest and foster deeper connections.
These results underline the success of the platform’s approach to blending technology with community-driven engagement. By focusing on personalization, the platform has been able to create meaningful interactions that resonate with users, encouraging healthier choices without sacrificing the sense of fun and enjoyment associated with food.
Podravka's decision to embrace change, act on feedback, and continuously improve its offering has allowed it to stay ahead of evolving consumer demands. This initiative not only highlights the power of AI in driving user engagement but also demonstrates how brands can create lasting social impact by aligning innovation with purpose.
