11 March 1999: According to a recent press report, Corning Consumer Products is to launch a new series of cookware called Corningware Microwave Cook-A-Meal line.
The line is expected to reach depart…
11 March 1999: According to a recent press report, Corning Consumer Products is to launch a new series of cookware called Corningware Microwave Cook-A-Meal line. The line is expected to reach department-and specialty-store shelves shortly, and will be supported via a US$ 4 million infomercial on national cable channels, including Discovery, Lifetime, Fox and local broadcast stations. Cook-A-Meal, made of the company“s proprietary Corningware and Corelle materials, will extend to the mass channel in the second half of 1999. “We“re working on another US$ 4 million investment in the fourth quarter, with a traditional consumer advertising programme to support it once the distribution is broader,” said Kathy Rauch, cookware business team director. With an estimated 95% of households in America owning a microwave, Cook-A-Meal is the next generation of microwave products for Corning. The line enables consumers to cook from scratch in the microwave – a step beyond Corning“s Pop-Ins line, which was designed to reheat food. The new product line is the result of rigorous consumer research and a collaborative effort by a team of microwave experts and product designers, according to Neil Hart, new product development manager. “Nobody has really put together a high-quality line of microwave cookware with recipes and with an expert,” Hart said. “We saw an opportunity.” In order to promote the new line, Corning is said to be joining forces with cookbook authors and consultants to develop recipes. The company is even said to be teaming up with microwave companies to promote the product.