Final Reflections

10.       How did your real-life experiences with the products compare with your expectations based on the video?  Were they better than, worse than, or equal to your expectations—both in terms of preparation and taste?  Explain why.

Well the video made for high expectations - it was very effective in making an aura of freshness, bright, cleanliness, speed, adn taste. It would have been very hard to match it. So it didn't meet those expectations in terms of taste, but that's just because our kitchen isn't as great as the one in the video! In terms of speed/simplicity our real experience actually exceeded - the video twice said 20 minutes, and it really took us 15.
11.       I would definitely offer both - I preferred the chicken, just bc I love mexican and lime, my wife less so so preferred the beef. In fact the one concern I'd have about your products is that I think you only offer 4 (at least that's the impression I got from the video) and I think that may end up being less than optimal - I worry people might get bored with it. So I would definitely keep them both. In summertime I would be more more inclined to do the chicken - we rarely if ever eat red meat in the summer.
These meals are different from other similar meals we prepare based on the quality of the ingredients (really superb, with the exception of the vegetables in the chicken meal which we were not crazy about), the speed of prep. The volume of actual food was less than the other typical meals like this we make, but that was not all bad - 
13.       How do they compare to the “perfect everyday meal” you described in blog #2?  Our "perfect everyday meal" that I described is salmon, french fries, and broccoli. This meal is perfect for us, and I dont think the ensemble meal would replace that - that meal is perfect because 2 of the 3 kids will eat it along with us, it has fresh vegetables, and every once in a hile I just want to stuff myself, which I can (with fries!) and the ensemble meal doesnt offer that. You can always add something to it, I suppose. Finally, we just love fish as a family, not sure if any ensemble meals are seafood but it is just a huge family favorite.

The ad:

Ensemble™ meals - the healthiest, most delicious meal that can be made in 15 minutes! This meal is for busy couples, couples with kids who want a periodic break from chicken fingers. This meal is different from other meals in that you *can* get great, natural food without spending a lot of time preparing it. Usually the price you pay to get that kind of food is hours preparing it - if you're busy and want the treat of good, actual food without that time sink, this meal is for you. You'll love the flavor, the quality of the food, and the time you save. This product you might thing might make sense on a weeknight, when time is at a premium, but my wife and I often use these meals as a stepping stone to more elaborate meals on weekends - and the meal instructions offer ideas for accompaniments - wines, sides, desserts. Ensemble - its not just for weekdays anymore!

Comments

  1. Lifestyle ModeratorJune 14, 2017 at 5:06 PM

    - What do you think of the pre-cooked meat (like the chicken) vs. the raw meat (like the beef). Are there pros & cons of each? Do you think Ensemble should offer both raw meat and cooked meat items, or is one better than the other--explain. Do they "say" different things to you about the value of the meal kits?

    - What do Ensemble meals say or show on the label/packaging that is appealing to consumers?

    - How will people who purchase an Ensemble meal feel about eating this product and serving it to their family?

    - How will those same people feel during the preparation process while making an Ensemble meal?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. rufus22June 19, 2017 at 1:06 PM

      What do you think of the pre-cooked meat (like the chicken) vs. the raw meat (like the beef). Are there pros & cons of each? Do you think Ensemble should offer both raw meat and cooked meat items, or is one better than the other--explain. Do they "say" different things to you about the value of the meal kits? What a good question - somehow having the meat not cooked suggests it is more valuable and of higher quality than if it is cooked. It's hard to explain my reasoning behind that assumption, but its something about no meat can be as good if its been cooked a long time ago - this way its cooked fresh, and you have the liberty to do it the way you may want it. So both for practical reasons and for the message it sends (higher quality) I'd keep it uncooked. The ONLY reason I can think of to cook is that the raw chicken did not look that appealing, while the beef did.

      For what its worth I did not even realize that the chicken was pre-cooked, although looking back on it the white color of it should have made it obvious.

      I think most people who serve an ensemble meal will feel good about serving it to their family. Some people may feel lsightly badly - they're by definition someone who cares about food to a certain degree and so may feel a little bad about not making something from scratch, but other than that they's feel good about it. I think they'll feel even better prepping it - it really was incredibly easy to make.

      Delete
  2. Lifestyle ModeratorJune 14, 2017 at 7:53 PM

    Finally, please complete these sentences...

    "Ensemble meals remind me of..."

    "Ensemble meals are better than..."

    "Ensemble meals are not as good as..."

    THANK YOU!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. rufus22June 19, 2017 at 12:55 PM

      "Ensemble meals remind me of my life with Julia when we were just starting out."

      Ensemble meals are better than what we have time to make now, and they are better than the 365 brand Whole Foods (Amazon?) prepared meals we used to order."

      Ensemble meals are not as good as a huge salad made with ingredients straight from our garden, but there's no reason we couldn't garnish an ensemble meal with things frmo our garden - cherry tomatoes, as an example.

      Delete
  3. Lifestyle ModeratorJune 19, 2017 at 3:10 PM

    Thank you so much!! You missed one small follow up on blog #1. Here it is again: Thanks for adding those "little indulgences"! Why are they important? If you couldn't get in that swimming, starbucks, beer, snickers bar, what would be different?

    ReplyDelete

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