There is no denying that food companies create some of the best marketing on the planet. Especially fast food companies. McDonalds alone is said to have spent a massive $388 million dollars on their advertising in 2023 alone. That is more money than most businesses will see in their entire existence.
And it isn’t just the fast food companies that should be spending a lot of time and money on their marketing. Anyone who works in a food related industry, be it a restaurant or a supermarket, needs to be putting in a lot of work to ensure their marketing is as good as it can be. The food industry is an extremely competitive one.
This guide will be walking you through some of the intricacies of food marketing. We will be walking you through some of the key practices involved in marketing food. And hopefully this guide will help you find some new and creative ways to market your products!
Focus On The Food
This one might seem painfully obvious. But you would be surprised how many food marketing campaigns I have seen that woefully neglect the most important part of the advertisement. The food itself!
Let us use fast food as a prime example of how to do this well. Every advert you see for McDonalds has their food front and center. No matter what other funny situations or wholesome content they surround the food with, it is always the focal point. And this is the key to making sales. You need to ignite that hunger response in people. Make them crave what you are offering.
If you are running a bakery, for example, you would want to highlight the baking process and the finished product. Nothing is more visually appealing than watching baked goods slowly transform before your eyes with a timelapse. And the mouthwatering visuals of a beautifully decorated cake are second to none.
Food Art
Have you ever wondered why the burgers you see in fast food adverts look so amazing. Yet never quite like the real product? This is because the products you see in adverts aren’t real food. They are props that have been painstakingly designed to look as visually appealing as possible.
This is an extremely powerful tactic that you should be employing. There are companies out there who specialize in food art photography. They will create the dishes for you, to your specifications, and help you create stunning content that is sure to get people’s attention.
The main idea behind this sort of advertising is to have the image stuck in poeple’s subconscious. It is why you see so many billboards and posters of Mcdonald’s burgers everywhere. People are quick to actively ignore these adverts. Assuming they aren’t going to have any effect on them. But, when they are next hungry, their subconscious mind will remember and make them crave it.
Educational Adverts
People have become very food conscious these days. Alongside that people are recapturing the magic of cooking and baking. Which is why we are seeing more food product companies producing educational adverts.
A good example of this is in the food tech industry. Companies that produce baking equipment have been producing adverts that show off their products while also providing tips and tricks for better baking. If you were in their position you could create an advert that highlights how good your tech is for baking cookies. Showing them that this is how to make your cookie dough less sticky or this is how you make them more appetizing, through using your products.
The idea is to balance education with need. You want your products to fulfill a need in their lives. So you need to educate them while also showing that your product is an essential part of the process.
Collaborations
Nothing gets people more excited than two food companies collaborating on a new product. It happens a lot in the confectionary industry. Lays potato chips and Pringles are two of the biggest names for doing this. Introducing a new flavor that is often related to another popular food product.
The power of collaborations is two-fold. It will get people hyped about the new product and definitely bring in a lot of revenue. But it also helps to build brand awareness.
Collaborations help bring in an entire new wave of customers that are fans of the other product you are collaborating with. And a collaboration will help cement your brand in people’s minds for years to come.
