The foodie trend of recent years has only grown bigger over time. Companies that make and serve food know competition is fierce for their restaurant to become customers’ favorite place to eat. Marketing is a huge part of the food industry; people rarely want to eat something they haven’t seen or heard about before. Experiential marketing is quickly becoming a favorite of the food industry. Of all the industries that use experiential marketing, food is no stranger to the experiential treatment.
Taking Food on the Go
When you think about the food industry using experiential marketing, your first thought is probably the classic food truck. The food truck has become so iconic in unique dining experiences that they’ve become valued all over the world for their style and delicious offerings. Food trucks are one of the epitomes of experiential marketing. Everything about them must scream the brand if they want to be noticed and, more importantly, remembered.
Whether it’s the outside of their mobile experiential truck, the menu offerings, the interactions between workers and customers, or the food itself, it all needs to stay cohesive and recognizable as one brand. At its core though, the experience of going to a food truck that’s only in one place for so long is the key to their overall success. These trucks have to stay on the move whenever they can.
Crafting an Experience
Other than food trucks, many other food brands will instead choose a more short-term approach to experiential marketing. These include things such as special, limited-time experiences only a certain number of people can enjoy. Many brands also employ the use of big, branded stunts that grab attention. A lot of these stunts don’t even have to be about the food itself, but the image of the brand must be maintained throughout the event.
One example of a popular brand using this marketing technique is Nutella’s cook-off between the 2016 and 2017 Chief Nutella Ambassadors. Not only did it feature the product itself in a positive light, it also played off of one of the country’s most well-loved television shows: cooking competitions. Even a well-established brand like Wendy’s has used a temporary food truck to spread their special offerings to places that wouldn’t normally get them.
When we consider industries that use experiential marketing, the food industry is one of the top users. CGS Premier is proud to help get your experiential marketing campaign off the ground, whether you’re an independently owned food truck or an ambassador for a larger brand. Give us a call and we’ll help you sort out the important details.
