FIVE SUCCESSFUL FOOD MARKETING STRATEGIES
Brought to you by leading customer engagement agency and food marketing experts TMW Unlimited.
1. Maximise crave appeal
As humans, we have a deep, neurological response to food. Use neuroscience research to understand what drives the biggest sensory reactions and make your product look as irresistible as possible.
Case Study: Ben & Jerry's – Launching Topped
Ben & Jerry’s launched a new product into the market – Ben & Jerry’s Topped – their most indulgent ice cream yet. We needed to convince people that it was worth paying more for the premium ice cream due its incredible indulgence.
Using neuroscience research, we employed the multi-sensory cues that trigger desire in the brain and created a campaign with maximum crave appeal at its heart.
Our 30-second online video featured a series of deliberate mistakes and out-takes from our attempt to shoot Topped ice cream in all its glory. Each mistake exploits a different ‘food porn’ technique that we know triggers a sensory reaction and desire to consume.
The video was so effective, it was adapted for use as an ATL campaign across Europe.
2. Create and maintain relevance in people’s lives
Promoting the functional benefits of your product is only half the battle. Relevance of your brand is also a big driver of purchase. Show your target audience how you fit into their lives.
Case Study: Kinder Bueno – Now That's Adulting
Kinder Bueno faced a significant sales barrier: its core target audience of 20-35 year old women thought it was a chocolate bar for kids. We needed to connect with them in an authentic way and change perceptions of the taste experience.
‘Now That’s Adulting’ is a humorous look at grown-up chores – be it setting up direct debits, doing proper food shops or switching energy supplier – and plays on the concept of adulting that is widely celebrated on social media.
The campaign has successfully built relevance and connection with our target audience and introduced Kinder Bueno as a personal reward for adulting success.
THE IMPACT
53 million impressions
4 million video views on YouTube
4% recall among target audience
58% increase in intent to purchase
3. Increase usage occasions to drive incremental sales
The creation of new moments to enjoy your product gives you a new opportunity to reposition your brand, reach new audiences, and ultimately, drive increased sales.
Case Study: Bertolli – Show Pasta Some Passion
To encourage people to start using Bertolli with Butter as more than just a spread, we focused on getting people to rethink how they prepare pasta and cook it in authentic Italian way.
We enlisted Italian chef Gennaro Contaldo to create a TV ad and online videos showing how to create easy and delicious pasta dishes with Bertolli with Butter.
Videos were shared across Bertolli’s social and digital channels and promoted through search. A toolkit was also created for European marketing teams to adapt and amplify the campaign in their local markets.
THE IMPACT
No.1 site ranking in Google UK ‘pasta recipes’, outranking Jamie Oliver’s Food Tube
131% increase in SEO visitor levels
3% increase in sales of Bertolli with Butter across Europe
4. Harness the power of foodie influencers to build your brand
Relevant and authentic influencers highlighting the taste and usage credentials of your brand will drive awareness and trial. Engage with foodie influencers who cook, bake, create recipes and shoot amazing content, and turn them into your most powerful brand advocates.
Case Study: Flora – Freedom Dairy Free
Flora introduced a new range of dairy-free spreads to appeal to a growing market of health-conscious millennials. We helped launch the new range and drive awareness and trial of three new products.
We identified relevant and credible foodie influencers and commissioned them to create thumb-stopping video content every month. This included recipes that highlighted the flavour credentials of each of the spreads and ideas on how to use them – including easy to follow tips and hacks.
Full recipes were made available on Flora’s brand website, with influencers utilising their channels to drive traffic.
THE IMPACT
Total audience: 2.3 million
Total reach: 948,000
Total video views: 168,000
5. Cater for different consumption habits across different markets
Food consumption habits vary across the world. Uncover the differences in attitudes, preferences and behaviours towards your product across your key markets to help you to develop successful strategies that cater for your diverse consumer base.
Case Study: Barilla – New global website
Barilla is the world’s largest pasta brand. Before working with us, each of Barilla’s local markets used a separate website with different content, presenting a very inconsistent view of the brand.
We created and designed a modern site that could host a wide range of content and be as relevant to people in China, where there is a limited consumption of pasta but a huge desire for western authenticity, as to people in the US, where Barilla products are a kitchen staple.
User-testing across markets allowed us to understand how best to display our content to meet different needs and develop relevant strategies for recipe creation and content across different markets.
THE IMPACT
73% reduction in bounce rate
315% increase in dwell time
250% increase in page views
Average of 600,000 monthly site visits
A bit more about
TMW Unlimited
We are the UK's leading customer engagement agency based in the heart of Soho.
We have spent the last 30 years honing our food marketing expertise and we’re passionate about creative that works – timely, relevant and rewarding campaigns to elicit response, drive sales and build loyalty.
Fuelled by multi-disciplinary expertise
Home to 250 of London’s most talented, creative problem-solvers, we have built an agency
with a genuine breadth and depth of talent. We create complete customer experiences and ensure these are carefully managed.
The home of Intelligent Influence
At TMW Unlimited we know that emotion is at the heart of decision making. People feel, then they do, then they think.
We are well-known for our proprietary planning approach, Intelligent Influence. Blending insight and neuroscience, we unlock the power of how people feel and help brands establish emotional and more meaningful connections with their customers.
We give a damn.
We live by one key principle at
TMW Unlimited: to give a damn.
Our promise to clients is always to reflect their passion and commitment, questioning the status quo to drive brands forward and genuinely make a difference.