As a consumer PR agency that specialises in working with food and drink brands, it is important to keep on top of the latest industry news!
Recently, Food Dive published an article titled ‘How Influencers are Changing the Way Food and Beverage Companies Harness Social Media’.
This blog post will share the top insights from this article, as well as different brands’ influencer success stories and defeats.
The Impact of Covid
The pandemic in 2020 changed the way food and drink brands had to operate as they no longer could do in person events, sampling or activations.
How did they respond?
Many had to become e-commerce companies overnight and had to figure out what social media channels to implement paid influencer strategies.
The impact of this has been a lasting change in the way food and drink brands promote their products through influencer marketing as this avenue has now boomed since the pandemic.
However, as suggested in the article, 2024 seems to be the year when brands are realising even through this marketing tactic, they still need to show up authentically for their customers.
In the article, Marie La France, vice president of growth at Billion Dollar Boy — a global influencer marketing agency- states:
“Inherently people want to digest information coming from a trusted source, through things like word of mouth. And this is the year that I think a lot of companies have really realized that.”
Brand Success Stories and Defeats
Poppi
Poppi, a better-for-you soft drink company, have reportedly had great success with their organic social and influencer marketing strategies.
In 2023, these amounted to ‘204 million impressions and 2.3 million engagements’ which has helped the brand in 2024 enter ‘5 million monthly new households’ (Food Dive).
This has happened largely due to the brand going viral on TikTok through tactics like gifting influencers with different items like branded tracksuits and bathrobes.
Check out this example from TikTok influencer Lauren Gedeon:
This shows that food and drink brands don’t need to stick to the same script of recipe videos or only gifting related products; they can think outside of the box with great success.
However, the brand also presents a cautionary tale as they are now facing a class action lawsuit over false advertising.
The lawsuit centres around the claim that the brand has ‘prebiotic’ benefits even though the ‘consumer would need to drink more than four Poppi sodas in a day to realize any potential health benefits from its prebiotic fibre.’ (Food Dive).
Poppi has since removed the slogan ‘gut healthy’ from all of their marketing.
This shows the importance of still being compliant with FTC guidelines which also includes making sure influencers label their paid promotions accordingly.
Olipop
Olipop is another drink company that caters to the better-for-you category.
They decided to launch a campaign that hired superfans to join the team and make content for them, which went viral on social media. They called the position senior soda consultant.
They had over 2,000 applicants and over 650 million impressions on social media, and 200 stories from publications including USA Today and Time Out Magazine.
This example shows a brand putting their loyal consumers first and giving back to the people who love the brand the most.
Steven Vigilante, Olipop’s director of growth and partnerships said about the campaign:
“The role effectively showcased our ethos of bringing people together. Through heartwarming narratives and relatable moments shared over a can of soda, Olipop connected emotionally with its audience, reinforcing the idea that memorable experiences are made even more special with friends.
This approach positioned Olipop as more than just a beverage choice, but a companion in creating cherished memories.” (Food Dive).
Balancing Authenticity and Reach
The success of influencer marketing hinges on authenticity.
Brands must carefully select influencers who genuinely align with their products.
Adam Melonas, CEO of Chew (a Boston-based food innovation lab for CPGs), highlights the importance of understanding the difference between influencers, creators, and celebrities-
“If it’s awareness you’re looking for then you can get in front of the loudest, noisiest, most viewed person that you can find. But, that’s not going to drive volume. The volume is going to come from that authenticity.” (Food Dive).
Notable examples include Beyond Meat’s partnership with Kim Kardashian and Meati Foods’ collaboration with athletes Aly Raisman and Chris Paul.
While Kardashian’s massive following brought visibility, Raisman and Paul’s credibility in health and fitness resonated more deeply with the target audience, driving genuine engagement.
Summary
Overall, the insights from Food Dive’s report reveal a dynamic and rapidly changing marketing environment.
Influencers are here to stay, and food and drink brands that leverage their reach effectively while maintaining authenticity and transparency will thrive in this new era of social media marketing.
Want more food and drink brand related content? Check out Escapade’s blog on The 10 Best TikTok Food Influencers and Food To Go: The Trends to Watch out for in 2024!
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Sources
Blog Cover Photo: Anna Gorina/istockphoto.com
