THE STATE OF FOOD CONTENT MARKETING

Developing a content marketing strategy is kind of like creating an appealing menu. It’s an important start, but the execution is what matters. You have to be able to cook the dishes correctly, plate them attractively, serve eager customers, and then make sure they actually enjoy your food, come back for more, and tell all their friends about their fantastic experience.

Food content marketers have, in many cases, fallen short. The NewsCred Top 50 Content Marketing Brands includes just a few standout examples from the food space. Although most food brands are producing creative content, many lack a content hub. Some that do try to get away with reheating stale content that isn’t so fresh. Or, they fail to maximize that content by promoting it consistently on social media and other marketing distribution channels. Still other food companies opt for one-off promotions instead of creating an ongoing, consistent content strategy.

Yet, consumers are hungry for food content. Consider this:

• BuzzFeed’s Tasty has more than 94 million Facebook fans

• “How To Cook That” is now a top 10 search phrase on YouTube

• And let’s face it, your social feeds probably consist of lots of food photos – are we right?

So how can you figure out which types of food-related content will resonate in a very crowded space? One strategy is to focus on food and restaurant trends, especially among the biggest digital content consumers: the millennials. CBD Marketing’s analysis of 12.5 million social media posts by U.S. millennials (ages 18 to 35) revealed that they:

• Gravitate to healthy, natural foods and cultural flavors

• Like to cook and prep meals

• Support alternative food distribution via meal delivery and meal services

Furthermore, a Nielsen study found:

• Millennials want to know more about how their food is produced and want to “see the story behind the scenes” (81 percent and 80 percent, respectively)

• 73 percent are willing to pay more for sustainable brands

• 58 percent of millennials eat out at least once a week

Like chefs, good content marketers with a keen understanding of their customers’ tastes can develop a focused menu of content offerings (across platforms), sprinkle in the key ingredients (video, dynamic apps, cause marketing), and experiment with new digital flavors (chatbots, IoT technology) as they become trendy.

Here’s a sampling of effective, customer-satisfying food content marketing strategy tactics, straight from today’s top brands:

BUILDING COMMUNITIES THROUGH ASPIRATIONAL AND INSPIRATIONAL USER-GENERATED CONTENT (UGC)

Remember all those social media food posts we alluded to above? It goes to show that people love to share their culinary masterpieces – whether home- cooked, eaten out, or ordered in – and get tips and commentary from others with similar tastes. That’s why food brands win when they leverage user-

generated content (UGC) that engages and celebrates their customers while driving brand goals.

Plated, a NewsCred Top 50 winner that sends aspiring home cooks ingredients and step-by-step recipes to create simple but impressive-looking meals, has grown in large part thanks to UGC.

Plated uses UGC to build a community. On Instagram and Twitter, Plated asks fans to share their meals with the hashtag #platedpics. The company often reposts the #platedpics people share on those networks, and features them in an ongoing blog series. The UGC not only celebrates Plated fans; it also shows other people how easy it is to create Plated meals (and how delicious they look), which may persuade them to try the service.

How to get started: To encourage a steady stream of UGC, invite customers to share their experiences with your brand on their social networks. Develop and promote a special hashtag, and then reward customers for contributing; random drawings and discounts, or simply just featuring their posts on your social channels and content hub, can go a long way to incentivize participation.

LEVERAGING RECIPE CONTENT ACROSS CHANNELS

This might seem like a no-brainer for food brands, but not every company is fully using recipe content to its full advantage. Whole Foods is a brand that does. The Amazon-owned grocery giant features more recipes than promotions on its website homepage. It has a dedicated recipe newsletter and often promotes recipes on Twitter and Instagram.

The healthy grocery store chain also deploys recipe content via the Whole Foods Facebook chatbot, in which users can browse products or search recipes using keywords or even emojis.

“Whole Foods Market customers are always looking for inspiration, no matter whether they are at home, on the run, or walking down our aisles,” said Jeff Jenkins, then Global Executive of Digital Strategy and Marketing at Whole Foods Market, in an interview with VentureBeat.

And knowing that inspiration is so very often found via mobile devices and creating content in that vein is what helps a food brand stand out.

How to get started: While you might expect Betty Crocker or Kraft Foods to serve up recipes, even single product lines and niche brands have found success with recipes. Chobani almost single-handedly made baking with Greek yogurt a thing, promoting yogurt recipes across its distribution channels. Think about some unique ways that your products might be used – even reach out to your customers to ask – and see if you have enough ideas to warrant regular recipe content.

SHARING A CONSISTENT MESSAGE ACROSS SOCIAL CHANNELS

When it comes to social media marketing among the fast food giants, no other brand has more appeal with Gen Z and younger millennials than Taco Bell. With more than 1.1 million Instagram followers, 1.91 million Twitter fans, and 66,000 YouTube followers, Taco Bell’s investment in creating unique content is clearly paying off.

If social media channels are snacks, Taco Bell’s content hub is the main course. The hub features blog posts about interesting creators/Taco Bell enthusiasts, employees (like a dietician and a brand marketer), and even fans who take their love of the brand to the extreme, like a couple who got married at a Taco Bell!

In all it does, Taco Bell makes fans the center of each content decision – the YouTube series “For Here or To Go” is a great example. And no marketer could forget the incredible success that Taco Bell had on Snapchat with its 2016 Cinco de Mayo filter that turned users’ faces into giant tacos, viewed more than 224 million times!

How to get started: Few brands find tremendous success on every social platform at once, so start with the one or two that your audience spends the most time on. Whichever you choose, try to stay on top of the latest social media trends, whether it’s using influencers or creating Instagram stories. (Taco Bell is killing it with those, too!)

SHOWCASING YOUR VALUES

There are so many great examples of marketers using content to bring their brand’s ethos to life. In the food industry, few do it better than Ben & Jerry’s. The ice cream company is as much known for its delicious variety of decadent flavors as it is for its stance on pressing political and social justice issues. Its content hub features posts about ice cream recipes and new flavors, as well as stories that align with its values, like “We Stand with the Student Leaders of March for Our Lives”.

Jay Curley, now Ben & Jerry’s Global Head of Integrated Marketing, told New York Magazine: “We’re trying to create a new model for how businesses can use their voice to have an impact on important social movements, and show that you can do that and it doesn’t hurt your business. As a matter of fact, it may help.”

Proof that it does? Ben & Jerry’s business has tripled in the last 15 years.

Another example of brand values being good for business is Clif Bar. Its content hub showcases the company’s most important attributes: health, wellness, adventure, nature, sustainability, and an active, passion-fueled lifestyle. Recent stories include a profile of two Clif Bar-sponsored athletes who set out to raise $100,000 for Bears Ears National Monument, and a big rock piece of content about The Great Trail, a 15,000-mile network of trails across Canada.

What you won’t find is a hard sell. And it’s not necessary. Equating Clif Bar consumption with the brand’s lifestyle has garnered legions of fans. Clif Bar’s Instagram account – which has more than 147,000 followers – further follows that strategy by featuring fans’ nature photography tagged with #FeedYourAdventure over product shots.

How to get started: If you know what your brand values are, don’t be afraid to share them. You don’t necessarily have to get political or controversial – just be authentic.

TELLING THE STORIES BEHIND THE FOOD

As people become more conscious consumers, they want to know the stories behind what they eat. In other words, how is the food produced? Where do the ingredients come from? Who are the people involved?

Kashi’s “Stories” align well with the brand’s wholesome, healthy products. The stories share insights into healthy eating and food inspiration, and change the boundaries of food norms. The “Certified Transitional” video series and related blog posts, for example, highlight Kashi’s investment in farmers who are in the process of becoming USDA certified organic.

How to get started: Whether your brand is focused on all-natural foods or you’re a restaurant that uses locally-sourced ingredients, it will benefit you to share that information or other sustainability initiatives with your customers.

EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW TECHNOLOGIES

Getting in on the next big technology trend can pay off, as it has for a few food brands that have created Alexa skills. Stubb’s BBQ sauce launched its skill, Ask Stubb, to assist grill cooks. The skill features recipe ideas and tips like: “Don’t ever put ribs on top of each other. You have to allow space for the heat to penetrate.” The best part is you won’t hear Alexa’s robotic voice – you’ll hear Stubbs himself, making it a more user-friendly experience.

How to get started: Listen closely to your customers’ needs and check out some other top brand experiences on Alexa. Then, create audio content to enhance how your users experience and interact with your product.

IN CLOSING

Content marketing strategies for food brands work best when brands highlight their values and know their audience’s tastes. But more importantly, brands need to work harder so that their customers aren’t left feeling hungry for more – otherwise, they’ll take their content appetites elsewhere.

WHY YOU'RE NOT AS GOOD A PHOTOGRAPHER AS YOU THINK

Have you ever noticed that as you learn more about the world of photography, you tend to realize just how little you actually know? This phenomenon is what's referred to as the Dunning-Kruger effect. The name of the phenomenon came from two social psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger. During a study, the two recognized that the less competent someone was at a given task, the better they thought they were. Put more simply, if you think you're a great photographer, there's a good chance you're not nearly as amazing as you think you are.

Almost everyone falls victim to the Dunning Kruger effect at some point in their career. But the more self-aware you can become, the less likely you are to fall into the trap of being a bad photographer who thinks they're good. To help combat this downward spiral, Below are tips shared by experts about how you can combat this phenomenon:

• Beware of feeling comfortable- If you start feeling comfortable in your abilities, try something new and expand your horizons. Don't get complacent.

• Learn to let go of old work- Always try to one-up yourself and make your next shot your best shot. If you still think that shot from four years ago is your best, you probably haven't improved much.

• Ask for feedback and constructive critique- It's not always easy to hear, but an outside perspective can help you get a broader and more realistic view of your skills and ability.

• Always keep learning- You have never learned everything. Never think you've finished learning something—everything is a rabbit hole of knowledge.

• Feeling bad about your old work is a sign of progress- Thinking your old work isn't great means you've learned where you've fallen short and know how to improve your work.

In the end, no matter what you think of your work or how far you've come, it's ultimately about enjoying the ride. Our parting piece of advice is to 'learn why you're doing things, not just how to do them'.

ON SET: HOW A PHOTOGRAPHER AND A FOOD STYLIST STRETCH THEIR CREATIVE MUSCLES WITH TEST SHOOTS

We often talk about the importance of self-assigned projects. Photographers need to constantly stretch their creative muscles by shooting what they love– whether or not it’s something they are currently being hired to shoot. Personally-driven work also helps show clients what kind of work a

photographer produces without a script, and how well they might collaborate with a creative director of an art department in the future.

One facet of self-assigned work is the art of the test shoot. For photographers who shoot reportage, travel, or similar types of work, self-assigned work requires a camera, two legs, and a lot of research. But for photographers who normally shoot in a studio, or work on sets that require a large crew, test shoots can be a vital part of maintaining relationships with food stylists, makeup artists, and even other photographers.

If everyone is on board and willing to collaborate, test shoots can be fun, creative spaces that lead you to unexpected places. Sometimes, if you want to work with a certain stylist or model, you’ll need to hire them the same way you would for a client-based project. But other times, test shoots are mutually beneficial, and everyone will donate their time to end up with a final project each of you can add to your portfolio.

There are different levels to test shoots, from a full studio filled with assistants, stylists, and models to a quiet kitchen with a few strategically placed lights and a close friend or two looking to collaborate.

It’s always a lot of fun but a little strange going from a commercial shoot to a test shoot. Suddenly there’s no product to sell, no parameters, and no art director to please - you are free to create. The flip side is it can be so open that you have to give yourself some direction or you can be aimless. Have fun with the exercise, and immerse your team in the fun!

THE SURPRISING PSYCHOLOGY OF DIETING AND PLATE DESIGN

New research is challenging long-held assumptions about how our eyes influence our stomachs.

You’ve probably heard the idea that using smaller plates and bowls can affect your perception of how much you’re eating, thereby helping you eat less. But how well does it work? A new study sheds light on that popular theory, finding that if you’re really hungry, it doesn’t work. The reason why is a glimpse into the fascinating psychology of how we see and judge the world around us.

Tzvi Ganel, head of the Laboratory for Visual Perception and Action at
the Ben Gurion University’s Department of Psychology, headed up the research. Ganel explains that while your plate size has a definitive effect on how you perceive the food contained in it, how it affects your perception all depends on how ravenous you are. The hungrier you are, the less your perception will be altered.

Published in the journal Appetite, the research conducted two experiments, the first with 32 women and another with41 females and 40 males. Together with PhD student Noa Zitron-Emanuel, Ganel exposed the subjects to food in plates of different sizes to measure the effect of food deprivation on the subjects’ susceptibility to something called the Delboeuf illusion.

The Delboeuf illusion is a psychological phenomenon that affects how we perceive two circles of identical size relative to the size of the circle that contains it. The inner circle will always appear smaller to us if it is contained in a larger circle. In food terms, this means that if you put a pizza on a plate, your brain will think it’s bigger than the same pizza on a larger plate. The theory goes that if your brain sees food on a very large plate, you won’t be satisfied when you eat it. Put the same amount of food on a small plate, and you will.

Ganel and Zitron-Emanuel found out that if subjects were hungry, the illusion simply didn’t hold up. Ganel says over email that the data clearly shows “that it is more difficult to trick the brain via illusions when food is in need.” In comparison, the researchers also exposed participants to neutral representations that didn’t involve food–just circles of the same size inside other circles of different dimensions. In that test, the experiment subjects were affected by the Delboeuf illusion, regardless of their hunger level.

Their conclusion? If you’re hungry, your brain throttles down the Delboeuf illusion to save your life. “[This adaptive phenomenon] allows humans to effectively evaluate objects of interest when such objects can be vital for survival,” Ganel writes.

But dieters, not all is lost! A 2012 study by the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University found out that lighting and other environmental factors can have a big impact on your appetite. The test divided a real world fast food restaurant in Champaign, Illinois, into two dining areas: one was your usual burger environment with bright lights, colors, and loud music while the other one was decorated like a nice restaurant with indirect lighting, white

tablecloths, and jazz music. Then they took 62 random customers and measured their calorie intake. The results were fascinating: “Although customers in the fine dining atmosphere ate for 4.7% longer, they ate less than their fast-food counterparts.” They also found out that the fine dining customers weren’t more likely to order more food than the fast food customers, yet if they did, their orders contained 14% fewer calories. They rated the food better, too.

In other words, the way you eat is important–even if the old “use a smaller plate” theory doesn’t always work.

Controlling Reflections When Shooting Highly-Reflective Products

Photographers face many challenges while photographing highly-reflective products like glass, gems, and metals, but to the photographer who knows how to shape and control light, eliminating reflections and other unbecoming distractions like light spots can be as easy as photographing non-reflective products. In this tutorial, we will use several different lighting variations and products to demonstrate how to correctly light reflective objects and achieve high quality images that will help to improve your products’ image and boost your sales.

Photographing Clear or Colored Glass

There are a few different ways to photograph glass, but the most flattering and visually-striking method is by lighting a glass product from behind. This simple technique is called “backlighting” and it will flatter any glass product by taking advantage of glass’ translucency to give your product that pleasing “crystal-clear” appearance.

Step 1: Arranging Your Setup

In order to create a backlighting setup, you will need a decently-sized shooting area, especially since you will be handling a fragile product. Do your best to safety-proof your studio by taping down light cords and make sure to use a sturdy table or platform to elevate your product in accordance with your light source. Position your light source behind the product so that the brightest area of light shines directly through the glass and emphasizes the natural outer lines and curves of each piece. If you have trouble leveling the light and the product, try lowering your light or elevating your product with a block. You can use continuous lighting or strobe lighting—either way is fine because you will be utilizing a tripod.

Next, you need to diffuse, or soften, the light source with an umbrella and/or several layers of rolled paper or thin white fabric. Position the white paper or fabric between the product and the light and supplement that by placing white foam board under the product and to both sides.

The foam board will help to reflect light back onto the product and cause it to wrap around the subject softly. We suggest adding an additional piece of white paper or fabric on top of the setup in order to reflect light onto the subject from above as well. Think of this “box” lighting setup as trying to imitate soft window light—you want the light to wrap around your subject evenly without creating harsh “white spots” or distracting reflections.

For bolder outlines and colors, try using black foam boards to either side of your product. This will better saturate your colors and emphasize the edges of your glassware. In the image series below, you can see the differences between using no foam boards on the sides, using white boards, using black boards, and using black boards pulled in tightly next to the product. Most notably, you will notice that the outer black line of the vase gradually becomes more defined as foam boards are added, darkened, and moved in closer.

Finally, before you begin adjusting your camera settings and shooting photos, double check that your product has been cleaned with glass cleaner and is free of dust and smudges. This will help to make your post editing even faster!

Step 2: Setting Up Your Camera

Depending on what style of lighting you choose to implement in your lighting setup, adjust your white balance accordingly using your camera’s internal shooting menu. In this tutorial, we will be using strobe lighting, so we have set our camera’s white balance to the flash setting to compensate for the blue cast of the strobe’s bulb. When in doubt, use your automatic white balance setting.

You will be focusing on one of the outer parts of your glassware because your camera’s autofocusing system needs a defined object to focus on. Choose some element of your subject that is noticeable and will be easy for your camera to recognize. In our example, we have focused on the bottom edge of the vase since it is darker and more apparent.

We recommend shooting in Manual mode, which will allow you to have total control of how your camera interprets light and records your images. You will want to set your aperture to f/11 or greater (such as f/16) in order to capture as much detail as possible. Similarly, use the lowest ISO (such as ISO 100) setting possible to preserve the most detail and prevent unappealing grain that begins appearing in images captured at higher ISOs.

If you are using continuous light, you may choose to use your camera’s meter reading in the viewfinder to dictate your shutter speed. However, since it is important to overexpose, or “blow out,” backgrounds in backlit images in order to properly expose for your subject, you will probably need to adjust your shutter speed down one or two stops from what your camera’s light meter recommends.

Step 3: Post-Processing Your Images

Fortunately, the backlighting should blow out any imperfections on your glass product, which will greatly simplify your post-production workflow. However, if any spots or smudges are visible, clone them out. After that, work on desaturating and cleaning up your background to pure white. These simple quick touch ups will make your images look great.

Photographing Metal Objects

Metallic objects are the most difficult to photograph due to their high reflectiveness. With most, if not all, metal objects, you are able to see all of your surroundings on the object’s surface.

Step 1: Arranging Your Setup

Place your object on a sturdy surface, such as a table or a block, and position two large studio lights next to it, one on either side. Both lights should be diffused with umbrellas. You will then need to hang a white sheet of rolled paper behind the product so that it sweeps underneath the product and attaches to the bottom of your camera lens to block any fall off reflections coming from the foreground and to reflect more light back onto the subject.

No foam board is necessary for this setup, since you’ll be relying on two diffused lights to softly illuminate the product. Position your camera on its tripod so that you are shooting slightly down at the product, as with the side lighting setup.

We recommend using strobe lighting for metallic products because strobes allow for more lighting control, but continuous lighting would suffice. Whatever you decide, position your lighting above your product to either side, angle them down at the product, and set them to the same power. This, along with the diffusing umbrellas, will help to evenly fill the frame with light without creating ugly bright spots on your product.

Before you begin shooting, make sure to wipe away any fingerprints or smudges that you created on the product while positioning it in the shooting space. You can spot clean the product as you go, but if possible, wear gloves to eliminate this step.

Step 2: Setting Up Your Camera

By now, we have explained all of the necessary camera settings that you will need to achieve the highest quality images that your camera can deliver. Use a large aperture of f/11 or greater and a shutter speed that properly exposes your product according to the light meter in your camera’s viewfinder. Set ISO as low as possible, preferably ISO 100, and focus on the center of the product to ensure that you get everything in focus. Auto white balance usually works fine, but it is also worth it to consider manually adjusting white balance according to the “warmth” of bulb used by your light sources.

Step 3: Post-Processing Your Images

Similar to the section on camera settings, post production should be relatively straightforward. Use healing and cloning tools to eliminate smudges, fingerprints, dust, and other types of imperfections and damages to make your product look its best. Pay special attention to color accuracy and, above all, make certain that your background is clean and white.