Classic Food Brands and The Digital Shift
It will never be too late to join the trend of having a taste of your favorite food items in classic food brands like Tropical Hut! You might have once enjoyed their Clubhouse Sandwich, Super Cheeseburger Classic, or their iconic spaghetti with a sweet nostalgic taste. Whatever meals you crave, may it be from a classic brand or a nearby restaurant, we are one in celebrating your simple joys!
But as marketing experts in the industry, the resurgence of trust in these food brands has something to say to other classic food brands. They need to realize the need to adapt to the restaurant operations and marketing trends beyond organic reach online.
While we are happy about the renewed trust of people in classic food brands like Tropical Hut, here are some points that classic food brands might want to consider.
Rebranding is something that you might need.
While the management of these brands might have intentionally maintained their usual marketing and operations practices so that people would have something to reminisce about, adapting to a fresher brand look and feel shall be necessary to keep up with the competition. It is not just about having a minimalist approach to their logo but is also about improving the brand DNA, positioning strategy, persona, identity system, and even the messaging. Starting to work on these will make it easier for these brands to command their presence, especially in the digital landscape.
Having a well-designed and user-friendly website
It is true that when experts say that having a website shows your prospective customers that you are a legitimate business entity. But beyond that, did you know that most purchase decisions start with an online search? Without a website, your market potential is low and sells only to a low fraction of your audience. If you run a small food brand, that might be fine in some cases. But if you are scaling up or just like these food brands, which are already in the hearts and minds of their target market, you strongly need to have a functional website where it will be convenient for people to order. Your target market might be only waiting for you to go large for their continued patronage.
Beyond just mere presence, consistency is the key on social media.
The presence of every brand on social media is a great start. It's either you ride the tide, or you become the trend people talk about on social. But every virality comes with consistency. Having a good organic reach is good but being consistent about it is something these brands need to work on to have that all-time demand and not just a one-time engagement. People might have now bit into the brand drama as a form of self-gratification due to the undeniable and rampant toxicity on social media but remember that people tend to forget easily. The appeal to the emotion of a brand is only temporary. Once the general feel of the market passes, brand patronage will go low again. That is why these classic food brands need to make it on social media and be consistent to keep up with the momentum.
Opening for new distribution channels and being ready for the wave of demand
Many online ordering platforms have emerged and are emerging nowadays. Gone were the days when we used to go directly to our favorite food joint to order, enjoy eating in their store with companions, and take out some items for pasalubong or later consumption. It is how brands communicate back then to their target audience thru nostalgic TV commercials. Food delivery platforms made it convenient for people to order and share meals wherever and whenever. Classic food brands need to explore these new distribution channels for a greater yield in revenue as they scale up.
But beyond just being there, waiting for people to order from your restaurant thru these mobile applications, classic food brands need to be ready for the potential increase of demand by monitoring the inventory and keeping it well-stocked. Whenever the market demand gets high, you are prepared to accommodate it and would minimize spill-overs. With well-planned marketing, digitally or traditionally, you can plot the potential market demand and plan for your inventory management well.
Having a transition team to handle your marketing
Truth be told: some classic food brands still have this underlying disbelief in the powers of being digitally present. They either maintain a small marketing team, or they do not have a marketing team at all. It might be because it is only a family business they do for passion, a venture that stemmed from a hobby, or simply because they want to stay as they were. But like humans, brands would always need to grow and develop. As more people learn to love these brands, there is a need to adapt, reach out, and respond to what the market demands. Having a transition team to help you redefine your marketing strategies, like Ingenio Creatives, is necessary to give your brand a jumpstart as it transforms into a better, stronger, and more promising one, ready to embrace however great the market demand might be.
While the old-school branding and marketing of these brands have proven that the market still recognizes their presence, scaling up and coping with the demand might be a tough battle and a slow process. At worst, these brands might continually be forgotten by the market if they fail to ride the new wave of practices in food business operations and marketing, which is why they need to be abreast with what's new and slowly transition to be better.
About the Writer | NEAL ESPEJO, MAEd, MBA
A distribution expert, academician, and entrepreneur. Neal has a vast experience in the corporate landscape and the academe. He has mastered distribution strategies in Central Luzon and anything under the marketing realm while inspiring students to become experts in the fields of accountancy, marketing and communications, and operations. Currently, he runs Kushi Xandra’s – a local power food brand in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, a professor at Ateneo de Manila University, a Spanish-speaking expert at Reed Elsevier, and the Corporate Treasurer and Vice President for Administration & Finance of Ingenio Creatives.