Today, evolving consumer habits and market realities yield a more complex, unpredictable landscape, but the fundamentals are the same. Audiences still value convenience and quality, and quick-serve and fast casual dining still make both possible. Only the technology has changed.
The rise of mobile—combined with a wealth of competitive dining options—gives consumers greater freedom of choice. In fact, the average diner now considers more than 4 restaurants before deciding where to eat.1 Empowered by the flexibility to research and make dining decisions on the go, today’s audience is less brand-loyal and more spontaneous than the customers that helped make fast food popular in the mid-20th century.
What do today’s diners crave?
To increase their chances of staying “top of menu,” restaurant marketers have to embrace new ideas that shift the foundations of how they do business. It’s time to adopt a new, mobile-first approach to marketing to keep up with consumers’ mobile-first approach to dining out.
MOBILE IS THE KEY INGREDIENT
Mobile devices put restaurant marketing, reviews, locations and word-of-mouth feedback right at customers’ fingertips. The dining experience is no longer confined to restaurant visits—the dining experience is 24/7, online and offline. It’s increasingly important to engage diners where they spend their time—on mobile and mobile video—in order to stay relevant.
GOOD MARKETING CAN CREATE THE “CRAVE”
Every diner’s journey starts with the same question: “What am I hungry for?” When food captures the attention of customers browsing for meal ideas, it stimulates their taste buds and can inspire them to try your restaurant.
This isn’t just a marketing claim—there’s science to back it. Research shows that when people view an image of food, it stimulates the same brain activity as if they were actually seeing that food on a plate in front of them. The more vivid and realistic an image appears, the more effective this natural response will be.
If you’ve ever caught your stomach grumbling after looking at one of the more than 196 million images tagged “#foodporn” on Instagram—now you know why.
INGREDIENTS FOR ALWAYS-ON SUCCESS
Build mobile-optimized video ads
– Communicate your message and brand in the first few seconds
– Design creative that works even with the sound off
– Use color and animation to create thumb-stopping content
– Take style inspiration from what your audience shares on social
– Optimize for mobile by using square and vertical images and videos
– Tailor your creative for platform and audience
Create the crave by capturing imperfection
Just like in life, food that looks “real”—e.g., not perfectly styled—is far preferable to consumers when they see digital ads. People eat with their eyes first—depicting a gooey, imperfect cheeseburger or scattered mountain of fries has the effect of making food look real and delicious. Think about ways to lean on modern ad formats such as carousel ads, vertical video and Stories to capture what makes a menu item so delicious.
Build for a spectrum of viewing habits
People’s video experiences lie on a spectrum: quick and bite-sized at one end, when they are in discovery mode throughout their day, and deliberate and longer when they have more time and attention at the other end. Tailor your video ads using different Facebook formats designed to match viewing habits. Think about longer-form content as a place to tell your brand story through in-stream or in-stream reserve. Lean on quicker, on-the-go sessions as opportunities to get your direct response messaging across through video, Stories, carousel format and more.
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