The Best Food Brands On Social Media - 2022 Edition
If there’s one thing that unites us all, sparks discussion and soothes tensions it’s food. In fact, our 2021 best food brands article was one of our most read! And this obsession with all things edible is reflected in the financials too. Revenue in the Food market will amount to US$9,070,722m in 2022 and it doesn’t look to be slowing down. The market is expected to grow annually by 5.29% between 2022-2026. Fueled by global lockdowns, ecommerce ordering and increased social media activity, the industry is looking tasty. In this article, the Moondust team is checking out the best food brands on social media in 2022. What did they get right and what should food brands be doing to market themselves?
Food & Beverage Trends on Social Media in 2022
We’ve safely navigated the era of baking banana bread online (circa 2020). We’ve also seen platform to customer services like DoorDash, UberEasts, Wolt, Bolt and others step up to deliver our favourite foods. So, what’s everyone talking about in 2022?
-The rise of the cooking robots. Yes really. An acceleration in the use of automated methods came from labour shortages, financial constraints and contactless dining measures. The “semi-automated” restaurant Sushiro in Tokyo has machines cook and mold rice and create sushi.
- Food ATMS are on the rise. For a long time we have had vending machines that serve crisps, chocolates and cartons of juice. In 2022 and beyond experts predict the rise of ATMs serving pizza, soups, salads and pasta. These are likely to emerge in schools, offices, train stations and hospitals.
- According to Exante, the top three talked about foods on social media are pizza, sushi and curry.
- Plant based ‘chicken’ is going mainstream. We’ve already seen Beyond Meat step into the mainstream “beefburger” market. But now we’re talking chicken sandwiches. Beyond Meat shares surged 4% after Yum! Brands Inc. confirmed that its KFC restaurants will start selling plant-based chicken in January 2022. McDonalds too is set to incorporate the plant based chicken into its menu.
-New habits have been formed in 2020-2021. Those being that more consumers prefer to order shopping online but cook at home. “Customers are enjoying the convenience, affordability and just plain fun that comes from preparing meals at home," said Stuart Aitken, Kroger's senior vice president, chief merchant and marketing officer. " The brand has expanded its range to cater to this emerging market.
-Meal kits are surging in popularity. A meal kit is essentially an easy way to prepare meals at home. It is delivered with the exact measurements of herbs, spices and ingredients and matching recipe cards. Retailers are partnering with recipe sites, meal kit brands are partnering with chefs and there are also meal kits for athletes or dieters. Brands like Home Chef, Feast Box, Yumble and Hello Fresh are just a few competing in this growing market.
Meal kit packages are highly customisable, tapping into the personalisation that consumers love so much.
-An America survey conducted in 2021 found 42% of U.S. adults reported undesired weight gain since covid-19, with an average gain of 29 pounds. This is reflected worldwide with many people starting 2022 aiming to lose weight. Additionally, the weight gain has impacted kids. “Kids have encountered many of the same factors that caused their parents to gain weight, including a lot of time sitting in front of screens, poor sleep, and high stress that can boost hunger and cravings for snacks and comfort foods.” said Stacy Ogbeide, PsyD, ABPP, a clinical health psychologist and board-certified specialist in obesity and weight management at the University of Texas Health Science Center. All things considered, there is an emphasis on kindness and wellness rightly being shown by brands. We’ve all been through a lot and fat shaming or guilt tripping would be a terrible marketing strategy. Instead, brands are focusing on establishing positive routines, offering healthy options and embracing overall wellness.
-Mushrooms are about to be On Trend! From oyster mushrooms faking it as scallops to meaty mushroom burgers, it’s all happening. Plus, mushroom snacks are entering the market. That’s things like mushroom jerky, mushroom chips, mushroom tea, and mushroom ramen. With more people camping outdoors and appreciating nature’s foods, there are plenty of videos to be found about mushroom picking and what you can and can’t eat!
So which food brands are killing it on social media this year? Here’s our top 3.
#1 BEYOND MEAT
Beyond Meat is a Los Angeles-based producer of plant-based meat substitutes founded in 2009 by Ethan Brown. The company offers plant-based options in the beef, pork and poultry categories. Traditionally known for its tasty burgers, Beyond Meat is now branching out into other mainstream food markets like chicken nuggets and chicken tenders. Starting February 2022, McDonalds will include a Beyond Meat McPlant burger on its menu. The patty is made from peas, rice and potatoes that mimic the taste and texture of beef. This is in addition to expansion into other fast food outlets like KFC, Denny’s and Burger King.
Beyond Meat took plant-based meat out of the natural food aisle and into the fast food mainstream. They are also winning over fans on social media with their engaging posts and celebrity partnerships.
What They Get Right
- Their website is awesome. This is the first step in great marketing and one that cannot be skipped if you want to build a solid brand. The site features great content like recipes, education, blogs, celebrities, fitness influencers and a very clear message about feeding our future.
- The site is searchable so users can easily find what they want including specific recipes and information.
-The right celebrity endorsements can go a long way for social media engagement. Beyond Meat has teamed up with celebs and fitness influencers including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jessica Chastain, Snoop Dogg, Chris Paul, Liza Koshy, Kyrie Irving, DeAndre Hopkins and Kevin Hart.
- Beyond Meat is great at teaming up with other brands to expand its appeal. Dunkin Donuts fans might not be vegan or even vegetarian. The same goes for Snoop Doggs fans. But a post featuring Snoop Dogg and Dunkin’ Donuts with a limited time offer snared a superb engagement rate.
- We’re big fans of meaningful charitable contributions. So this IG post by Snoop Dogg hits the mark.
- As an animal friendly brand, it’s not surprising that Beyond Meat likes to feature furballs on their social media channels. Cat + contest on Instagram is a surefire winner. We also like the timing with New Year’s Resolutions, Veganuary and the “New Year, New Me” vibe!
- On Pinterest, beyond Meat presents us with hundreds of delicious recipe cards, using their products of course! Food brands should not underestimate Pinterest which has a great following of fans looking to pin food ideas.
-On YouTube, the brand pops with fun videos from stars like 3x NBA All-Star and Los Angeles Laker DeAndre Jordan. On the channel DeAndre shares what foods go into his game day routine. He’s a great match for Beyond Meat as he’s super fit, well-loved and has been vegan for years. The videos are short, fun and dispel myths and superstitions about healthy eating. They are also not overly promotional and therefore more relatable.
- On Facebook, Beyond Meat is focused on their food trucks and upcoming events. Interestingly, the brand gets a lot of backlash from those who don’t like the idea of meat free products. But the team’s social media managers only answer actual questions about the brand or events. We think that’s the right approach. Social media users should be allowed to express their opinion (if they do it politely). There is no need to police that in your comments section.
#2 HELLO FRESH
We mentioned meal kits earlier and Hello Fresh is nailing the social media world of meal kits. HelloFresh, based in Berlin, Germany is the largest meal-kit provider in the United States, and has operations in Australia, Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, Sweden, and Western Europe. The fourth quarter of 2021 marks HelloFresh’s strongest quarter yet. Adjusted earnings before interest and taxes more than quadrupled in the final quarter of last year, reaching $209.4 million.
What They Get Right
- First off they got Antoni Porowski! Canadian television personality, chef, actor, model and author Antoni is the food and wine expert on the Netflix series Queer Eye. We’re fans of Antoni’s and he’s an excellent fit for the brand. His emphasis on authentic, healthy, easy recipes is a perfect match.
- Antoni is utilised on their social media channels including YouTube where he prepares meals using the meal kits. The short videos featuring Antoni cooking with his dog are on brand, fun and relatable.
- Hello Fresh places emphasis on sustainability as well as ease of use. This is right on trend for 2022 with more consumers, especially those in the millennial and Gen Z camps being concerned about waste. The site answers Q&As on sustainability and pulls this through to social media.
- The brand knows how to team up with other brands (even if it isn’t official!) By tying the meals in with upcoming movies and series, Hello Fresh nails the “at home” market. With short gifs on Twitter the channel gets good engagement.
- The Hello Fresh vibe on social media is fun, cheeky but very clean, healthy and easy. Showing clean, organised fridges, fun and bright kitchen scenes and healthy, happy people they are the brand that fits with our ideal lifestyle.
- Fun memes that are relatable but also serve a purpose, are the way forward. The brand is aligned with its target audience and their challenges, a key ingredient for great marketing.
- The brand’s focus is on Instagram and Twitter and it has very few Facebook posts. It’s totally fine to identify where your target audience hangs out and ramp up your efforts there instead. Spreading yourself across multiple social media platforms requires a lot of resources and commitment.
- We like the transparency in the “Meet our vendors” section. Today’s foodies want great food that has a story and traceability. By knowing where the food comes from (especially as its healthy and local), consumers build more trust with your brand. If you’re managing a restaurant or food brand, you can share posts about how your food was made, where it comes from and the people involved in supplying it.
#3 Brave Snacks
BRAVE was started in 2017 by Amber and Seb Fraser who are on a mission to make a change to UK snacking habits. They wanted to create nutritious food out of real ingredients, grown locally and sustainably. Their range of roasted peas and chickpeas snacks are hitting the spot for consumers and the brand is a winner on social media too. With bright colourful posts, positive content and a friendly vibe, we’re fans. Let’s dig in.
What they Get Right
- Simple graphics and messaging conveys the brands core USPs and how the product benefits the consumer. No waffle here.
- They put faces to their brand. If you’re passionate about your product and sincere in your offering, then why not put your name to it. Doing this has given Brave Snacks an authentic and friendly feel. The founders also do tons of interviews and PR which is great for branding and SEO.
- If you want health conscious consumers to choose your brand over traditional snacks like crisps, then you need to give them a reason to do it. Simple information laid out like this gives consumers the information they need to make informed decisions.
- How can you be blue with colours and contests like this? The brand taps into seasonal trends like #BlueMonday to cheer up IG fans. The contest caption clearly lays out what fans need to do and teaming up with other healthy brands makes the prize even better. Plus, the engagement is better too as they have snared fans from the other brands mentioned!
- Brave teams up with relevant influencers on their social media channels for endorsements and video posts. @liv_livin_life__ has nearly 35k followers, posts about healthy eating and is a great representative for the brand.
- On TikTok Brave Snacks is all about funny relatable memes and jokes. This is perfect for the target audience and shows off the playful side of the brand. The brand pumps out tons of TikToks all featuring funny scenarios, behind the scenes playtime and team antics. We’re here for it!
- We love these pop up marketing campaigns where real shoppers are asked to try the snacks. This is fun, playful and confident with a strong retro “food tasting” vibe. It’s also important to remind consumers where they can buy your products and what they look like on the shelves.
Notable Mentions
- We love Indian brand Paper Boat Drinks for their nostalgic and beautiful Instagram page.
- We enjoy the simplicity and beautiful photography of Holy Moly Dips. We also have website envy. It really is immaculate.
We also love Eaten Alive, the product of two chefs Glyn and Pat who bonded over shared passions of food, travel and fermentation. We like the cartoons, meaningful storytelling and we’d love to try those sauces too!
Did you enjoy reading Food Brands To Watch On Social Media – The 2022 edition? Who would you add? For tasty content and delicious social media marketing, contact the Moondust team today.