Effective Food PR Campaigns For The Modern British Consumer

Developing a successful public relations scheme for any food product can depend on the country in which the campaign will be run. In recent years, food marketing, advertising, marketing, and public relations has gone through a sea change in the United Kingdom, largely in part to a rapidly changing appreciation of food culture in the country. This article will outline exactly how food appreciation in the UK is changing, and what this means for public relations in the food industry.

A New Respect for Food

Within the last 10 years or so, old styles and methods of preparing cuisine in the United Kingdom have been joined and expanded upon by new trends. Essentially, the general public in the United Kingdom has become bored of the tried and true traditions for food service. For instance, a new emphasis now exists in British cuisine and the dining experience on spontaneity and creativity; instead of a standard 3-course meal which contains common British staples such as fish and chips, restaurants are now serving meals that may have more courses, or provide an interesting twist on a usual delicacy. Many diners are seeking out these innovations rather than settling for the same meals that they are now so used to.

British cooking, which has traditionally been a smattering of other cultures’ food tendencies, has finally started to gain its own identity and personality. (For more information on this phenomenon, see this 2012 article about the food served at the London Olympics: http://www.channel4.com/news/olympic-feast-britain-shows-off-its-changing-food-culture.)

Locally Produced Goods

While the United Kingdom has begun to embrace its own type of cooking, it is also embracing other aspects of the cooking process as well. Most notably, a growing trend has occurred that puts an emphasis on the use of strictly British ingredients. In recent years, a variety of organizations have sprouted up, pleading with individuals and organizations to prevent the import of goods and foods that can also be found in the United Kingdom easily, such as tea and various spices. (An example of one of these organizations is shown here: http://www.campaignforrealfarming.org/food-culture/). Increasingly, Britain is becoming more proud of its food culture and the goods it is able to provide.

What Does This Mean for Food PR?

The growth of food appreciation in the United Kingdom means that how foods are advertised and marketed to the public must change in order to accommodate changes in the cognitive processes of British individuals. Should your company not keep up with modern trends in the public’s consciousness, then your product can appear stuffy or outdated. Being able to advertise that you source your goods locally is a great bonus for a product that would benefit from being British – a nomenclature that some goods may have shied away from before.

The Importance of a PR Team

As the needs and wants of the United Kingdom community become more diverse and change rapidly, it logically follows that it will become harder for businesses to keep up with these changes and run successful public relations campaigns on their own. A food production company should generally hire a professional food public relations company in order to handle its public affairs.

A professional company is an important tool for any company to have for a variety of reasons. First of all, having a professional PR organization allows management staff in the company to focus on more pivotal phases of business, such as production and the development of new products. It may not sound like a lot, but having this area of business diverted to an outside organization truly takes responsibility off upper management.

A professional food PR organization is also specialized in the type of work that they do, meaning that the strategies that they enact are much more likely to be successful. With a professional PR company, you know that you will be represented in a way that has been successful in the past for companies of similar structures and goals.

When selecting a PR company to represent you, make sure that they have previous experience handling food industry clients in a professional way, and can demonstrate past success. A good food PR company with a long track record is Wildcard (http://www.wildcard.co.uk/sectors/food-and-drink).

Overall PR Message

As the British food industry becomes more sophisticated, the message a PR campaign sends must be altered in order to accommodate new needs from the community. Instead of ease of preparation being the emphasis, many campaigns should shift focus to a message of environmental friendliness, or one that is challenging to traditions, or one that takes pride in British products and ingredients. A good campaign can include elements of all of these messages.

It is crucial to keep in mind how the mind of your demographic is changing as you make decisions on how to market your food products. When marketing your product, try to promote values of environmental consciousness and British pride. If you hire a professional organization as suggested, ensure that you pass on these values as important in your public relations campaign.

Recognizing that food appreciation in the United Kingdom has changed and is still changing can set up any PR campaign for success.

By Richard Glover. Richard is an independent business consultant and digital marketing specialist.

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