Marketing may seem like a modern concept but thousands of years ago it existed, if only in the cave paintings of our ancestors. Did you know that gladiators, rather like today’s footballers, were paid to wear a trader’s name and promote a business?
Marketing agency approaches today benefit from enhanced technology, reach and communication skills but at its heart food PR is the same as ever. Eat/Buy me! Is a message that carries well over the centuries. It’s the channels used to communicate with the consumer that have evolved. From early printing presses to the first radio and TV marketing agency managed food campaigns, to internet banners, content marketing online and artificial intelligence, the how of food PR and marketing agency practices are constantly changing, updating, shifting and refocusing.
Jellymetrics.com cites The Evolution of Marketing by D. Steven White as an accurate illustration of the evolution of this essential business area.
The common theory is that marketing has witnessed five evolutionary stages:
- Simple Trade Era (pre Industrial Revolution.)
- The Production Era (post Industrial Revolution to 1920’s.)
- Sales Era (the 1920’s, 1930’s and 1940’s.)
- Marketing Department Era (1920’s – 1960’s.)
- Marketing Company Era (the 1960’s –today.)
- Steven White identified two more:
- Relationship Marketing Era (1990’s – 2010’s.)
- Social/Mobile Marketing Era.
Communications must generate an emotional response in the consumer; building intrigue, interest and the need to learn more or act; previous food PR relied on paid messages via media which didn’t educate, interact or provide a compelling reason to move forward with the brand.
Whilst traditional channels like print media and TV have their place in consumers’ lives, an increasing amount of solution seeking and transactions are online. The struggling high street is an indication that the shop which has opening and closing times is losing favour when compared to the 24/7 global reach shop window, accessible from the comfort of a sofa.
Of course, thirty or forty years ago, there was no internet and so no SEO, today food PR and marketing initiatives factor in SEO as an essential component for success. It would be reckless not to.
Content marketing, website accessibility and appearance, blogs, news updates and two-way interaction are core digital channel tools. Influencers with online followings are highly effective.
Simply having a social media account and posting lightweight and infrequent messages is insufficient. Communications must represent value for money, enhance the relationship between the brand and consumer, help them to recommend the brand to family, friends and followers and maintain loyalty.
Monitoring consumer attitudes to a brand has become easier with technology. Opinions, complaints and questions can be viewed and responded to within seconds.
Today, most businesses wisely hire marketing agency specialists to manage campaigns across all viable channels to maximise reach, positivity and return on investment. Ceres PR is a leading food PR and marketing agency that learns about the brand and what makes it unique and creates a personalised campaign using the appropriate channels and trends.
Ensure that your food marketing is 2019 ready. Please speak to Ceres PR today.