Inspired by Social Media: Making food & beverage more fun as a shared experience

Increasingly, consumers want food and drink to fill our bellies and our emotional cups. Rather than approaching mealtimes as merely a mode of nutrition, we are making the food we eat and the way we consume almost part of our personalities. We even enjoy tapping into an actor’s or athlete’s favorite foods, recipes, or restaurants as a form of connection by “sharing” these common experiences.

TikTok and other social media platforms have capitalized on this trend, making the simple act of sharing everyday recommendations a way to elevate even non-famous people to a familiar and friend-like status. The ability to interact with posters and commenters creates a sense of community, validation, and trust that can lead to flavor exploration on a whole new level.

For example, unusual flavor pairings often spark interesting discussions, encouraging posters to share their own favorites – or failures! One current trend explores countless variations on shaken-jar cucumber salad, including lox bagel cucumber salad and peanut butter garlic cucumber salad. On the beverage side, Dirty Soda is a grownup take on combining every flavor in the fountain dispenser, challenging each other to find the most surprising-yet-sensational concoctions. Cereal milk latte anyone?

Understanding what’s hot and trending on social media lets you think outside the box to find inspiration in the unexpected and connection in the commonplace.

Transforming Holidays

Trends like these have also found footing in transforming traditional holidays into broader celebrations of connection. As the number of “Third Places” – social gathering spaces outside of home and work – continues to dwindle, these events hold even more significance.

Friendsgiving takes a holiday typically reserved for immediate family and puts the celebration of friendship on equal footing. Galentine’s Day highlights the importance of female friendships alongside the romantic relationships honored on Valentine’s Day. In each instance, friends come together motivated by theme dishes or creative cocktails as a backdrop for interaction and connection. For example, Friendsgiving might draw on the popularity of charcuterie by having each person bring a board representing a different course, from appetizers to main dishes to dessert. Turn traditional fare into turkey, mango, cashew, and craisin bruschetta over crostini. Have everyone bring a different topping to decorate cookies and crown a winner, perhaps even posting for a public vote.

These events often go beyond the immediate group gathered to incorporate posts and commentary by the Internet-at-large.

Creative Concepts from the Comfort of Your Couch

What’s the best way to research cultural trends from the comfort of your couch?

1. Use social media to gather information and to share stories of your brand values and development process.

• Understand your own corporate voice and identity to tap into the trends that fit you best. Authenticity is key!

• Consider how your product line gets consumed and shared. Then push the envelope to think about existing practices in new ways. Can you turn a typical restaurant item into an on-the-go favorite? Does it make sense to flip the script: give a basic ingredient a fancy presentation, or take a food that is associated with celebration and give permission to consume it simply? Think of the genius who encouraged moms to drink mimosas — making champagne acceptable at brunch!

• Go beyond food trends to tie into activities, experiences, events and characters to create a connection in people’s minds. For example, use a March Madness bracket to rate condiments or turn a typical school lunch into a back-to-school charcuterie box.

Sometimes it helps to talk through a nugget of an idea with an expert who can brainstorm with you and help turn a concept into a craze.

Contact us today to learn more about ways we can partner with you to bring your flavor ideas to fruition.