Marketing to a generation of foodies means that even non-food brands are rolling out tasty food-centric campaigns, beyond the branded food truck.
According to a Ypulse monthly survey, 47% of 13-32-years-olds consider themselves foodies, and 89% say they are open to trying new foods. That means that they’re fueling food trends, and their foodie culture is beginning to be reflected back to them in other spaces as well. When brands are competing for the attention of group of food-obsessed palate-adventurers, it means that even those outside of the food industry are serving up some serious cuisine-focused marketing. Here are three recent examples, beyond the branded food truck:
1. Lululemon Beer
What’s young hot yoga brand to do when they want to attract more Millennial men as customers? Why brew up some beer of course! This month, Lululemon launched “Curiosity Lager,” made in collaboration with Stanley Park Brewing. The limited edition beer is flavored with lemon drop, and sold only in Canada. Stanley Park has suggested that the beer could be part of the brand’s ongoing strategy to appeal to men, and in July Lululemon Men tweeted a picture of the can with the message, “Beer, it’s the new yoga pant.”
2. DC Superhero Café
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a fancy burger and some latte art! DC Comics has built a “chainlet” of official DC Super Heroes Cafes in Asia to serve up superhero fans items like the Batburger (pictures above), the Aquaman-Batman surf-and-turf, and a Superman cappuccino with a cocoa-powder “S” emblazoned on the foam. There are already two cafes in existence, and third is set to open in Singapore next month.
3. Google Photo Foodtruck
Ok, we know we said beyond the foodtruck, but we promise there is a twist here! Google Photos’ foodtruck is touring New York and Los Angeles this summer, and exchanging food for photos. The truck challenge asks visitors to find a specific picture on their phone—say a beach shot—in 20 seconds in order to get free food. The stunt was conjured up to promote the app’s ability to organize files and locate the correct photo in mere seconds. Visitors were encouraged to use the app to make their search easier and increase their chances of winning free grub.
