Michael Chadwick, Head of Strategy & Experience, Cheil UK:

“Food and beverage brands have embraced social platforms as a marketing channel for a long time, but we are now at a moment where changes in the social landscape may enable a much deeper impact – from being just another advertising channel to being a more fundamental driver of the business. 

Across almost every category, we’ve seen an explosion of ‘next-gen’ food businesses driven by a whole raft of new consumer needs and preferences,” he continues. “Purpose-driven brands, health-driven brands, functional-driven brands, all catering to changing eating and drinking habits, such as the growth in meat-free and low or no-alcohol audiences.” 

And the social medium tying this Babel of new, indie drinks and food brands together? TikTok. “This is where the power of a social discovery platform like TikTok really comes into its own. Food is ultimately all about experience, and while we think of TikTok as a social platform, it’s an experience platform. 

It’s about sharing experience – and that’s why its star is in the ascendancy as a search and discovery tool. While Google is a way of searching information, TikTok is a channel for discovering and exploring experiences. This lends itself incredibly well to food marketing.” 

Read the full article on Shots.