To truly leverage effective branding and marketing, you need to know what drives your consumers to buy your product, and speak to that, both consciously and subconsciously. Why do people buy food? Why do people buy gourmet food? Why should someone buy your product? Here are the key reasons people buy gourmet food, the mindset of the gourmet food consumer and how you can effectively leverage these aspects in your branding.
1. Food is necessary to survival. It’s important to first consider this basic reason people buy food in general. Sure, consumers may not need your specific product for survival, but food itself is necessary to life. People are shopping at a store where your products are sold because they need to buy food. They’re already in buying mode, actively looking for products to buy. Make it easy for them to choose to buy your product through clear communication and packaging that entices and creates an emotional connection.
2. Gourmet food is a lifestyle. Food is necessary to survival, so why not make it enjoyable? The gourmet consumer seeks to maximize their enjoyment of food, and food is a big part of their lifestyle. Show consumers that your brand understands their needs and how your product enhances their lifestyle.
3. What you put into your body affects how you feel. The gourmet food consumer understands that food affects overall health. Gourmet consumers are looking for specific health benefits or foods that fit certain criteria, and your communication should convey that.
4. Gourmet food is high quality. Consumers know and expect gourmet food to meet high standards in terms of quality, ingredients and overall performance—and they are willing to pay a premium for this. Be sure that your branding and packaging conveys the quality and integrity of your products.
5. Gourmet food is all about taste. Your audience expects that they will get amazing flavor from gourmet products and your product’s appearance needs to visually reflect that. Trigger the tastebuds to generate the sale. The mouth actually salivates just upon thinking of certain foods, and sight triggers taste. The appearance of your product can actually trigger taste which further entices the sale. Not to mention consumers who shop while hungry—your product should be irresistible to them.
6. Gourmet food as a gift or for entertaining. People often buy gourmet food as gifts and/or for entertaining. Even if not formally entertaining, people often cook for others even if for their own family. So they might be asking, what can I buy that will please others? What products will help me look like a great cook? How will this product make my cooking easier and better? Once again, make it easy for them to buy your product by succinctly addressing these aspects on the package itself.
7. Gourmet food is an experience. It fits into a lifestyle, it fills a need, it tastes amazing—all this works together to create a full-circle experience. When you think about your product in this light, all the elements of your branding and communication need to come together seamlessly, strategically and effectively to achieve maximum impact.
This information was very helpful