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MIKE GERAGHTY

The Power of Food Colour

November 2017

Table for Two: My Smartphone and Me

According to one of Mintel’s 2016 Global Food and Drink Trends, there is an emerging opportunity for brands to
innovate using visual appeal versus traditional flavor line extensions in response to a more visually-oriented society
that is spending more time on social media platforms. Today’s younger consumers are tech-savvy, active on social
media , and adventurous. Vibrant shades, artistic designs, and unexpected colour shades are showing up in
traditionally neutral-hued foods and cultivating strong emotional connections with consumers, encouraging them to
share their unique product experience across social channels with others. Technology enables consumers to engage
with brands in a different way than ever before.

The sharing of praiseworthy products on social sites creates an interactive experience beyond standard consumption
for consumers. The product becomes more than a piece of food but an expression, an art form, a must-tell story to
share and show others.

Frito Lay strategically and creatively took advantage of this concept with their Cheetos Museum, an online collection
featuring “treasured Cheetos, found and submitted by snackers like you” in acclaimed Cheeto shades and shapes,
such as a yellow cat, orange swan, red lobster, etc. Similarly, Taco Bell rewards customers for posting life events
through their “Live Mas” app. Interesting and colourful products not only crave one’s appetite, but feed consumers’
curiosity to create content and collaborate with others in online communities.
The photogenic food phenomenon has even been
coined, referred to by some as the “Eat and Tweet.” To
support these table tweets, there are several apps—
Burpple, FoodSpotting, EyeEm, Hipstamatic Foodie
SnapPak, and SnapDish—specifically dedicated to the
logging and sharing of food. Integrating social and food
to new heights, US restaurant chain Sonic created Square
Shakes this year—the world’s first ice cream drink
specifically designed to fit within Instagram’s square
image format. It will be interesting to see if packaged
food and drink manufacturers follow suit. There is a big
potential to engage consumers in an all new way by
creating colourful, “designed-to-be-documented”
products.

The Power of Colour

Not only does the colouring of food and drink products
inspire creative social posts and shares, but it also
strongly influences purchasing attitudes and behaviors
of consumers. According to a Sensient national survey,
63% of consumers would be more likely to purchase a
brand that replaced artificial colours with colours from
natural sources.

In addition, food colour connects consumers with values and specific attitudes; it has the power be empowering.

Let’s take a look at six examples across the globe:

1 Colour Connects the Consumer to Causes and Community 2 Colour Provides Consumer Health Benefits
3 Colour Promotes Seasons and Holidays 4 Colour Portrays Value and Lifestyle

5 Colour Reveals Flavor 6 Colour Indicates Quality

Photos credit: mintel.com

Creating Products for a Share-Centric Culture in the Age of Naturalness
The prominence of social sharing sites in our daily lives reinforces the hyper-focus of visual aesthetics. Today’s
consumers, especially younger generations, are longing for something shareworthy, and at the same time, they are
demanding more natural and simple ingredients in food and drink.

So how can manufacturers incorporate these two trends in food and beverage innovation?

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