(picture from @tacobell on Twitter)

Branding comes in many forms. There is self branding which builds yourself as an individual. There is also corporate branding which represents the “parent company,” the higher ups. Lastly, there is product branding which are smaller brands within a corporate brand. Not every type of brand will be a success from the start but with the help from social media platforms, things will move in the right direction.

I recently read the article, Food and beverage brands that win at social media on O’Dwyers. This article provides short stories about companies experiences with social media. Gatorade, Chobani, and Taco Bell are all corporate food and beverage brands strategizing through social media to maintain their loyal and personable consumers.

Takeways:

Use Twitter:

Twitter is a form of news, an emotional outlet, and a sense of humor for some. The O’Dwyers article wrote, “about 80 percent of customer concerns and complaints are reported on that platform.” Gatorade uses Twitter every day with posting updates on their brand, funny pictures, and an outlet for customer feedback. Gatorade is known for their personal messages back to customer complaints rather than a robots response.

Be personable: 

Often times consumers shop at local stores rather than large chains due to lack of personable traits in big brands. Chobani, however goes against the stereotype of big brands. This yogurt company has been known to send personal gifts and messages to their customer base. A loyal customer of Chobani had gone through surgery and ate the product through her recovery. Chobani then sent the customer a “get well soon,” letter. In order to build a loyal customer base especially in the food industry, consumer attention is crucial. People love to feel special, so why not make it happen?

Make consumers laugh:

I was recently on twitter and an AD popped up for Taco Bell on my feed. Usually I scroll through without acknowledging ads but this one stood out to me. It was a meme of a taco with sunglasses on, that’s it. This sparked my interest in Taco Bell more than ever before. Simple yet humorous ideas catch readers attention more than an article would. Taco Bell has also been tweeting more than usual towards millennials. This brand responds to consumers tweets, making them have a smaller brand feel.