If you’re an F&B business owner, any sort of promotion or advertising that you put out there would and should be crafted with the aim of grabbing your customers' attention.
However, that’s just the first goal.
The second goal would be to entice them to the point where they can no longer resist the temptation and are lured into making the order for a bite of that mouth-watering meal they just saw in your ad.
In fact, for a food and beverage business, how you advertise is key in driving not just awareness about your brand. It is also an opportunity to put the spotlight squarely on your hero menu items.
Food advertisements achieve their end goal when they manage to make your customers salivate or better yet, fully recall the rich aroma and succulent, tender patty enclosed within that juicy burger you're selling with just a glimpse of your ad.
Admit it, there have been plenty of times when you’re simply browsing through social media and an Instagram food ad pops out of nowhere.
Almost instantaneously, your mind’s made up about ordering that dish for lunch, or, if you’re not familiar with that particular brand, you’d tap on it to get to know it better.
It’s an indisputable fact that Malaysians simply love their food and this only serves to amplify the true power and pull of a food ad.
Want to know how to create food ads that stay on your customer’s minds and taste buds long after the last bite is gone? Let's take a look at some top four most creative food ads that can get any stomach growling.
Photo courtesy of McDonald’s Malaysia
Here is a brand that understands its audience very well. McDonald's has never tried to be elaborate with their fast food ads, simply because that's just not who they are and not what their customers want them to be.
McDonald's may mince their meats, but they’re not one to mince their words. We've seen these ads so many times before. It's fast, it’s snappy and it puts the focus right where it needs to be -- on key products and price tags.
Despite them sticking to the same format over the years, we're definitely lovin' it because the effect is undeniable.
McDonald’s is aware of the effect its food ads have on our eyes, nose, taste buds and our minds, as we continuously associate them with fast meals at an affordable price. This is why the brand has kept its ads very straightforward.
Another great example of a perfect food ad execution is KFC, where all it takes is a clear yet dramatic and beautifully-shot image of a bucket of chicken and it’s enough to make tummies rumble.
Plus, it helps that they throw in some strong and purposeful copy to go with the image:
Photo courtesy of KFC Malaysia
Photo courtesy of Quaker Malaysia
Quaker is a brand that has over the years, built and positioned itself as the go-to brand for oatmeal -- among others.
No Quaker ad would be complete without a mention of the nutritional value and how it can complement your daily diet with its wholesomeness.
In moving with the times, Quaker has doubled down on its positioning as a trusted healthy food brand by highlighting its ingredients and how they are beneficial for the consumer's health, a wise move considering how Malaysians are now becoming more health-conscious.
This shift in creative graphic design depiction is smart because it keeps the product relevant without making it look unfamiliar.
Take a look at their recent Ramadan food ad, which uses the phrase “Boleh tahan” which can either mean “Not bad”, or “Can last” during the fasting season, and illustrates the nutritional value of oats -- clearly conveying the message that oats should be the go-to meal with which to start a fasting day.
Photo courtesy of Quaker Malaysia
Photo courtesy of Nando’s Malaysia
Nando's is known for its witty and locally-charged food ads, which are so tastefully crafted that they almost always evoke laughter from anyone who looks at them.
On top of that, they're quick to latch onto local happenings and trends then without missing a beat, masterfully tying them all back to its food, a brilliant move which has garnered the brand its own following.
If your brand is more localised and you want your food advertisements to convey a sense of community, there's definitely a leaf or two that you can pick up from Nando's.
However, what's evident across the many different gimmicks is that Nando's has kept it consistent in terms of the look and feel of its food ads.
Regardless of the mixed languages it uses in its copy, the key brand identity assets (such as images and styles) are always kept true to their roots:
Photo courtesy of Nando’s Malaysia
Photo courtesy of Nando’s Malaysia
Photo courtesy of Nando’s Malaysia
A food ad for O’Briens, designed by Brandripe.
Now, visualise your brand and product advertised in one of the ways mentioned above.
Depending on what you're selling, there are definitely unique ways for you to visually position them on your food ads, be it focusing on the nature of the food product (which can be fast food) or reinforcing a pre-existing perception of it by playing up key ingredients and nutritional values (for healthy food ads).
Flipping through magazine food ads for inspiration is one thing, but you’ll definitely need the eye for detail and the expertise in design to make your vision work for your brand.
Not a designer yourself? Not a problem. Brandripe can make it happen for you.
As a creative force of design experts whose passion is to support brands and businesses whether big or small through the power of visuals, our work spans diverse industries and target audiences, so we know what works and what doesn’t -- especially in the advertisement industry.
We take pride in being reliable, trusted and efficient partners to some of the most prominent local brands, including O'Briens, a cafe chain known for its healthy sandwiches and pastries.
Another food ad for O’Briens designed by Brandripe.
Being an established business, Brandripe helped the crowd-favourite cafe chain scale through multi-channel advertising by delivering targeted graphic design creatives that allowed activations without a hitch.
Working with Brandripe is a unique experience; you are not tied to complex contracts and hidden fees -- which you might come across if you engage a freelancer to help you with your brand activation needs.
Our subscription benefits include unlimited revision and requests and a guaranteed 24 to 48 hours turnaround time to keep up with the fast-paced world of F&B businesses and your hungry customers.
But this is just the tip of the iceberg and you can take your time to find out more about all the perks we have to offer you if you engage our services here.
What we truly want is for you to talk us through what you have in mind about the food ad you have been planning. It could be anything -- it could be food print ads for your new cloud kitchen offering healthy meals or perhaps even a total design revamp of the way you typically do your food ads.
We’d love to discuss how we can make your brand or restaurant stand out from an already-saturated industry, so let us walk you through our platform and show you how we do things at Brandripe.
Then it’s on to the more exciting things like what we can come up with together. Schedule a VIP Demo Call with us today and let’s get creative!
Otherwise, you can always drop us a line at hi@brandripe.com and someone from our team will get back to you as soon as possible. We read every single email, so rest assured that you will hear from us.
