We’re Eating With Our Eyes
As I was simultaneously scrolling through Instagram and enjoying a vegemite and cheese toasty, I quickly felt as if I’d made a terrible decision. My beloved toasty was far from ‘grammable.’ No Instagram filter could be make two floppy, cheese-saturated pieces of bread look appealing.
My choice of lunch was grossly inferior to the delicious delicacies gracing my Instagram feed. Acai bowls topped with arrangements resembling a bouquet of fruit, oozing poached eggs and of course, smashed avocado. The mere sight of these visually appealing dishes urged me to ditch the toasty and seek out something much more exquisite.
The following day I didn’t pack lunch. Instead, I curbed my cravings and spent the last of my weekly wage on an overpriced acai bowl.
My experience got me thinking. If my Instagram feed hadn’t been saturated with visually appealing food, would I be $20 richer?
There are 1 billion monthly active Instagram users with half of those using the platform on a daily basis. Of the 1 billion, more than 600 million people (60%) seek out and discover new products. Additionally, 75% of users take action following exposure to a brand’s post.
These statistics prove I am not alone in pursuing products presented throughout my Instagram feed. Instagram is therefore imperative for business exposure and a paramount component of marketing plans. Within the context of this article, the focus will be businesses selling food products.
Creative director for London café bar chain Grind, Teddy Robinson, has spent a significant amount of time reinventing the company to be as ‘Instagramable’ as possible. He decided to replace every table with white marble because white marble is supposedly the perfect backdrop for food pics.
A YouGov investigation revealed, of the 2,324 participants, less than one third (28%) never take pictures of food. Teddy’s renovation is therefore genius as people want to digitally document meals and a visually attractive background is a paramount element in capturing a pic worthy of being showcased on Instagram.
Investigations exploring Instagram user behaviour reveals users find social interaction very rewarding and acts as motivation for self-satisfaction and recognition. A common motivation for joining the platform is the ability to follow friends and gain exposure to spots likeminded people are enjoying.
The connectivity of Instagram makes digital documentation of customer experiences highly advantageous for business owners. Content shared to Instagram is considered user generated content (UGC). UGC in a modern-day context is word of mouth. An uploaded photo of a delicious menu item paired with a positive caption is significantly valuable. Reposting content such as this commends the creator while also generating connection between consumer and producer.
Effective utilisation of Instagram provides brands visibility along with an abundance of opportunities to exhibit visual narratives. The telling of stories, through both text and visual components, the products become the focal point and marketing becomes narrative. In the context of cafes and restaurants, the visual aspect of dishes allows for a story to be told with the absence of text.
The popularity of sharing food images via social media has caught the attention of researchers and consequently instigated studies investigating this trend. A term emerging from these studies is visual hunger. Visual hunger is defined as neural, physiological, and behavioural response due to an unwarranted stimulation to food imagery. This then leads users exposed to appetising content craving pictured menu items and just like me, often leads them to take action.
Eyes have also been at the centre of eating patterns. You may have heard the infamous saying, your eyes are bigger than your stomach. Visual qualities are evidently a pinnacle aspect of food choices therefore highlighting the importance of food related businesses employing Instagram as a marketing element.
As you’ve been reading this article, have you developed visual hunger from the multiple delicious snaps sprinkled throughout? Trust me, you’re not alone.
