PR is always changing, but there are a few things we keep seeing work particularly well in food and drink PR, that I wanted to talk about.
From founder-led storytelling to real-life experiences, here are three things we think are genuinely helping brands connect with people right now.
Personality-led brands are connecting
The brands getting attention at the moment tend to feel the most human. Maybe it’s the way we consume things now, maybe it’s how we connect with the world.
People want to know where products come from, who created them and the story behind them. Founders are becoming the face of brands more than ever, whether that’s through social media, press interviews, podcasts, events or simply showing more behind the scenes of the business.
I think Innocent Drinks were probably pioneers of this many moons ago, but now it feels like brands are going even deeper into building personality, community and belonging.
Community matters more than ever
The world can feel quite fast, noisy and disconnected at times. Maybe that’s why people seem to be craving familiarity and connection a bit more. They want to feel part of something and support brands they relate to.
We’re seeing audiences respond really well to businesses that show more personality and bring people into the journey, rather than trying to appear perfectly polished all the time.
A good example of this is TALA. Their founder-led content feels personal, recognisable and genuinely connected to the wider community around the brand, which is probably a big part of why people engage with it so much.
At its core, they’re selling athleisure, but what they’ve really created is a whole world for people to feel part of. Customer events, holidays, cafés, shopping experiences – it’s no longer just “buy this and you’ll feel good”. It’s more about belonging to something bigger and being part of a wider lifestyle and community.
They offer a real support network which I know I want to be part of.
The polished side of marketing still matters of course, but honesty, warmth, personality and inclusion are becoming the heart of the brands people connect with most.
Smaller brands are speaking louder
One of the most exciting things in food and drink PR right now is seeing smaller brands build huge visibility without enormous budgets behind them.
We love start-ups. A brilliant idea, passionate founders and helping bring a story to life without the backing some of the much bigger brands have always relied on.
A few years ago, it was much harder for challenger brands to compete with household names, especially on the retail floor. Now, a strong founder story, clever PR, good content and a loyal audience can take a brand a very long way.
There are also far more ways for brands to get products in front of people than there used to be. Building an ecommerce store is more accessible than ever, social commerce has completely changed product discovery and online marketplaces have opened up huge opportunities for smaller businesses.
We’ve also noticed a real shift in the media. It used to be much harder to secure coverage for brands that weren’t stocked in a major supermarket, as publications often wanted a big retailer link attached to a product. Now, if a brand has a strong website, good storytelling and an engaged audience, journalists seem far more open to covering smaller businesses in their own right.
Discovery is changing
Consumers also seem much more willing to shop around, discover products online and try brands they may never have come across in a supermarket aisle a few years ago. Whether people are looking for something more interesting, better value, more personal or simply something new, there feels like much more openness to challenger brands than there once was.
We’re also seeing retailers and supermarkets become more interested in brands that already have strong identities and engaged communities around them. Buyers are paying attention to what people are talking about online and which brands are building momentum naturally.
Some of the most exciting campaigns we’re seeing at the moment are coming from smaller businesses with clear personalities, fresh ideas and really loyal audiences.
Take RAISE for example. They’ve built a really recognisable brand by staying consistent in how they communicate, from their visuals and tone of voice through to the way they talk about the product itself. The branding feels clean and clear, but there’s still personality behind it too. You get a sense of the people behind the business, the founder story and the bigger mission, while the product itself still stays front and centre.
It also feels like audiences are becoming much more open to discovering brands in new ways too, whether that’s through TikTok, Instagram, podcasts, newsletters, events or recommendations from creators they trust.
Why experiential marketing still works in food and drink PR
Even with so much happening online, people still really value real-life experiences.
In food and drink especially, getting products into people’s hands still makes a huge difference. Tastings, festivals, pop-ups, sampling campaigns and events give people a chance to properly connect with a brand in a way digital alone often can’t.
The more digital everyday life becomes, the more people seem to value experiences that feel real, social and memorable. We’re definitely noticing people wanting to spend more of their time and money on things they can actually do, enjoy and share with other people, rather than simply buying more stuff.
That’s probably why experiential marketing continues to work so well in food and drink PR. Whether it’s a supper club, a festival stand, a pop-up shop or a creative sampling campaign, people remember how brands make them feel.
Events no longer end when people go home
Often the best experiential campaigns don’t stop at the event itself.
Brands are becoming much better at connecting those moments back into the wider brand journey too. Whether that’s through QR codes, sign-ups, exclusive discounts, creator content, social sharing or encouraging people to continue engaging with the brand afterwards online.
Experiences also tend to create some of the best content naturally. A good event doesn’t just exist for one day anymore. It lives on through social media, word of mouth, photo sharing and conversations afterwards.
We’ve seen this ourselves at food festivals and live events. The brands that often create the biggest reaction aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets, but the ones that give people something fun, unexpected or genuinely enjoyable to engage with.
JAZZ™ is a great example of this. Rather than simply advertising a product, they created an experience people actively wanted to be part of and share with others.
As people spend more time online than ever before, real-world connection and shared experiences seem to be becoming even more valuable.
PR never stops moving and that speed will only get faster but that’s probably why we still enjoy working in it so much.
But right now, the brands we’re seeing resonate most are the ones that feel human, confident in who they are and willing to connect with people in a more real and memorable way.
Contact us if you’d like to chat more. Hannah