NPR’s food blog The Salt recently reported on a pop-up restaurant in Washington, D.C., serving a menu devoted to insects. Sponsored by an exterminator and called the “Pestaurant,” the eatery features grasshoppers, crickets, mealworms, and ants. As it happens, we talked last year about whether eating bugs could be one of several new food trends,… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
I ’m no dog food thief, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find my name on a “Beware These Up-to-no-Goodniks” list shared among St. Louis pet stores. On my way home from work and on the weekends, I go to Petco and PetSmart and Walmart and Target and farm & feed stores and independent retailers… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Food companies confront no more sensitive topic today than the debates over genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Consumers are deeply concerned, asking questions like “What are GMOs doing to our food supply,” “Are they dangerous,” and, whether they are or not, “Should they be labeled?.” Many of us have strong opinions about these questions, and even… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
The secret to every successful food photo Like any art, mastering food photography requires time and hands-on doing. That hands-on part is multi-layered, skill built upon skill built upon skill. From restaurant dishes to protein ingredients to pet treats to gourmet ice, food styling is a complex art, and the skill underpinning any successful photograph… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
We Do Have Time for Faster Survey Results There’s a lot of waiting around in consumer research. Days go by waiting on folks to take your survey. It could take a week for focus group transcripts to arrive. You most likely have no time for that. The CEO definitely has no time for that. In… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Every consumer trend has a life cycle, and food trends are no exception. Many observers have recently proclaimed that cupcakes’ time is up. Is that true? And what does the answer mean for manufacturers and retailers of similar products? A combination of influential bakeries and a high-profile cameo in 2000 on Sex and the City… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
It’s no secret that launching a brand requires significant investment, from product development and manufacturing to brand development and promotion. And while both consumer and B2B brands can benefit from a healthy media mix, digital marketing endures as one of the most cost-efficient ways to reach the audiences who are best served by your product… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
We live and work in St. Louis, which means that we’re particularly fond of beer and baseball. We love October, and we can regularly be found after-hours gathered in a sports bar enjoying beverages and pub grub and rooting for the Cardinals. Game One of the 2013 World Series is Wednesday, and we’re already dreaming… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Who are the best food marketing agencies? Chances are, you’re reading this because you searched for “best food marketing agencies” or something similar. That would make perfect sense; though your need for a partner is specific, even unique, it’s much easier to start a search on a broad scale and narrow down as you go.… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
We’re pleased with the results of photographing our partner Blue Dog Bakery’s treats: our studio now smells amazing, we have human-grade treats to munch on if we get hungry, and the custom photography will help us better tell our client’s brand story. As much as—and often moreso than—any other element, a brand’s photographic assets communicate… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
We’ve all heard the news—PRINT ADVERTISING IS DEAD—and has been for a long time. Egon Spengler, media-astute Ghostbuster, even made the declaration on the big screen more than 30 years ago. We hate to pit the Ghostbusters against our B2B food and ingredient media partners—who are telling us that print advertising isn’t dead, that it… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Many market research projects begin with a simple request: “Can we get a number on that?” Though few of us have advanced degrees in math, marketers are used to dealing with a lot of numbers. We set numeric goals, evaluate sales figures, review market research data, and report on metrics. We’re not accountants, but we… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Last year, my (former) physician sent me from his office with a prescription for “eat more bran.” Bran didn’t help. Bran, it turns out, was one of the reasons I had to see the doctor in the first place. As I would learn through self-diagnosis a few weeks later, I have (and have had for… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Walking the floors of a trade show can be a quick reference for emerging trends, up-and-comers, repositioning of brands in the market, new product launches and innovation, as well as stagnating or declining markets. Trade show participation has long been part of informing our perspective on the industries we serve—food, beverage, pet, and supplement. Our… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Activity trackers have recently been making news with their data collection and aggregation capabilities—most notably, the heatmaps that fitness-tracking app Strava generated and published based on user data from around the world. While the conversation has largely been focused on tracking of military personnel and national security implications, the story has three key components that… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>