Why You Should Partner With an Agency That Understands Foodservice
“It can’t be that complicated, right? I mean, it’s just food.”
You’ll never hear that at an agency that specializes in foodservice.
In reality, foodservice is filled with problems that require experience and creativity to solve. To create effective strategies in this industry, you shouldn’t just partner with an agency that knows marketing—you need to find one that understands the nuances of foodservice and how that knowledge impacts getting your product sold.
Here are just a few of the hurdles that a dedicated agency can help you navigate:
Reaching multiple channels
Foodservice branches out into very specific channels that have their own needs. What a K-12 foodservice director cares about is very different from an independent pizzeria operator. The same is true for a restaurant chain vs. a catering company. Understanding and being empathetic about the pain points each operator is facing is critical for your campaigns to break through.
Distribution strategies
Understanding the push/pull of how a product gets into distribution and is pulled through at the operator level is critical to creating an effective strategy. Driving engagement with your sales team and brokers can make or break a product launch. If you’re not getting the product slotted, there’s no chance operators can order it. At the same time, driving demand at the operator level helps ensure your product is getting pulled through—and will stay slotted.
Influencing decision makers
In this industry, there are no impulse purchases. There’s a lot of weight behind a decision maker’s choice for a foodservice partner, and it’s often a lengthy process to get there. A good foodservice marketer knows this long-game very well and builds their relationships with key players accordingly.
Leveraging media partners
A good foodservice agency has long-standing relationships with multiple industry media partners. In addition to helping develop a solid media strategy, these partners can bring additional value through industry insights, targeted mailing lists and tradeshow sponsorship opportunities, to name just a few.
For 26 years, we’ve helped our clients navigate the unique world of foodservice marketing. Want to learn more about how we do it? Send us a question or give us a call at 612.353.3400.