An Impact of Social Media as a Promotional Platform for Food Linked Products in the New Normal

The principal aim of the researchers was to know the impact of social media as a promotion platform for food-linked products in the new normal. The primary data gathering tools to be used in the study are a standardized questionnaire adapted. The collected data will be analyzed and treated statistically through the use of descriptive-correlation study. To achieve this aim, the researchers will gather data from people associated with the food business. A convenience and snowball sampling technique is used to reach out the targeted population. Factor analysis was used to identify the relation between the five factors namely social media impact, use of ingredients, learning new techniques, taste of the product and marketing of the product. Inter - relations impact on the factors were studied to reach the conclusion.

The modern age has brought upon various curiosities that have helped our society grow and prosper. Technology has made the whole lot reachable and appropriate for a lot of people. One of the benefits of technology is the increase of social-media and how it can benefit with the advertising of many products, in this case, food-linked ones. Social-media transforms the sensory experience of food into the realm of re-imagination wherein the customer experiences food in our imaginations. Social media prompts the customer to imagine the sensory experiences of foods with only images and stories. They are food voyeurs and love to see what others eat and cook and also like to share the foods they cook and eat in online mode (2012, 2012).

The phenomenon known as the “tweet and eat” has flooded social media networking with mouthwatering food photos. The popularity of social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, What’s up, Hashtags, etc., continues to skyrocket, and so does the concept that everything we do – everyone we meet, every party we attend, everything we eat ’ needs to be uploaded and shared with our Internet friends and fraternity. State of the art mobile technology has made it incredibly easy and convenient to document every moment of our lives (Kim Woo Gon, 2016). The impact of social technology on food consumption is increasing as more Indians are linked to social networking sites while eating or drinking at home or outside. Food photos which trigger a notion of deliciousness to your brain and you are lured to have it, is the present-day state of our society. The digitalization of society has influenced human behavior to a wide extent of choices one made in his daily life. According to a report in Findlay.in there are 376.1 million users of social media in 2020 in India which is forecasted to increase to 448 million by 2023. Taking photographs of food before eating is becoming a sort of standard operating procedure at restaurants across the country, especially by youngsters armed with smart phones eager to share their experiences – simply show off – on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Restaurants are promoting camera friendly dishes to attract customers by spreading awareness of their brand and menu items. Dining has reached the Instagram era, where only a camera is as vital as a fork and anyone with a great eye can take magazine-quality food images. People have always enjoyed eating, and photographers have long admired the unique features of food. The restaurant’s sales have been heavily influenced by online reviews of the food. People are becoming so inclined to social media and digital interfaces that for judging which food to eat they are relying on artificial intelligence as developed in Singapore by the name ‘Food AI’, which will calculate the dietary facts by reading the food images only (Sahoo Doyen, August 2019).

Internet and virtual communities have transformed consumers, societies, and corporations with widespread access to information, better social networking and enhanced communication abilities (Kucuk, 2007). Therefore, social networks are defined to be websites which link millions of users from all over the world with the same interests, views and hobbies. Blogs, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook are examples of social media that are popular among all levels of consumers. The unique aspects of social media and its immense popularity have revolutionized marketing practices such as advertising and promotion (Hanna, 2011). Social media has also influenced consumer behavior from information acquisition to post purchase behavior such as dissatisfaction statements or behaviors about a product or a company (Mangold, 2009). In the last few years can be noticed a great influence of the companies on online networks. Social media websites provide an opportunity for businesses to engage and interact with potential consumers, encourage an increased sense of intimacy with consumers, and build all important relationships with potential consumers (Bailey, 2021). Organizations need to differentiate by the company or brand image through which to communicate distinctive advantages and positioning of the product.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of were put into lockdown or quarantine, minimizing physical contact that led to many businesses to shut down or move to a different type of platform, like social media. In order to drive digital engagement, advertisers are willing integrating social media into their publicity programs. Growth in social media has gained the attention of numerous firms, which lead them to put further effort in promotion on social media platforms for the food linked products.

That means that consumers prefer social media promotion strategies or advertisements. The study recommends that

firms have to be more active and engaging towards their consumers, be more innovative yet informative when advertising the product but not repetitive, and listen to consumers’ feedback given through social media. Therefore, the idea of this research paper is to find out the consumers’ viewpoint on the impact of the uprising usage of social media trend of “tweet and eat” on the food set of choices (Lim, 2016).

This research will help the consumer to judge wisely about their choice of product and not only be lured by the attractive pictorial depiction and also help the marketer to promote their food products through social media in the new normal.