F&B Public Relations Playbook
F&B Public Relations Mini Playbook
Objective: To build trust, enhance brand visibility, and foster loyalty, the F&B industry relies on strategic public relations to craft compelling narratives, drive media coverage, and strengthen customer relationships.
Why PR Matters in the F&B Industry
F&B businesses operate in a highly dynamic environment where trends shift rapidly, and customer expectations are high. Public relations plays a pivotal role in helping F&B brands stand out amongst competition, get customers to keep coming back.
These are reasons why F&B Brands choose to amplify their brand via public relations:
- Media & KOLs help promote F&B brands to bigger audiences
- These brand from the hype that the media and influencers create for their offering
- Media and influencers boost the digital presence of brands and help them become searchable
- F&B brands get to benefit from strong photos/visuals and be seen as a brand with visually exciting food options
F&B Key Statistics
Economic Contribution:
- The F&B industry contributed 5.67 billion SGD to Singapore’s GDP in 2023.
- There are over 14,000 F&B establishments operating as of 2022.
Importance of PR in F&B:
- Effective PR campaigns increase brand visibility and help differentiate businesses in a competitive market.
- Strategic media coverage and storytelling enhance customer trust and brand loyalty, which are critical for success.
Impact of PR Strategies:
- F&B brands leveraging PR experience higher customer engagement through targeted campaigns.
- PR campaigns foster media coverage, establishing a positive reputation and positioning businesses as industry leaders.
Key PR Strategies for the F&B Sector
1. Storytelling Through Media
- Pitch Unique Stories: Craft pitches that highlight the people behind your brand—such as chefs, founders, or farmers—to humanize your story.
- Leverage Media Relations: Build strong relationships with journalists and food bloggers to secure coverage in top-tier publications and local outlets.
2. Harnessing Digital PR
- Social Media Campaigns: Platforms like Instagram and TikTok are ideal for showcasing visually appealing dishes and engaging with foodies.
- Influencer Partnerships: Collaborate with food influencers to expand your reach authentically.
- Interactive Content: Use polls, Q&A sessions, and user-generated content to increase engagement.
3. Launching Strategic Events
- Organise food tastings, pop-ups, and seasonal launches to attract media and influencers. Ensure these events reflect your brand’s personality and values.
- Virtual events, such as live cooking demos, can also broaden your reach beyond physical boundaries.
4. Focusing on Sustainability
- Highlight eco-friendly practices, such as sustainable sourcing, reducing food waste, and innovative packaging solutions. Consumers appreciate brands that contribute positively to environmental causes.
Reputation Mastery Model
F&B brands are encouraged to take on a reputation mastery model as it helps F&B brands to achieve these outcomes:
- Customers will find the F&B offering more desirable
- F&B brands are building desire for customers to want to come to them instead of just pushing big discounts to lure customers in
- F&B brands are building a proper system and plan to continually delight your customers and bring in new customers
- Happy customers will refer other happy customers
Case Studies: PR in Action
Canadian 2-for-1 Pizza
A surge in brand visibility and value perception
The Mission
Tasked to revive the brand and reintroduce to a younger market. Canadian 2 For 1 Pizza needed to rework their messaging through PR
Services
- Media Drops
- Media Interviews
- Media Releases
- Media Pitching
- Radio Giveaways
The Outcome
We came in, worked on profiling the leader to tell the brand story and pushed out their various products – meat-free offerings etc. After a span of six months, CEO Mohamed
Abdullah, astutely observed a resurgence in the brand’s visibility, particularly during trade events. He shared that it seemed as though the brand’s presence had regained momentum, and people were once again becoming aware of Canadian 2 For 1 Pizza.
Big Fish Small Fish
More than 40 features across media and influencer platforms. “Grow Public Relations often put in more than expected and helped us in other aspects of our marketing activities,” said Tham Kok Yun, Co-founder, Big Fish Small Fish.
The Mission
The founders had built a popular restaurant chain when they started the business. Over time, as trends changed, the founders were finding ways to continually get local consumers excited about the brand. They wanted to profile the brand more in media. It was the company’s first time exploring PR.
Services
- Media Drops
- Media Invites
- Media Events
- Factsheets
- Media Releases
- Media Pitching
The Outcome
We shared about importance of coming up with new flavours that were trending to keep the brand fresh and excite young audiences. They experimented with different flavours and came up with rendang fish and crisps. We secured positive coverage for this by sending media a drop of rendang spices. We also advised them on a social media strategy as they were trying to leverage on a trending post online. We invited influencers for a tasting event at the restaurant.
Aroma Truffle – Building a ‘Cult’ Brand
40 features across media and influencer platforms over 6 months, 54% spike in sales.
The Mission
The F&B industry is incredibly saturated. Trends come and go super quickly. The Aroma Truffle team wanted to build a luxury truffle brand and their first product was going to be truffle chips. They had invested into digital marketing and were seeing positive results but they were hoping to do more. We were tasked with introducing the brand’s truffle chips to the public.
Services
- Media Drops
- Media Invites
- Media Events
- Factsheets
- Media Releases
- Media Pitching
The Outcome
We shared about the product via a press release, sent packages to media and influencers and got an overwhelming response. Consumers started to notice the brand. When the brand launched their first concept store, they had a positive crowd turnout as consumers saw that media and influencers were raving about the product online.
Trends Shaping F&B PR
- Hyper-Local Campaigns: Consumers are drawn to authentic, local experiences. Highlight partnerships with local suppliers and regional influences in your dishes.
- Data-Driven Strategies: Analytics tools are transforming how PR tracks campaign success, from media mentions to sentiment analysis.
- Experiential Marketing: Interactive and immersive dining experiences are increasingly gaining traction.
Partner with PR Experts
Navigating the F&B industry’s fast-paced environment requires expertise, creativity, and agility. At Grow Public Relations, we specialise in crafting compelling narratives and securing impactful media placements. Whether you’re launching a new menu, entering a new market, or managing a crisis, our team is here to help.
Let’s make your F&B brand the talk of the town. Contact us today to explore how PR can take your business to the next level.
Talk To Us!
Want to hop on a call to see how you can get multiple media outlets and influencers lining up to work with you to feature your brand?