Step 4: Customer Understanding: How Destinations Can Woo Food-Loving Travelers
Welcome to my new 10 step series about what destination marketing organizations need to do to develop a strategy to woo food- and beverage-loving travelers. This is an excerpt from our full report which you can download here.
One of the biggest mistakes we see destinations making is to market to “food lovers” or we also see “foodies”. First of all, forget the term “foodie” and never use it in marketing! We did a lot of research on this back in 2011–12. While some people find it charming, others, who may in fact be food lovers, find the term offensive or pretentious. And others may refuse to use the label “foodie” even though they are true food lovers. Refer to your prospective visitors as “food lovers” or “food and drink lovers” or “food-loving travelers” and you’ll be safe.
The next step is to realize that all food lovers are not created equal! Just because someone loves food does not mean they are the right customer for one business, or visitor for your destination. Look at people who visit Michelin star restaurants. Do you think they would enjoy eating at food trucks? And similarly, do you think food truck lovers are going to enjoy a Michelin star restaurant?
In 2010, our Association pioneered the concept of PsychoCulinary Profiling. This is a fancy term that explains how two people can have different likes and dislikes when it comes to making food purchase decisions. Think about a friend who loves the Thai restaurant down the street and you don’t. How do you explain it? You have different PsychoCulinary profiles.
You also need to understand the Customer Journey in order to meet your visitor’s expectations. This is a term used in market research to explain where customers (or visitors) are in the purchase process. In food tourism, the steps are show here in the graphic.
There is the Pre-Trip (or Pre-Purchase) phase when the visitor (customer) is doing research, getting ideas, finding inspiration, etc.
Then there is the On-Trip (or Purchase) phase when the visitor (customer) is experiencing the product or destination. They are taking in everything, analyzing the reality of their experience and comparing it to their expectations. Adjustments are being made as necessary to optimize the rest of the trip.
Then there is the Post-Trip (or Post-Purchase) phase when the visitor (customer) is sharing their overall experience with friends, family, colleagues, and their social (media) circle. They are influencing everyone they know with their opinions about their experience. They are reflecting, sharing photos and videos, adjusting their overall opinions, and writing reviews.
Knowing more about who your customers are and how they behave during different stages of the buying process will help you reach more of the right types of visitors/customers in the right way with the right messaging.
What else do you think could be done to drive commitment from the local area’s stakeholders? Write your comments below OR reach out to me via Twitter or email.
