Ronn TorossianRonn Torossian

The food and beverage industry is huge, but there are some companies making a bigger mark for their brand than others on social media platforms. Here are five of them.

Gatorade

Many brands focus on Twitter because, across all social media, about 80 percent of customer concerns and complaints are reported on that platform. Gatorade goes strong on Twitter but they’re available for questions no matter what platform, and they also make sure to share fun and interesting posts that feature their brand, what’s happening in the company and more. They do this so well that on Instagram when they respond to customers, those same people will often tag their friends so they can see what Gatorade does. This has helped them increase brand affinity and public reach. Gatorade’s responses aren’t canned, by the way: they’re specific answers to the questions asked, and they’re also helpful when it comes to questions regarding ingredients, sponsors and discontinued products.

Chobani

When was the last time you got a gift in the mail from a company simply for making a comment — good or bad — about a brand or product? If you’ve never witnessed such an experience, try Chobani. They often send follow-up gifts simply because they like to delight their customers. One customer who survived on Chobani’s peach yogurt after oral surgery received a “get well” note. By using this strategy, Chobani can nurture positive relationships and build loyalty among its audience. When another customer proclaimed that she’s obsessed with the company’s coconut yogurt, Chobani asked her to DM them so they could send her something more to enjoy. That kind of consumer attention will earn companies a level of support you couldn’t achieve otherwise.

Dunkin’ Donuts

When Facebook live video streaming became an option, Dunkin’ Donuts was one of the first brands to take advantage of the feature. In mid-February 2016, they posted a video of how to make a cake from heart-shaped donuts and requested viewers to share their own love story for a chance to win $10,000. This generated 21,000 viewers in under 15 minutes. But Dunkin’ didn’t rest on its laurels there; the company followed it with live broadcasts for both National Donut Day and the following year’s Valentine’s day, and achieved five times the number of views as before.

Oscar Meyer

Bacon is a popular ingredient and solo items for many. But often people will just get whichever package from the store that’s reasonably priced and appears to provide the best value. Oscar Meyer kicked off its winning Say it with Bacon social media campaign to help people see their choice should always be the Original 16-ounce package of … you guessed it.

Hostess

You may remember that for the better part of a year, Hostess brand products weren’t on the market. In the consumer business, that could mean the death knell for a brand. Instead, Hostess took the time to reintroduce its products with its Prepare Your Cakeface comeback campaign, which encouraged consumers to share photos via social media of their faces as they eagerly awaited the return of Twinkies and other Hostess products.Only after the prep work did the relaunched Hostess brand bring their resurrected items back to grocery shelves.

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Ronn Torossian is CEO of 5WPR.