SOCIAL INFLUENCERS O
Waning influence?
Social media influencers have changed the panorama in the world of restaurants. Helen Roxburgh explores how this generation of new media operators work and asks if there is a backlash coming
ver recent years, online influencers have shaken up the restaurant industry, with Instagram-friendly plates,
glamorous restaurants and quirky clips. For foodservice providers, an influencer can be a powerful marketing tool to bring publicity, build loyalty, and flag new dishes or promotions. “Te restaurant industry
has always been sensitive to the opinions of diners, foodies and opinion leaders – everyone who goes to a restaurant is susceptible to
formulating opinions and influencing other diners,” says Lola Montes,
deputy director at gastronomic marketing
firm Mateo&Co. “Te evolution has come hand in hand with the growth of social media platforms and the transformation of the idea of who can formulate opinions.” With the proliferation of social media,
she says, communication channels have been completely transformed. “Influencers are their own channel, they have created brands as powerful as or more powerful than traditional media in some cases, and this has placed them in a position to be, in themselves, communication channels.” Founder of the anonymous Lickyplate
Instagram account, Rob, says he became an influencer to pursue his passion for food. “I was already following several
food Instagrammers, taking their recommendations and going along to street food markets to try different dishes. After a year to 18 months of that I thought: ‘I’m already eating all these things, why not take some pictures and join the community to offer my insights back to others?’,” he says. Te anonymous account now has
111,000 followers and posts mouth- watering food pictures. Now that his brand is more known, many of his meals are direct invites from PR agencies or restaurants. “Although in order to remain relevant
and be a go-to food account, I do still head along to new openings out of my own pocket,” he says. “Even with the invites, there remains an element of picking the ones I really want to go to, because for every invite I accept there
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