Food & Drink PR

Trying to pin point a dissertation topic has proven harder than I initially thought it would be. There are several different sectors of PR that I find inspiring, so I’ve had to think hard about which sector I would be confident to conduct a comprehensive research study on.

Admittedly, when writing my undergraduate dissertation, I chose a subject that I felt would be easy; studying the representation of British Royal Women at the time of the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton. However, my interest in the topic was slight and, although I achieved a high grade, it meant that I couldn’t really enjoy the in-depth writing or research involved. I want to make sure that this time around, I select a subject that interests me so it will make writing the dissertation more gratifying, especially as it will be of a greater challenge at Masters level.

Food Design by Mark Northeast

One area of the PR industry that I am particularly interested in is the food and drink sector. I feel food especially is a tool that can be used in so many unique and creative ways to grab attention, provide talking points, and communicate a message effectively.

The variety of PR stunts and campaigns in this sector is vast and seems to have few limitations. Take, for example, the Giant Coffee Cup that greeted me outside of Canary Wharf tube station the other morning to promote coffee machine makers De’Longhi (and set a new world record), or Unity’s ‘PizzaPortrait of Political Britain. Both of which were extremely successful in communicating specific messages in a dynamic and unusual way. Another recent example can be seen with Heston Blumenthal’s 6 foot Christmas pudding to generate awareness of his new C4 television show.

With various campaigns promoting a healthier, fitter lifestyle (such as the government’s ‘Change for Life’) an interesting point of research could be to explore the tactics being used in PR to promote ‘better’ food choices, a topic inspired also by the work of foodscape photographer Carl Warner.

This 'foodscape' by Carl Warner aims to make healthy food fun

Comparisons between healthy and non-healthy food PR could be analysed to determine if one is typically more successful than the other. Is this down to the campaigns themselves or are audiences always going to prefer a bar of chocolate to a carrot?! It could also question the tactics used by companies to promote themselves as being beneficial to the consumer in other ways, such as Divine Chocolate’s ‘Choctober’. Are such campaigns using manipulative or propagandistic strategies in order to sell to an increasingly diet-conscious public, aiming to disguise their unhealthiness with a positive message?

A second issue of research could see an exploration of alcohol-based PR campaigns. This not only coincides with the idea of improving the nation’s health but also raises questions regarding whether glamorising alcohol with the use of lavish parties and celebrity endorsements is morally right in a time where the dangers of drinking are often highlighted in the media. Are celebrities with young teenage demographics promoting underage drinking? As the cheap sale of alcohol is continuously criticised, has this subsequently created restrictions for PR practitioners and campaigns? If so, what recommendations could be suggested for future campaigns? 

Concentrating on food and drink public relations then, my initial idea is to explore the tactics used by companies to promote themselves as beneficial to publics when the media is seemingly favouring healthier habits. In turn, this could provide the opportunity to study manipulation and persuasion theories, creating discussions regarding how and why audiences are targeted. This may lead to an exploration of how public opinions are ‘shaped’ by the media, and how certain campaigns may seek to change or adhere to stakeholder wants or needs.