Operators will continue to drive home “fresh” and “handmade” as consumers increasingly jump on the “cleaner” food bandwagon, according to Mintel’s recent Dining Out: A 2012 Look Ahead report.

With the influences of the documentary “Food, Inc.” and public health advocates like Dr. Oz, Americans are swapping overly processed foods for foods with “clean labels” in grocery stores. Restaurant operators are also adjusting their communications to better align with this shift in consumers.

To convey “made-just-for-you,” restaurants are “adjusting their preparation techniques to demonstrate a slow, methodical process, which expands the fresh idea to include handmade and individually crafted comfort food,” as reported by Mintel.

Tex-Mex chain Taco Cabana discovered such success with their Brisket Taco that the popular LTO became a permanent fixture on the menu. The company hit on the slow, methodical process describing it as “seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic before smoking for several hours with hickory wood flavors and then crisped on a flat grill before being served.”

One word restaurants are attaching to their product names is the term “artisan”; however, it doesn’t seem to be resonating with consumers as much as you might think. Interestingly, Mintel asked respondents to rate their interest in a list of descriptions/preparations. “Artisan” drew in the least interest with only 28% of respondents finding it appealing while “fresh” garnered the most interest (among 89%), followed by “made from scratch.”

Consumers are too savvy for brands to be anything but authentic. When half of the menus in the repertoire of dining establishments include some version of artisan (consider Domino’s line of Artisan pizzas, Wendy’s Artisan Egg Sandwich, and Burger King’s BK Chef’s Choice burger on a new artisanal-style bun), consumers can quickly see the term as overplayed.

That doesn’t mean that restaurants should all shift their product names to “fresh” and “made from scratch” instead. The key is a combination of an appealing name and a demonstrably appetizing preparation process.

Amazing. Incredible. Wonderful. Marvelous.

These words sound like they should carry a lot of weight. You know what? They don’t. It’s true using big adjectives and verbose phrases to sell something is as old as advertising itself, but that doesn’t mean it works or gives your brand credibility.

Case in point, this morning I was reading an article about how to write great PR. It stated that unless you are writing advertising you should avoid hype, promotional language, and to respect your audience.

As a creative person working in advertising and design I have to say… Ouch.

In this day and age when every vague claim can be searched in a click of a mouse, why do we still lean so hard on language that will not ever sway our audience? When you read a menu at a restaurant or pick a bottle off the shelf at the store, have the words “Astounding!” or  “Spectacular!” ever made you want to buy anything?

You want to know what makes a consumer pick up a product or eat the next great hamburger? When we can see how it benefits us. And you sell it by being crystal clear about what makes it so great. Is it organic? Is it made of a better cut of meat? Is it imported from someplace known for great coffee? Great. Sell THAT as a reason for being terrific. Don’t just say it tastes better.

And do it in a meaningful way that fits your brand. You can be funny and still sell a benefit. You can be emotional and still make the consumer see what’s in it for them.

Chipotle Mexican Grill states on its site: “It’s not just a burrito. It’s a foil-wrapped, hand-crafted, local farm supporting, food culture changing cylinder of deliciousness.” Yeah it’s funny, but it’s also a clear point of difference. It tells you a short story about the product and what makes it stand out.

So often what we run into instead is the opposite approach. A bunch of busy words that mask a new product that isn’t an improvement, isn’t actually new, and isn’t going to interest the consumer.

It’s pretty simple math: good product + clear communication about why it’s great = success.

It’s true that it’s hard to create good product. It’s even harder to create good product that’s original. It’s much easier to cover up something old with a fancy coat of paint and move on. Too often marketing is expected to create “something out of nothing.” You cannot expect success when marketing drives product. Product must drive marketing. And it has to do it the right way.

Advertising is more than how amazing the product we are selling is. Am I saying all adjectives are evil? Not in themselves, but they can’t be the whole message. We may have to make tough calls on whether we think we can support claims or language that seems to reach too far or stretch the truth. We will need to say we haven’t given the customer a reason to care yet. We need to say something meaningful.

Photo credit: bayasaa