You just can’t help but get hungry when you see particular food posted through Instagram. It happens all the time, whether it’s a friend showing you what they ate for lunch, or a new restaurant showing off one of its specialty dishes. Now, a new campaign titled #FoodPorn is generating a lot of views for various restaurants – and making people hungry in the process.
Applebee’s is just one of the many restaurants taking part in the campaign, using Fantographer to encourage diners to snap pictures of their meals, or of themselves eating said meals, and picking the best ones to post on its Instagram account, using the sub-label #FoodPorn. The campaign is turning out to be a success, as the restaurant chain has managed to gain 4,500 new followers. That’s a 32 percent increase, with 25 percent engagement.
“People continue to prove that they’re more into the stuff they create versus the stuff we create,” said Shannon Scott, executive director of marketing communications for Applebee’s.
770 images have been submitted thus far, with just under a tenth of them being used on the account. This will give Applebee’s plenty of fresh content to post to the account well into next summer.
Applebee’s isn’t the only company reveling in #FoodPorn success. Taco Bell has managed to reach out to 12.5 million 18-to-44 year olds over a four-week run with its Instagram ads, providing a 29-point incremental raise in the process. Chobani had a smaller yet still significant outreach, with 4 million 18-to-54 year olds interested in its Instagram campaign from mid-March to mid-April this year, with a 7-point incremental lift.
Though spending wasn’t revealed for the programs, they appear to be paying off when it comes to attracting hungry customers – and the trend isn’t dying down soon. McDonald’s Arabia is playing a huge part, even though it’s posting more about the chain’s iconic arched sign rather than actual food, and other restaurants could be playing a part soon as well.
In the meantime . . . we’re hungry.
