What are the images that come floating to your mind when you think of burger branding? Is it the Onion Burger at Sid’s Dinner made with flattened meat and golden brown onions, or the popular Steakhouse Burger at the Brindle Room made with 30-day-aged beef and white fat? Everybody loves a burger! But what do burger companies do to attract Americans? It is more than the flavors you experience! It is burger branding.
We will explore burger branding in detail in this article. Furthermore, we will look at a few reasons why branding is important for your small business in the bonus section. But first, let us look at some numbers.
According to a report published on IBISWorld, the current market size of the fast-food industry in the US is $317.5bn. The market size is expected to grow by 7.1% in 2022. The report further states that the fast-food sector has grown faster than any other industry in the past five years.
Image Credit: IBISWorld
According to another report by Grand View Research, the market size of global packaged burgers “was valued at USD 3.02 billion in 2029 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.0% from 2020 to 2027.”
Now that we have looked at these encouraging figures let us quickly look at what branding is followed by burger branding.
What is branding?
Various activities undertaken by a company to create a positive perception of a brand are referred to as branding. Successful branding includes combining vital elements such as logo, packaging, mission statement, and varied marketing strategies. Effective branding is extremely crucial because it allows the brand to separate itself from their competitors. In other words, if brand image is the perception of the brand that customers have in their minds, then branding is the process of creating those perceptions.
According to a survey by Zendesk published on Entrepreneur, 87% of consumers said consistent branding across all online and traditional platforms was important.
What is burger branding?
What images come to your mind when you think of Burger King or Shake Shack? You can see the melted cheese with fresh tomatoes, lettuce, and ham. Mouth-watering, isn’t it? That, my dear friends, is the power of burger branding!
Burger branding, or food branding in general, is associated with the emotions that a customer experiences when he looks at the packaging, or that yummy smell in the café, or communicating with the staff. Positive burger branding results in your customers getting a fixed appetite for your burgers.
The following are the results of positive burger branding:
- Separates you from your competitors
The idea behind burger branding is to show how the food you prepare is different from your competitors. The food industry is highly competitive, which is why you must strive to be unique when it comes to highlighting the specialty of your product.
- Connects with the customers at an emotional level
Humans are emotional beings and remember the feelings associated with your café, packaging and employee behavior. A customer may not remember the color of the packaging or the interior of the café, but they would surely remember how the burger tasted and how it felt inside the café.
- Helps with your marketing efforts
From various social media channels to banners and billboards, burger branding can create a positive image of your brand. Your company logo, packaging, and product are important aspects of your branding and should appear aligned with the company mission, vision, and the values.
What you need to consider for burger branding
Are you considering opening a café that specializes in burgers? Are you an established company pondering about rebranding? Here are a few tips to consider for burger branding. Let’s dive in.
Interesting read: Rebranding strategies: the ultimate guide.
Start by developing a concept
Like any other business your burgers need “burger branding.” The first step in burger branding is to develop a concept. The first step is vital because it will give you a clear idea about the following three categories:
Brand image
- Your company’s mission and values
- The brand personality: passionate, funny, reliable, etc
- The different types of products
The target audience
- The category of people who will buy your products: age, gender, family status, etc.
- What problems does your product solve: may be some type of flavor not easily available in the market?
- How do your customers react to various emotions?
Competition
- What is the market size and capacity?
- What are the various branding strategies and methods your competitors use?
- What sets you apart from your competitors?
- Why should the customers choose you over your competitors?
Create your brand identity
Once you have fully developed your concept, it is time to set it in motion by creating your corporate identity. The first impression is crucial, since it is what will drive the customers to your brand. Your target audience will process everything from the smells, the visuals, and sounds to create an impression of your brand. As far as your brand identity is concerned, you can begin with the visual elements of your brand.
Logo
The logo is the face of the company. It is what your customers remember you by. Not only does a logo highlight the key personalities of your brand, but it also helps unite all the products your brand produces. A good logo is simple, unique, and memorable. There are multiple platforms that help you make your own logo; however, you can always seek expert advice. Seeking expert advice will ensure that your logo is simple and relevant to the market your brand seeks to enter.
Colors
Colors play an extremely crucial role in branding. Colors are said to various emotions, which is why a chunk of good fast-food restaurants use the color red because it works up the appetite. Sellers of organic food use the color green because it is associated with nature.
Shapes
Just like colors, shapes play a vital role in communicating the character of a company. A square is associated with stability and can make your brand look reliable. You can choose a circle to project yourself as a friendly brand.
Typeface
Another visual element that plays a vital role in fostering brand recognition is fonts. The fonts, along with the logo, color, and shapes, create a holistic experience for the customers. Burger branding is all about conveying the taste and the flavors through visuals. The better you combine all the visual elements of the brand, the better will the customers connect with your burger joint.
Good read: 30 best free fonts available online.
Create a strategy
The third step is creating a strategy. This is the stage where you tell the world about your mouth-watering burgers. You can begin this stage by choosing the channel or platform where you could easily connect with your target audience. Once you connect with your target audience, you can find out what makes them hungry, what kind of food they like, what their eating habits are like, and so on and so forth.
Here are a few tips for burger branding.
The ingredients
People are growing more and more concerned about what they put inside their mouths. Gone are the days when a catchy jingle or a cool TV ad could attract customers to the café. You can use various social media platforms to share blogs and videos of the ingredients used. You can also write about the health benefits of the ingredients. Once the customers see the health benefits of the food you prepare, they will come flocking to your store or café.
Think about the packaging
Packaging is a crucial element in branding. The packaging is what finally attracts the customers when it sits on the shelf in a store. Sometimes it can become the final factor when a customer makes their purchasing decision. Here is a cool blog on packaging designs.
Related: Packaging design: unfolding the element in detail.
Design the interior
An important part of burger branding is designing the interior of the offline café or restaurant. The interior design will tell the customers how you treat the customers and how carefully you prepare the food. The interior includes the décor, employees’ uniforms, etc. The sound and the smell also add to the décor. When you give a holistic experience to the customers, they are more likely to come back to your café in the future.
Now that you know what you should consider for burger branding, let us quickly explore some examples of it.
Best burger branding
Americans love their burgers! It is not surprising that the unofficial national dish is found in every nook and corner of the country. Here is a list of top burger joints with their unique branding.
- One Night Stand at Slutty Vegan
The name “One Night Stand” may make you blush, but this is one crazy burger that is completely plant-based! Yes, you heard that right. The fresh buns with the goodness of veggies have a touch of naughtiness. From the website to their café, Slutty Vegan is all about plant-based bites.
- Jucy Lucy at Matt’s Bar
Minneapolis was home to pop star, Prince. The twin city also brags about having Mall of America and a burger named “Jucy Lucy.” While Matt’s Bar and 5-8 Club both claim to have invented the cheese-stuffed Jucy Lucy, Matt’s Bar is the one that serves the fiery version of the famous burger. Just like the name, the burger has juicy meat and “molten lava cheese.” As a marketer, there is a lot one can learn from this joint as far as burger branding is concerned.
- The Hot Mess at Boston Burger Company
Boston Burger Company is known for its innovation and creativity when it comes to preparing their mouth-watering cheeseburgers. The Hot Mess won the Battle of the Burgers competition on “The Rachael Ray Show,” where Boston Burger Company beat other well-known restaurants that specialize in making burgers. From its logo to the packaging, Boston Burger Company is different from its competitors when it comes to burger branding.
- Trailer Trash Zombie Burger at Zombie Burger
Zombie Burger is a scary name but do not be fooled by it. The joint serves cheeseburgers of mammoth proportions. From Undead Elvis to Trailer Trash Zombie, this burger joint has something for the whole family. Burger branding is all about attracting the people and building up an appetite and Zombie Burger never fails to do that.
Those were some examples of burger branding done the right way. Branding is a crucial step when it comes to establishing brand awareness. As a young entrepreneur or a small business owner, you should keep branding right on the top of your priority list. Talking of small businesses and branding: it is time to explore those in the bonus section.
Bonus: 5 reasons why strong branding is crucial for your small business
We spoke about how burger branding can work wonders for restaurants and cafes that specialize in preparing delicious burgers. I will now make five quick points about why branding, in general, is crucial for your small business.
Fosters brand recognition
When logos, fonts, symbols, color schemes, social media, and various marketing strategies work in sync, they make up for successful branding. Branding can take your business to new heights if done the right way.
Builds financial values
Businesses that trade on the stock exchange are mostly valued according to their hard assets. Branding has a major role to play in this since it adds value to the company.
Creates trust
Customers choose products from a brand that appear legitimate and reliable. Branding is a sure-fire way of building trust. Any brand that wishes to become successful must find ways to build trust among its customers.
Attracts new customers
As a brand owner, you are always on the lookout for new customers and turn them into loyal ones. Branding fosters word-of-mouth referral. In other words, good branding attracts customers, and they in turn, tell others about how awesome you are.
Inspires employees
While it is important to attract customers, you should never forget to inspire and keep your employees motivated. When employees align themselves with the mission and vision of the company, they have much more to achieve than just completing the work. Successful branding inspires and motivates employees.
The bottom line
Burger branding is not an alien term. Like branding in general, every business, every product, needs branding. Burger branding is more than just creating cool logos and designing the interiors: it is also about replicating the flavors through visuals and emotions.
Business Development Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the Media and Digital marketing sector, Passionate about innovation and bringing the future into new business solutions.
