In recent conversations with our agency’s clients, more food and beverage communicators are embracing artificial intelligence technology, specialized influencer marketing and increasingly sophisticated social media content to increase brand authenticity and improve the overall consumer experience.

Artificial Intelligence? Wine Not?

For many food and beverage artisans, the environment in which a product is grown or made is a vital part of the overall product experience. Quintessa is a renowned 280-acre wine estate in Rutherford, one of Napa Valley’s most distinctive properties, with five soil types, hills, valleys, a lake and a river. The diverse estate inspires the impressive wines for which it is known.

“At Quintessa, our strongest asset and differentiator is the world-class estate from which we source our wine,” said Leslie Sullivan, DWS, Napa Estates Director of Huneeus Vintners, who manages communications for Quintessa.

“For those consumers and trade who are able to visit the estate, we are able to build ambassadors; however, our reach is limited. As a result, we’ve begun to better utilize technology to connect with our consumers and trade. For instance, we’ve used video, drone footage, 360 video and virtual reality to allow our consumers and trade to engage with our property. While nothing compares to the full sensory experience of enjoying a glass of Quintessa at the estate, we are able to better express and share what Quintessa is all about.”

Photos courtesy of Quintessa Instagram

Community, Convenience, Quality

With a 68-year heritage and nearly 12,000 locations worldwide, Dunkin’ Donuts continues to evolve while keeping its focus on fast, friendly service and community involvement.

According to Public Relations Senior Manager, Justin Drake, Dunkin’ Donuts maintains its focus on fast, friendly service while delivering innovations that today’s consumer expects from sophisticated food brands:

“As Dunkin’ Donuts continues to grow and evolve, remaining authentic to the core of our brand is very important. Dunkin’ Donuts was founded as a brand offering high-quality coffee and baked goods to our guests, all served with fast, friendly service and at a great value, and we remain true to this mission to this day.”

“We’ve expanded our coffee and espresso menu in recent years to include options like Cold Brew, Rainforest Alliance Certified Dark Roast Coffee, and Macchiatos. These menu additions remain true to our 68-year heritage as a coffee company, while also staying on trend in terms of what customers are looking for today from a coffee brand. We’ve launched On-the-Go Mobile Ordering for DD Perks members through the Dunkin’ Donuts mobile app, where guests can place their order in advance and then speed past the line in-store to pick-up their order. This innovation remains true to our mission of offering fast service and unparalleled convenience to our guests.”

Photos courtesy of Dunkin’ Donuts Instagram

Community giving is a core value for Dunkin’ Donuts that empowers franchisees around the world to give back and strengthen their own communities:

Continued Drake, “At Dunkin’, we feel fortunate that our restaurants are part of the fabric of so many communities and neighborhoods around the globe, and our franchisees value the role they can play in strengthening their communities. Our franchisees donate millions of dollars annually to local non-profits. Additionally, our organization collectively supports our national foundation, The Joy in Childhood Foundation, which is dedicated to bringing joy to sick and hungry children.”

Consumers Seek, Expect Info Online

For family-owned poultry producer Foster Farms, a robust social media presence is required to address the questions and provide the reassurance that consumers actively seek.

“Increasingly consumers are asking more and more questions about where their food comes from and how it is made,” said Ira Brill, Foster Farms’ Director of Communications. “Our commitment to product quality is at the heart of authenticity, and Foster Farms is one of the west’s true authentic brands — having been founded in 1939 on the values of locally grown, and continuing as a family owned company today — has continuously evolved to include digital and social media tools to enhance our consumer engagement and contribute substantively to consumer conversation. From engaging influencer programs, to enticing recipes and social media content, Foster Farms aims to be a part of the discussion at every touchpoint.”

Photos courtesy of Foster Farms Instagram

Building Authenticity with Influencers

Social marketing strategists at Collectively understand how deeply consumer brands and consumers value authenticity.

“Influencer marketing works best when creators are empowered to make decisions about how best to present a brand story to their audiences,” said Natalie Silverstein, Collectively Vice President of Brand, Marketing and Culture.

“Creators are truly the experts in understanding what resonates with the people they’re in dialogue with every day. Authenticity shines through when an influencer actually believes in the product and has integrated it into their content in a way that feels almost effortless.”

Photos courtesy of Collectively Instagram

“For our food and beverage clients, we’re bringing opportunities to a wider set of creators beyond the more expected food and cooking influencers — lifestyle, health and wellness, parenting, photography, and more.”

Silverstein agrees authenticity is a higher priority now for food and beverage brands: “‘Authenticity’ has been the most-used buzzword of the industry for quite some time, and it continues to be a key goal for most brands. We believe this is a direct result of the broader cultural transformation around trust in institutions and other traditional gatekeepers of information.”

The post As Food Goes Global and High Tech, U.S. Brands Boost Authenticity appeared first on Fineman PR.

National Coffee Day has taken the country by storm with media from CNN to People Magazine reporting on the restaurants participating in the festivities. Celebrities like Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Banks and Trisha Yearwood have also joined the conversation.

Consumers across the country are also sharing in the excitement by engaging with coffee brands on social media, using the #NationalCoffeeDay hashtag and flocking to their local coffee shops to get a cup of their favorite roast. So far there have been over 300,000 Instagram posts and 178,000 tweets with the hashtag.

And if 66 cent coffee isn’t enough to get you celebrating, Dunkin’ Donuts also made an exciting announcement this morning: they have partnered with Coca-Cola to launch a line of Dunkin’ Donuts branded ready-to-drink coffee beverages in the United States in early 2017. Cheers to 66 years!

The post Giving Consumers a Reason to Celebrate appeared first on Fineman PR.

America’s all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods plans to expand in California with the opening of more than 300 restaurants over the next several years with a long-term statewide goal of 1,000 restaurants. Fineman PR will provide local market support for the opening of new restaurants and establishing a stronger Dunkin’ Donuts brand presence from Fresno north to the border with Oregon, including the San Francisco Bay Area. Dunkin’ Donuts opened its first Bay Area restaurant in Walnut Creek on June 22, 2016.

“We look forward to working with Dunkin’ Donuts as it expands into our backyard,” said Michael Fineman, agency president. “We see tremendous potential to build on Dunkin’ Donuts’ reputation as one of the world’s leading baked goods and coffee chains.”

“We’re delighted to be working with Fineman PR,” said Amy Atkins, field marketing manager for Dunkin’ Donuts. “We selected them out of a highly competitive field for their thorough familiarity both with the distinctive Northern California and Central Valley markets, and with the food and beverage industry.”

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About Fineman PR

Fineman PR is an award-winning, full service public relations agency specializing in Brand PR, multicultural communications, community relations and crisis communications. The agency works in a variety of industries that include food and beverage, consumer package goods, health care, construction and education. Fineman PR is a partner of IPREX, a global network of communication agencies. The agency reaches diverse audiences with its multicultural division, Mosaico, helping to facilitate ethnic community communications and culturally relevant events for general market clients. For more information, visit www.FinemanPR.com.

About Dunkin’ Donuts

Founded in 1950, Dunkin’ Donuts is America’s favorite all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin’ Donuts is a market leader in the hot regular/decaf/flavored coffee, iced coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories in the U.S. Dunkin’ Donuts has earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for 10 years running in the U.S. The company has more than 11,800 restaurants in 44 countries worldwide. Based in Canton, Mass., Dunkin’ Donuts is part of the Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN) family of companies. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.

The post Fineman PR Lands Dunkin’ Donuts for Northern and Central California appeared first on Fineman PR.