At the top of ThisIsWhyYoureFat.com, it says, “Submit your deliciously gross food here.†What follows is a collection of awesomely-fattening, over-the-top, custom food items. The site is a prime example of our love affair with extreme foods.
The trend here isn't the food itself. We've been eating like crap for a long time. No, the trend is our interest in it--our inability to not read a story about the next big hamburger.
Implications - Consumers are fascinated with high-calorie foods because they of their decadence. Consumers enjoy products that are symbolically the pinnacle of time, money, and effort. Corporations looking to attract consumers to their wares may consider making products using expensive textiles or imbuing them with a sense of extravagance.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Interest in Extreme Foods
- Consumers' fascination with high-calorie, extreme foods presents opportunities for corporations to create products that embody a sense of extravagance and indulgence.
- Love for Custom and Over-the-top Food
- Consumers' love affair with custom, over-the-top food items presents opportunities for corporations to offer highly personalized, indulgent products that cater to unique tastes and preferences.
- Growth of Food-related Content and Communities
- The growth of food-related content and communities, such as ThisIsWhyYoureFat.com, presents opportunities for corporations to engage with consumers through social media and to create tailored marketing campaigns that tap into consumer interests and preferences.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Fast Food and Casual Dining
- Fast food and casual dining restaurants can capitalize on consumers' interest in extreme foods by offering highly indulgent menu items, such as oversized burgers and milkshakes, that cater to consumers' desire for extravagance and indulgence.
- Food and Beverage Manufacturing
- Food and beverage manufacturers can create new, innovative products, such as custom-flavored potato chips or novelty ice cream flavors, that tap into consumers' love for personalized, over-the-top food items.
- Social Media and Marketing
- Social media and marketing companies can create tailored campaigns that leverage consumers' interest in food-related content and communities, and help corporations build brand awareness and engagement with their target audiences.
