Brands turn to comfort food flavors to create a sense of familiarity
Implications - Moving away from new and innovative flavoring, brands are turning to more familiar food tastes to create a sense of nostalgia. Referencing childhood delights like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, these products offer traditional treats in unexpected forms, combining the comfort of well-known flavors with a need to experiment with everyday cuisine.
Trend Themes
-
Nostalgia Marketing — Brands are using comfort food flavors and childhood favorites to create a sense of familiarity among consumers, thus boosting brand loyalty.
-
Creative Food Pairings — Soda-flavored soy milk and caramel cider popcorn are examples of creative food pairings that offer a unique taste profile, thus disrupting the traditional flavor combinations.
-
DIY Food Culture — Cereal cafes and homemade anime-inspired cookies reflect a growing trend of DIY food culture wherein consumers seek unique and innovative food experiences that they can create on their own.
Industry Implications
-
Food and Beverage Industry — The food and beverage industry can capitalize on nostalgia marketing and creative food pairings to offer unique products that cater to the growing consumer demand for familiar yet innovative tastes.
-
Diy/crafting Industry — The DIY/crafting industry can tap into the growing DIY food culture by offering unique food-inspired crafting supplies and ideas that consumers can use to create their own homemade treats.
-
Entertainment Industry — The entertainment industry can create tie-ins with nostalgic food products like Pokemon cookies to promote the latest movies or TV shows and appeal to fans' nostalgia.
