Abstract
This chapter delves into digital influencers' influential role in reshaping restaurant industry communication, dissecting their evolution, categorizing types, and their pivotal role in gastronomic communication. Exploring strategies for optimizing influencer collaborations, scrutinizing trends, and spotlighting key platforms, it equips readers with a comprehensive understanding. Furthermore, it investigates influencers' profound impact on consumer behavior, serving as a practical guide with data-driven insights and examples. In today's digital age, this chapter underscores influencer collaborations' indispensable nature in the restaurant sector, emphasizing their potential for business success. Understanding and harnessing influencer power remains crucial for industry stakeholders as the culinary world evolves.
TopObjectives And Methodology
Objectives
Analyze the role of digital influencers in the restaurant sector. This involves examining how digital influencers affect culinary consumer behavior, the marketing strategies that restaurants employ in collaboration with influencers, and the influence of influencers on restaurant promotion.
Understand how these collaborations affect the restaurant industry and provide recommendations for effective food influencer marketing, all collected in what is known as a best practices manual that will be useful both for future research and for companies in the sector. of the restaurants.
Methodology
The methodology used in this research is based on an exhaustive study of the existing literature on the topic to further conceptualize the topic, identify previous trends and patterns, and establish a solid theoretical framework for the study.
After this review, a good practices manual is proposed that allows hospitality businesses to make more optimal decisions when hiring and implementing a digital influencer.
Background
Evolution of the Phenomenon of Digital Influencers
The phenomenon of digital influencers has undergone a significant evolution over the years, from humble beginnings to becoming a dominant force in digital marketing. First of all, we must understand that the concept of digital influencer refers to people or profiles that have gained a large number of followers on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube or TikTok, due to the content generated that is usually based on experiences, lifestyle or particular skills (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010). At first, the phenomenon of digital influencers focused on sectors such as fashion and beauty, but as time has progressed, it has spread to all sectors, including gastronomy.
In order to understand this phenomenon we are going to analyze the evolution of these from the origin to the present time.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Augmented Reality (AR): Augmented Reality is a technology that overlays computer-generated content, such as images, videos, or information, onto the real-world environment. AR enhances the user's perception of reality by providing digital information and interactions within the physical world.
Virtual Reality (VR): Virtual Reality is a technology that creates immersive, computer-generated environments or simulations, typically experienced through a head-mounted display or VR headset. It aims to replicate a real or imaginary environment, allowing users to interact with and navigate within the virtual world.
Foodie: A 'foodie' is a person who has a strong interest and passion for food and gastronomy. Foodies are individuals who enjoy exploring and experimenting with a wide variety of dishes, ingredients, and types of cuisine. They are often food enthusiasts, culinary hobbyists, food critics, or simply people who are passionate about trying new foods and restaurants. The term 'foodie' has become popular to describe those who consider food an important part of their life and relish discovering flavors and culinary experiences.
Return on Investment (ROI): (ROI is a measure used to evaluate the profitability or effectiveness of an investment. It calculates the gain or loss generated relative to the cost of the investment and is typically expressed as a percentage.
Cobranding: Cobranding refers to a marketing strategy where two or more brands collaborate or combine their identities to promote a product or service, often to leverage each other's reputation and customer base.