Food advertisements play a significant role in shaping our dining decisions. For example, McDonald’s BTS Meal campaign —a social-first promotion supported by a TV commercial, app push notifications, and viral packaging —led to a 25% increase in U.S. same-store sales, proving just how powerful a well-executed food ad can be.
In this article, I’ll dive into the 10 best food ads and explore what makes them so effective. By examining these examples, I’ll show you how food advertising captures attention and influences consumer behavior.
Key Takeaways
- Food Ads Drive Traffic: Ads showcasing your signature dishes or unique offerings can boost restaurant foot traffic. Displaying branded ads on digital signage has been shown to increase foot traffic, with 70% of respondents rating its effectiveness as 7 or higher out of 10.
- Use High-Quality Images for Food Ads: 67% of consumers find product image quality “very important” in their purchase decision, valuing it more than product details (63%), long descriptions (54%), and reviews (53%). High-quality images also increase engagement with food ads. Invest in visuals that make your food irresistible.
- Include Strong CTAs: A clear, specific CTA can boost conversion rates by 161%. Make sure your ad clearly instructs customers on what to do next, whether it’s placing an order through an online ordering system or visiting your restaurant.
- Leverage Social Media: 60% of restaurants use social media as a key restaurant advertising tool, boosting brand visibility and digital presence. Tailor your ads to each platform’s audience.
- Use Seasonal Promotions: Highlight seasonal dishes or restaurant promotions in your ads. Limited-time offers can boost sales, create a sense of urgency, and attract more customers to your restaurant.
- Analyze Ad Performance: Track key restaurant metrics, such as conversion rates and ROI. Adding attribution to your restaurant marketing strategy can boost media efficiency by 20-30% and increase ROI.
- Build Trust with Consistency in Advertising: Regular, consistent advertising builds brand recognition and trust, making consumers more likely to visit your restaurant after seeing engaging ads, ultimately leading to increased customer loyalty.
What Are Food Ads?
Food ads are promotional materials created by restaurants and eateries to highlight menu items, attract customers, and boost sales across various marketing channels.
Below, I’ve highlighted examples of food advertisements, both online and offline.
- Print Ads: Traditional ads in newspapers, magazines, and brochures featuring food images, location, hours, and contact details.
- Outdoor Advertising: Billboards, banners, and posters in high-traffic areas that utilize appealing images to increase restaurant foot traffic and attract diners.
- Online Ads: Online restaurant advertising plays a key role in reaching potential customers. This includes social media ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, as well as display ads on websites and Google Ads for restaurants. Online ads can be highly targeted to reach specific demographics and locations.
- Email Ads: Restaurant email marketing engages customers with targeted promotions, offers, and newsletters featuring appetizing images and exclusive deals.
- Television Commercials: TV commercials offer a chance to showcase food and create visually memorable jingles or restaurant slogans. These ads can be particularly effective for larger restaurant chains.
- Radio Ads: Radio ads utilize audio storytelling to convey a restaurant’s ambiance, cuisine, and promotions, often complemented by music or sound effects.
- Social Media Marketing: Restaurant social media marketing involves sharing food photos, engaging with customers, running contests, and leveraging user-generated content and reviews.
Effective food ads should showcase visual appeal while highlighting the restaurant’s atmosphere, cuisine, and value. Their goal is to attract diners and drive visits.
What Are the Benefits of Digital Food Ads for Restaurants?
A great food advertisement can offer a range of benefits for restaurants, from attracting new customers to retaining loyal ones, and ultimately boosting restaurant revenue.
Below, I’ve listed some ways food advertising can help your business. They are as follows:
- Increased Visibility: Digital ads enable restaurants to reach a broader online audience, enhancing brand recognition and attracting more customers.
- Targeted Marketing: Digital ads can be tailored to specific demographics, locations, and interests, ensuring they reach people most likely to visit.
- Cost-Effective: Digital advertising provides flexible options that can fit within almost any restaurant marketing budget, and is often more affordable than traditional methods.
- Real-Time Analytics: Digital ads provide real-time data, enabling restaurants to track key restaurant KPIs such as clicks, conversions, and engagement, helping to optimize overall campaign performance.
- Increase in Online Orders: Digital ads boost sales by directing customers to the restaurant’s online ordering system, often featuring “Order Now” buttons for quick and easy ordering.
- Stronger Engagement: Digital food ads encourage interaction on social media, websites, and apps, resulting in increased followers and positive word-of-mouth.
- Seasonal Flexibility: Digital ads can be quickly adapted to promote a restaurant’s LTO (limited-time offer), seasonal items, or special events.
- Customer Loyalty: Great digital food advertisements can be used to share exclusive offers and rewards, helping retain loyal customers and encourage repeat visits.
10 Best Food Advertising Examples
Ads are everywhere, from TV and radio to social media and streaming services. But what makes a food ad really stand out? The best ads are the ones that make us hungry, crave the food they’re advertising, and even leave us wanting to visit the restaurant itself.
It’s no surprise that food, beverage, and restaurant companies in the United States spend nearly $14 billion annually on food advertisements; these ads have a significant impact on our cravings and purchasing decisions.
In this section, I’ll take a look at some of the best ads from restaurants. These ads are creative, funny, and effective, and they’re sure to make you hungry for some delicious food.
1. Burger King
One of Burger King’s most memorable ads is the 2017 “Moldy Whopper,” showing a Whopper decaying over 34 days to highlight the absence of artificial preservatives.
The ad ends with the tagline “The beauty of no artificial preservatives,” using a bold and visually striking approach to highlight the use of fresh ingredients.
Restaurants can learn a lot from the “Moldy Whopper” ad, including:
- Being transparent about the ingredients in your food
- Focusing on using fresh and natural ingredients whenever possible
- Using humor and creativity in your ads
- Targeting your ads to the right audience
2. Pizza Hut
One of Pizza Hut’s best ads is the 1990s “No One OutPizzas the Hut” campaign, featuring humorous TV spots of people failing to outdo Pizza Hut. The ads are effective because they tap into the global love of pizza with creativity and humor.
Restaurants can learn a lot from the “No One OutPizzas the Hut” campaign, including:
- Being confident in your product
- Use humor and creativity in your ads
- Use high-quality video and photography
- Going with a restaurant slogan
3. Taco Bell
One of Taco Bell’s best ads is the “Live Más” campaign from 2012. The campaign features a series of TV commercials that show people from all walks of life living their lives to the fullest. The ads are set to upbeat music and have a positive and empowering message.
The ads are so good because they are relatable and inspiring. They show viewers that they can live their lives to the fullest, no matter who they are or what they do. The ads also tap into the consumer’s desire to be happy and to have fun.
Here are some tips for restaurants that want to create effective ads similar to this one:
- Use eye-catching visuals
- Highlight your unique selling proposition (USP)
- Tell a story
4. McDonald’s
A food ad doesn’t necessarily need to be a physical ad, and large food companies like McDonald’s have this down. Great food advertisements can include a special offer, visual storytelling, high-quality photos, and of course, marketing strategies.
McDonald’s does this perfectly via their email campaigns. With email marketing, they’re in charge of the food ad design, thus creating engaging content that gets people talking and taking part in the offer. Here’s what restaurant owners can learn from McDonald’s:
- Restaurant marketing tools drive sales
- Limited-time offers or new dishes are great examples of what to promote
- Email marketing lets you design customized, creative ads your way
- Grow with the food industry by using advanced marketing tools
5. KFC
Almost everyone who enjoys fast food is familiar with KFC’s slogan “Finger Lickin’ Good”, but that’s just the tip of KFC’s branding. Food advertisers often take inspiration from KFC’s funny and sometimes outrageous food ad designs and marketing tactics.
But what makes them stand out from other food brands? Their ingenious way of combining humor with their ads. Their food advertisements typically portray one of many actors taking on the role of Colonel Sanders (the founder of KFC) in outrageous and over-the-top settings.
Here is what restaurant owners can learn from this form of advertising:
- Food advertisements need to be memorable
- Depending on the type of food business, creating humorous ads can be beneficial
- Getting creative with food advertisements can lead to more sales
- Food advertising on social media can get your offers seen by more clients
6. Panera Bread
Panera Bread is a great example of how combining food advertisements with restaurant loyalty software creates buzz and drives sales. Great digital food advertisements don’t necessarily have to be limited to a website or social media.
Panera Bread shares its latest offers directly on its loyalty app. This makes food advertisements unique because they’re right at the customers’ fingertips. That means no need to create expensive PR campaigns – instead, the target audience can take advantage of the offer right on their phones.
Why should restaurant owners take advantage of this?
- Loyalty programs can significantly increase sales
- They allow restaurant owners to reach their customers directly
- Food advertising is clear and attention-grabbing
- Customers enjoy the convenience of hearing from you directly
7. Wendy’s
Wendy’s ads on their website are known for being visually appealing, informative, and engaging. They often feature close-up shots of the food, which is presented in a way that makes it look delicious.
The ads also utilize bright colors and bold fonts to capture the viewer’s attention, often incorporating humor and pop culture references to make them more relatable.
Additionally, Wendy’s ads always have a clear call to action, such as “Visit our website to order now!” through their online ordering system.
Here are a few things restaurant owners can learn from Wendy’s ads:
- Focus on the food. Your ads should showcase your food in the best possible light. Use high-quality photos and videos to show off your delicious dishes.
- Use humor and pop culture references to connect with your restaurant’s target audience.
- Have a clear call to action. Your ads should always clearly indicate to your customers what you want them to do next: visit your website, download your restaurant mobile app, or order food online.
8. Domino’s Pizza
Domino’s Pizza has taken food advertising to the next level with its innovative, actionable audio ad campaign. By running ads on smart speakers, Domino’s allows customers to place orders using just their voice. This offers a new level of convenience, particularly during busy moments such as cooking or getting ready for work.
To enhance the experience, Domino’s partnered with Amazon and Google to create custom voice commands. Customers can simply say “Alexa, order a pizza from Domino’s” or “Ask Google to order a burger from us” and have their food on the way within seconds.
From this, restaurant owners can learn:
- To target the right audience by tailoring ads to your ideal customers’ interests and needs
- To highlight your unique selling point by showcasing what sets your restaurant apart, including signature dishes
- To test and measure by running different campaigns and tracking what works best
9. Chick-Fil-A
Unlike other brands and food manufacturers, Chick-fil-A has a unique form of food advertising, as seen above. They often resort to creating humorous banners and ads, encouraging customers to order chicken-based meals and not beef.
Chick-fil-A is a well-known brand, which allows it to focus on humorous ads rather than constantly promoting deals or menu items. Restaurant owners can take a few key lessons from this approach:
- Restaurant branding matters. Focus on building a strong, memorable brand that becomes a household name.
- Tell a story. Use creative ads to share what inspired your menu or the concept behind your restaurant.
- Highlight your unique selling point. Whether it’s your food, atmosphere, or something else, make it clear what sets your restaurant apart.
10. Starbucks
Starbucks is renowned for its seasonal ad campaigns. They’re one of the leading brands that spearheaded the pumpkin spice craze that so many brands began to follow. But what about their ads?
Starbucks advertises on almost every platform – social media, website, loyalty program app, billboards, and more. However, what they advertise are limited-time offers, most of which are seasonal, which draw in crowds of customers who have been anticipating the return of their favorite menu items.
Restaurant owners can definitely take a few pointers from Starbucks, including:
- Use limited-time offers to create urgency and encourage quick orders
- Promote your deals across all channels like your website, social media, ordering app, email, and SMS
- Getting colorful. Ensure your ad stands out with seasonal colors and creative designs to capture your clients’ interest in what you have to offer.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What are 5 examples of food marketing?
Food marketing encompasses a range of strategies employed to promote food products and restaurants to consumers. Common examples include:
- Branding: Creating a distinct identity through logos, creative food packaging, and messaging
- Sponsorships: Partnering with events or organizations to increase visibility
- Celebrity Endorsements: Using famous personalities to promote food items
- Sales Promotions and Contests: Offering limited-time deals, giveaways, or restaurant loyalty programs
- Social Media Marketing: Sharing content on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok
- Commercials: Advertising on TV, radio, YouTube, and streaming services
- Product Placement: Featuring food in movies, TV shows, or influencer content
How Much Do Restaurants Spend on Food Advertising?
Restaurants typically allocate between 3% and 6% of their total revenue to marketing and advertising. New or growing restaurants often need to invest more heavily in marketing, typically allocating around 5% to 10% of their projected revenue to build brand awareness and attract customers.
What Is the ROI of Food Advertising?
The ROI of food advertising varies by channel: email marketing delivers the highest return at $36–$42 for every $1 spent, while restaurant influencer marketing averages $5.20 to $6.50 per $1. Facebook and Google Ads typically yield $2 to $4 per $1, while traditional media, such as TV advertising, returns $4 to $5, and radio advertising delivers around $6 per $1 spent.
