October 5 marked the launch of “Taste Mode,” the latest in-depth investigation into the future of food and drink from Pearlfisher Futures, the Pearlfisher agency’s insight and innovation studio. 2016 Taste Mode Futures (and its accompanying series of global launch events) presents the key cultural, category and consumer strategic insights and actions needed to inform the businesses who are creating the food and drink brands of the future.
Taste Mode 2016 presents key insight into:
Experiential branding: As we immerse ourselves in increasingly theatrical pleasure- seeking brand experiences, how are food and drink brands finding new ways to push the boundaries and take us to new heights of exploration, adventure and sensation which involve all of the senses?
Nutrition and the wellness agenda: As we increasingly reject food ‘processing’, how can the natural superpower of food help optimise our bodies and power our minds? Including insight into healthy hedonism, the clean living backlash, food pharma and the true points of connection to a healthier lifestyle for consumers.
Convenience accelerated: As snacking culture continues to escalate and our choice of food becomes more of an integral lifestyle choice, how should brands create a new generation of meal occasions and a better legacy for the culture of ‘fast’er food?
Alternative sources: As populations grow, demand threatens to outweigh resource and new and alternative food sources become a reality, how can brands move beyond the new breed of unappetising supplement type foods to introduce new products that will actually whet our appetites?
To launch the report, Pearlfisher Futures will host a series of exclusive events; “How to Create the Food and Drink Brands of the Future,” in each of the agency’s home cities (and foodie capitals): New York, London, Copenhagen and San Francisco. The events will combine essential insights, expert viewpoints, best-in-class examples, strategic implications for businesses and branded innovation concepts that illustrate how to make change real.
The global event series kicks off in New York on October 27th, with an impressive lineup of speakers, including Farryn Weiner, VP of Marketing and Brand Innovation at sweetgreen, the American restaurant chain revolutionising the concept of healthy fast food; Rob Laing, founder of Farm.One, an indoor farm that grows pesticide-free herbs, greens and other unusual produce year-round, right in the heart of Manhattan’s financial district; and Greg Hathaway, Creative Director at Maple, a food delivery concept that combines New York’s best chefs with high-quality ingredients and rotating daily menus.
Sophie Maxwell, Pearlfisher Futures Director, said: “The food and drink industry is at a crucial tipping point. Resources are scarce, consumers are confused and brands are under pressure; not only to put consumers’ health at the top of the agenda but to constantly innovate almost every part of their offering, from manufacture to product contents to delivery. Our series of global Taste Mode events will demonstrate how brands can turn challenge into solution by understanding key cultural, cate gory and consumer insights, including those of some of the experts and brand owners leading the change, and their critical importance in the creation of the food and drink brands of the future. Working closely with leading experts in the field that are already creating solutions to meet our future food challenges, including nutritionists, scientists and challenger and iconic brands, we have identified the key themes fuelling influential and inspirational change, to present a holistic and paradigm-shifting picture of its future. Our approach will help food and drink brands realise new product innovations and ultimately brand growth, by understanding how we maximise the power of these insights through future focused strategic application, ideation and new creative expressions. We are extremely excited by the change we see and look forward to sharing it live with those clients ready to create the future.”
Jessica Veltman, FoodCycle Manager, added: “It was fantastic to work with the Pearlfisher Futures team and feed into their Taste Mode study. Pearlfisher Futures really understands the ways in which culture can mould our perceptions and it is great that they see the importance of societal initiatives like Food Cycle and the part we play in forming important cultural shifts in the world of food.”
