Writing For Food Industry

There are over 500+ brands competing in India's healthy food market across quick commerce, online marketplaces & offline. Having engaged with over 80+ brands and investing in 10, there are some patterns & hard truths about scaling in this crowded space. This is a breakdown on marketing and distribution in healthy foods for founders & marketers. First, here’s what you need to know about Indian consumers. - Indians buy food based on trust, not just marketing – If a celebrity promotes it but their neighbour or friend doesn’t recommend it, they won’t buy it. Word of mouth is king. - There is low willingness to pay premium, but high spend on indulgence. People will hesitate on a ₹200 protein bar but will happily buy a ₹500 artisanal mithai box. You need to frame health as indulgence, not sacrifice. -They snack, they don’t diet. Instead of selling "healthy diets", sell better snacking alternatives. That’s why makhanas, chikkis, and seed mixes work. - Unlike the west, 70% of discretionary food spend happens during festivals. Brands that nails Diwali, Rakhi, Ramzan and weddings will win. -Instead of mimicking the US health food market, make Indian-first products. Local trumps global. India is not one country, it’s 20 mini-countries. What works in North won’t work in South. Regional customization is key. - Indians love flavor and indulgence. If your product doesn’t taste good first, it won’t sell. Aim to be a weekly purchase, not a one-time trend. Marketing Don'ts - Don't sell fear, guilt or magic. Most health marketers are doing exactly this. Fear of missing out on fitness. Guilt of not eating right. Magic solutions promising six-pack abs in six weeks, “clinically tested” shortcuts . Health marketing shouldn’t be a psychological warfare. -Don't hijack medical language. Just because you put "backed by science" or "doctor-approved" in your ad ,doesn’t make it true. Most people don’t know what a randomized controlled trial is, but that doesn’t mean you should exploit their ignorance. Don’t throw a lab coat on a model, add "Doctor recommended," and hope no one asks which doctor. -Don't create fake urgency – "Only 3 packs left of our exclusive superfood". Healthy eating isn’t a flash sale; trust and quality build long-term customers, not gimmicks. Marketing Do’s - The best health brands don’t sell a product, they sell a perspective. Tell the truth, but make it interesting. If your product actually works, people will come back. No need to bait them with fake promises. Play the long game. -The best marketing in health is knowledge. Teach people something useful, and they’ll trust you. Educate, don’t manipulate. - Be honest, be helpful, and respect your customer’s intelligence. Anything else is just snake oil in new packaging. If your health product needs tricks to sell, it’s probably not worth buying. More notes on distribution and growth shared in the comments section. Hope this is useful to founders , marketers and their brands.

Most people look at Deepinder Goyal and see numbers. ₹13,360 Cr net worth. ₹2.3 trillion market cap. Zomato everywhere. But the real story is not wealth. It is brand architecture built over 15+ years. Let’s decode what actually made this work 1. One clear identity, relentlessly reinforced From Foodiebay to Zomato, the brand never tried to be everything. It owned one word in the consumer’s mind: food discovery → food delivery → food ecosystem. That consistency compounds trust. 2. Founder as a signal, not a celebrity Deepinder did not build personal branding for applause. He built it to reduce trust friction with: • investors • employees • regulators • the public When the founder is credible, the company scales faster. 3. Capital follows clarity Zomato’s IPO, acquisitions, and ecosystem bets were possible because the brand story was already clear. Markets reward clarity more than hype. 4. Philanthropy aligned with brand values ₹700 Cr pledged to delivery partners’ children is not charity marketing. It reinforces the brand’s internal promise: “People matter.” 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬: ▪️Your brand is not your logo. ▪️Your brand is what people expect from you — and are rarely disappointed by. #DeepinderGoyal didn’t build a unicorn. He built belief at scale. 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 If someone searches on Google or ChatGPT you or your company today, is there a clear story… or just scattered noise? #Branding #FounderBrand #Zomato #Leadership #BusinessStrategy #TrustEconomy #SidArora

𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟴: 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 - 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱'𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱! Hey marketing amigos! We've built our city, charted our course, and painted a breathtaking vision on the horizon. But how do we connect these pieces? That's where Brand Narrative comes in – the captivating thread that weaves our city's stories, our journey's adventures, and our vision's dreams into a tapestry that resonates with the world. Think of it as the Scheherazade of your brand, the mesmerizing storyteller keeping listeners enthralled, building empathy, and forging deep connections. It's not just about facts and figures; it's about emotions, experiences, and the human touch that breathes life into your brand. Why is a compelling narrative so powerful? Because it cuts through the marketing noise and builds trust. Just like Airbnb's stories of global connections or Patagonia's tales of environmental activism, a strong narrative draws your audience in, makes them care about your journey, and turns them into invested participants in your brand's future. Crafting your tapestry with threads of gold: To weave a captivating narrative, ask yourself: - What are your brand's defining moments? The challenges overcome, the victories celebrated, the lessons learned. - What values and emotions does your brand represent? How do you want your audience to feel when they hear your story? - How can you connect your story to your audience's experiences? Find common ground, create relatable characters, and evoke familiar emotions. Once you have the threads, start weaving: - Be authentic: Share your genuine stories, not just polished marketing scripts. - Focus on emotions: Make your audience laugh, cry, or feel inspired. - Be consistent: Weave your narrative into every touchpoint, from social media posts to customer service interactions. Narrative masters of the tapestry: Look at Dove's relatable stories of real women breaking beauty stereotypes, or Nike's inspiring tales of athletes pushing their limits. These brands weave narratives that resonate on a human level, building trust, loyalty, and a community around their values. Remember: Your brand narrative is the invisible thread that connects you to your audience. Keep weaving it, sharing it, and adapting it to grow along with your brand. With a captivating story that touches hearts and minds, you can turn your brand into a legend, woven into the very fabric of the world. Like and share if you find the blog insightful. What marketing buzzword leaves you scratching your head? Drop it in the comments below, and I might just tackle it in a future post! Stay tuned for Episode 9: Visual Identity - Your Brand's Face to the World! #JargonBusters #BrandNarrative #Branding #Storytelling #Marketing

I had a conversation with a private client recently that made me want to grab a handful of spaghetti and throw it at a wall - just to make a point. Frustrated their sales weren’t growing and that their marketing efforts felt like they were disappearing into the void, I asked a simple question: Who is your product offer for? Their answer? Well, you know… people who want healthy snacks. This is where I had to stop them. Because “people who want healthy snacks” is about as useful as saying “people who eat food.” It’s too broad. Too vague. Too forgettable. And in a market saturated with brands screaming for attention, forgettable is fatal. 💢 The Problem with the Spaghetti Strategy - Throwing everything at the wall and hoping something sticks. Hope is not a strategy. - Targeting “everyone” in the hopes of catching someone. It doesn't work. - Launching multiple marketing messages, hoping one will land. - Trying to be available in every channel, assuming that will drive sales. The sales channel spaghetti strategy is my personal favourite 😉. The problem is, trying to appeal to everyone winds up with resonating with no one. Blending in instead of standing out and ending up competing in a race to the bottom on price. 💢 The Power of Specificity I pushed my client to get more specific. Who, exactly, are you speaking to? Are you targeting parents looking for after-school snacks that won’t send their kids into a sugar crash? Are you catering to busy professionals who need high-protein options to fuel their workday? Are you serving endurance athletes who need slow-release energy for long training sessions? Each of these audiences has different needs, different pain points, and different reasons for choosing a product. When messaging speaks directly to one, a brand stops being just another option - it becomes the obvious choice. Amen. 💢 When a Brand Gets Specific - Lands more accounts in a specific channel (see what I did there!) - Builds stronger brand loyalty because they serve a clear purpose. - Wastes less resources on activities that don’t convert. - Competes on value, not price (even in a cost of living crisis). One client who originally marketed her product as “a better-for-you snack,” shifted her messaging to focus on working parents who needed an easy, nutritious snack for their kids’ lunchboxes. The result? A dramatic increase in engagement, retail interest, and customer loyalty. People saw themselves in her brand, sales followed. If you’re struggling to gain traction, ask yourself these two questions: 👉🏻 Can people easily tell exactly who your product is for? 👉🏻 Can they immediately understand why they need it? If the answer to either is no, it’s time to refine your messaging. When a brand is a perfect fit for the right people, customers will stick. ---- Hi, I'm Chelsea Ford and consumer packaged goods brand owners come to me to help them scale. If you want to learn more, visit https://chelseaford.com/ . #CPG #FMCG

Ever thought about how pasta and pizza became global icons  while butter chicken and dosa stayed “local”? They aren’t just dishes. They’re part of Italy’s identity. Every Italian brand — from Barilla to a tiny Naples pizzeria — built a story so strong that even miles away, when you see that deep blue box or smell fresh basil, you feel Italy. And it made me wonder — why not us? Why can’t the world think of India the same way we think of Italy when we see pasta? We have everything — flavour, nostalgia, emotion — but somewhere, we lost the art of telling it simply. Here’s what Italy mastered (and we can too): 👇 1️⃣ They made repetition their superpower No matter where you eat pasta — Milan or Manhattan — it tastes the same. They didn’t chase trends; they protected tradition. In India, we change everything, recipe to recipe, region to region, And then wonder why we don’t have a global recall. Even our food brands rebrand every few months. But real branding, like cooking, needs patience and consistency. Do one thing well, long enough, and people remember you for it. 2️⃣ They made simplicity emotional Italy turned three ingredients — tomato, wheat, olive oil — into poetry. Their ads don’t scream. They hum. Meanwhile, we often say too much — “20 spices, 15 herbs, a 200-year-old recipe.” But the truth is — people don’t fall in love with details. They fall in love with feeling. The simpler the story, the deeper it stays. 3️⃣ They made packaging sacred Barilla’s blue box isn’t just packaging. It’s trust. You see it once, and you know exactly what you’re getting. In India, design often comes last — squeezed between budgets and deadlines. But design is storytelling. It’s your brand’s first hello. Imagine if we told our food stories the same way. Butter chicken, branded like Barilla. Masala dosa, narrated like Neapolitan pizza. Ghee, bottled like Italian olive oil. We already have the soul. We just need the structure. The day Indian brands start selling stories instead of spice, We won’t just be loved — we’ll be remembered. 💜 P.S. If you’re a founder building a food or lifestyle brand in India that deserves to go beyond borders — DM me “BRAND.” Let’s make your story as timeless as your product.

My Career Has Always Been About Food From my first job peeling potatoes as an apprentice chef to now helping food brands drive sales on Amazon—it’s always been about food. I’ve worked across nearly every aspect of the food industry, from kitchens to marketing and advertising, giving me a unique perspective on how successful food brands grow. One pattern I’ve seen repeatedly is how powerful a single-product focus can be. Brands that commit to perfecting a single product often create category-defining success stories. Here are 11 food companies that mastered this approach—listed in no particular order—proving that simplicity and focus, when paired with quality, consistency, and strong branding, can build global icons: 1. Oatly • Product: Oat milk • Why It Worked: Tapped into the rising demand for plant-based alternatives while using bold, quirky branding to stand out. 2. Nutella (Ferrero) • Product: Chocolate hazelnut spread • Why It Worked: A unique, indulgent recipe paired with consistent branding made Nutella a global household name. 3. TABASCO (McIlhenny Company) • Product: Hot sauce • Why It Worked: Consistent quality, minimal ingredient changes since 1868, and clever marketing tied to tradition helped Tabasco become a global staple. 4. Sriracha (Huy Fong Foods) • Product: Sriracha hot chili sauce • Why It Worked: A bold, spicy flavor profile paired with cult-like packaging and organic word-of-mouth growth cemented its iconic status. 5. Kikkoman Foods, Inc. • Product: Soy sauce • Why It Worked: Over 300 years of craftsmanship, a focus on authenticity, and expansion beyond Japan solidified Kikkoman as a global brand. 6. Morton Salt • Product: Table Salt • Why It Worked: Consistency in product quality, wide availability, and iconic branding (including the umbrella girl) established Morton as a kitchen essential. 7. Colman's Mustard • Product: English mustard • Why It Worked: A bold, signature flavor combined with a heritage dating back to 1814 made Colman’s a staple in British households. 8. Angostura Limited • Product: Bitters • Why It Worked: Staying true to a single, secret recipe for over 200 years, Angostura bitters became a cocktail essential. 9. Justin's • Product: Nut butters • Why It Worked: Focus on high-quality ingredients, health-conscious positioning, and innovative single-serve packaging helped Justin’s stand out. 10. Babybel • Product: Mini wax-coated cheeses • Why It Worked: Playful, memorable packaging with convenient, portion-controlled cheese options made Babybel a favorite for kids. 11. Lurpak • Product: Danish butter • Why It Worked: A focus on high-quality dairy built Lurpak’s reputation for premium butter products. 🔑 Key Takeaway: These brands show that mastering a single product—when combined with quality, consistency, and standout branding—can create category leaders. What other single-product brands deserve to be on this list? #FoodBrands #FoodAdvertising #Food #Branding

Face Time. Most packaging hides the people behind a product. The labour, the early mornings, the constant negotiation with weather and soil. Every now and then though, a face appears on the front. A real one. Suddenly a bag of rice or a pouch of coffee stops feeling anonymous and starts to feel personal. A sun‑creased face on pack, a name, maybe a short line about soil or climate, and the story begins to shift. The product stops looking like something that simply arrived in a crate and starts to feel like the result of someone's work. Food with a farmer attached reads differently because it reminds you that someone planted it, watched the sky and hoped the harvest would come through. That reminder cuts straight through the language the food industry likes to use. Provenance, transparency and traceability all circle the same idea. A face gets there faster. Here is the person who grew it. When this approach works, the label becomes a compressed biography. You learn where the crop came from, what makes the land difficult or distinctive, how long the family has been working it, and how much risk sits behind every harvest. It turns out this kind of visibility can change behaviour too. When shoppers know who grew their salad or coffee, the product carries a different weight. Waste feels less abstract when it connects to a real person rather than a generic supply chain. Retailers that have trialled named grower programmes tend to report the same outcomes. Quality is perceived as higher, trust increases, and shoppers show more tolerance for natural imperfections once they understand the product comes from a farm rather than a factory floor. Few brands have explored this idea as clearly as Doi Chaang Coffee. High in the hills of northern Thailand, its beans are grown by communities from tribes including the Akha, Lisu and Chinese H'mong. Generations of knowledge sit behind each harvest, and the brand made a deliberate choice to make those growers visible rather than hiding them behind a refined logo. The packaging features striking portraits of the farmers themselves, with different growers appearing each year so more members of the community can be recognised. In a category dominated by landscapes and abstract graphics, the result stands out immediately. The pack introduces the coffee through the people who produce it, and that choice changes how the product is read. The pouch carries not just origin information but the presence of the growers whose work made the harvest possible. At its best, this kind of packaging shortens the distance between field and shelf. Between a commodity and a crop. Between the idea of food as a product line and the reality of someone standing in a field hoping the weather holds. A small face on a label won't fix a broken system. But it can remind everyone that there's more at stake than branding alone. 📷Prompt Design

8 Classic Storytelling Techniques Sell experiences, not products: Stats and fancy visuals will only get you so far. Great marketing is about in-depth storytelling. It should: 🫴 Attract potential customers. ✈️ Take them on a journey.  🔄 Keep them coming back.  Want to tell better stories? Here are 8 timeless storytelling techniques to level up your marketing: 1️⃣ The Hero’s Journey  ↳ Your customer is the hero. Your brand is the guide.  Basic structure: Problem → Struggle → Solution → Success. (Think Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings) Use this to frame testimonials, case studies, and customer journeys. 2️⃣ The Three-Act Structure ↳ Classic storytelling formula:  Act 1: Setup (introduce problem) Act 2: Confrontation (struggle & obstacles) Act 3: Resolution (transformation). (This is every sitcom episode ever) This works for brand stories, sales pages, and even ad scripts. 3️⃣ In Medias Res  ↳ Hook your audience instantly by dropping them into the middle of the action. (Breaking Bad does this perfectly) Great for ads, social media posts, and landing pages. 4️⃣ The Fichtean Curve ↳ Builds tension through a series of rising crises, until the resolution. (Most thrillers and mysteries use this technique) Perfect for suspense-driven content, case studies, or launching new products. 5️⃣ Chekhov’s Gun ↳ If you introduce an element, make sure it has a payoff. (Cobb’s spinning top in Inception) In marketing? Every word, image, and CTA should serve a clear purpose. 6️⃣ The Rashomon Effect ↳ Multiple perspectives on the same story create depth. (Gone Girl nails this) Works for testimonials, UGC content, and case studies. 7️⃣ Frame Narrative  ↳ Use a secondary story to give context to the main message. (The Princess Bride is a great example) Useful for brand storytelling, founder journeys, and behind-the-scenes content. 8️⃣ The False Protagonist Trick your audience into thinking the story is about one thing...then pivot. (Game of Thrones does this several times) Use this to create unexpected transitions in ads. The best brands don't just push their product.  They sell emotions and transformations. Because people don't buy products, They buy into the story that you tell them. Which technique is your favorite?  Let me know in the comments below ⬇️ ♻️ Repost this to your network if it was insightful. ✅ Follow me Rohan Sheth for more posts like this.

Stop Posting Just Room Photos on Socials! Here’s What Guests Actually Want to See. Be honest with yourself, how many times has your hotel’s socials posted a perfectly polished room photo with a caption like: "A cozy escape awaits. Book now. ✨" And how many times did that post actually drive engagement… or, better yet, a booking? The truth? Guests don’t book because of a bed and four walls. They book for the experience. Yet, so many hotels (and restaurants) flood their feeds with soulless, salesy photos that look just like every other property. If your social media feels more like an online catalog than a destination, you’re missing the point. And here’s the real game-changer: With AI improving at an insane pace, software will soon generate better images of our hotel rooms than we ever could anyway! Perfect lighting, flawless composition, AI will do it all. Just like the image in those post. So, what will actually make a difference? The stories and experiences we share. What Should You Post Instead? 📍 The Destination : Guests aren’t just staying at your hotel; they’re visiting your city. We’re focusing on highlighting local gems, hidden spots, and experiences they won’t find on TripAdvisor. 👩🍳 Behind-the-Scenes Stories : Meet the chef behind your restaurant. Show how your cocktails are crafted. Introduce the team that makes the magic happen. People connect with people, not just places. 🎥 Guest-Generated Content : A guest’s TikTok or Instagram Story will always feel more authentic than a corporate post. That’s why we’re actively encouraging and sharing real experiences from real people. 🐶 Unique Experiences – Is your hotel pet-friendly? Show a guest’s dog getting VIP treatment. Do you have a rooftop with an insane sunset view? Capture it in the moment. We’re prioritising content that makes guests feel something. 😂 Relatable Moments – The WiFi struggle at check-in. The joy of room service at midnight. The feeling of slipping into a fresh hotel robe. We’re leaning into humour, nostalgia, and moments guests actually remember. The Bottom Line? Our guests don’t just want a room. They want a story to tell and a memory to take home. That’s exactly why our hotel group has shifted the focus of our social media strategy. Less staged perfection, more real experiences with the teams on the ground diving right in to get on board! AI will generate the polished images, but it won’t replace human connection. What’s the best-performing post you’ve seen from a hotel or restaurant? Drop a link, I’d love to check it out! 👇🏼

We’ve spent decades removing friction for guests. Maybe that’s now becoming a problem. Hospitality has been obsessed with “frictionless” service, streamlined check-ins, and polished efficiency. But here’s the catch: when everything is easy, nothing is memorable. Gen Z and younger luxury travelers are tired of skating across glossy surfaces. They crave meaning, stories, and belonging, and meaning often comes with a little effort. Cultural brands already get this. Bon Iver’s album launch sent fans smoked salmon with a poet’s insert, a candle that smelled like a winter cabin, and an app guiding them to intimate listening parties. Many entry points, each a breadcrumb leading you deeper. Some hotels are rewriting this playbook. Aman Tokyo’s tea ceremony is an intentionally slow, ritualized welcome. It’s not convenient, but that’s the point. The friction makes it sacred, and guests leave with a story that outlasts any room amenity. — 5 Ways to Design Joyful Friction in Hospitality 1. Name your rituals. Stop hiding magic behind generic labels. “Turndown service” becomes “Night Script.” The “welcome drink” becomes “The First Pour.” Language signals intention and gives small moments emotional weight. 2. Multi-sensory storytelling kits. Borrow from cultural launches: On arrival, offer a mini city-scent candle, a handwritten poem from a local artist, and a ticket to an intimate lobby performance. Guests engage through touch, scent, and story, each doorway into your brand narrative. 3. Ask, then delight. Have guests complete a three-question “mood card” pre-arrival. Match it with a curated in-room surprise, a book, cocktail, or soundtrack. Effort makes them feel seen (backed by the IKEA effect: effort increases attachment). 4. Create scarcity with care. Design one-hour windows of magic: a nightly martini ritual, a chef’s table for four, or a password-protected dessert. Scarcity raises perceived value while making participation feel earned. 5. Ladder your story over time. Instead of trying to impress all at once, let the brand unfold: Visit 1: A custom coaster. Visit 2: A staff pin unlocking a library room. Visit 3: A seat at the chef’s counter. Each stay deepens their connection and drives return intent. "When everything is effortless, nothing is extraordinary." — Why This Works Choice overload studies prove curated experiences are more satisfying than endless options: - The scarcity principle shows limited access elevates perceived worth. - The IKEA effect reveals guests value what they invest in. Luxury travelers aren’t chasing convenience anymore. They want layered experiences that feel personal, not packaged. — Final Thoughts Hotels that dare to introduce meaningful friction don’t feel cold or inaccessible; they feel alive. Because in hospitality, perfection isn’t about smoothing every edge. It’s about designing edges worth touching. #LuxuryHospitality #GuestExperience #BrandStorytelling #ExperienceDesign #EmotionalDesign