Food Porn

Yesterday, it was a still-steaming jumble of shrimp fried rice.

Today? A mug of frothy, whipped cream-decorated hot cocoa.

You’re doing everything you can to avoid those photos on your Twitter feed. You know, those “Look what I ate!” posts that look pretty damn delicious but ultimately don’t benefit you in any way.

You have at least one friend who posts these teasing photos — oops, guilty — and you still can’t click “unfollow.”

On the other hand, as a college student, you “like” the Pizza Hut company page. You relish the coupons and announcements of new, cheese-stretching pie combos. You order delivery without ever leaving Facebook.

And don’t get me started on the number of Starbucks Facebook followers and takeout-ordering phone applications.

Americans, especially thrifty 20-somethings, can’t get enough food porn.

Companies recognize this. The truly marketing-savvy embrace the easy advantage.
They know this generation needs proof.

Food has to sound, look, smell and even feel good before we choose to spend our money to taste it.

A lot of students forgo the cost of cable television, which is where the advertisements used to hit us. We’d watch a three-second clip of an attractive woman chomping into a thick cheeseburger and end up halfway down the street to do the same.

Now, marketers rely on our constant connection to the Internet. Once they graduated from pop-up ads and Flash banners, they stormed the invisible borders of social media.

This means restaurants, particularly fast food, operate on a highly subconscious level.
Those of us with strong visual memory see an image vivid with seasoned ground beef and crisp pico de gallo when we consider grabbing Taco Bell. Whether we like it or not, we are, for the most part, recalling ads and well-placed photos.

What differentiates your annoying Facebook buddy’s photos from the company photos you subscribe to is also influenced by availability and accessibility.

If John raves about a casserole he just baked, you’re either impressed or just angered by hunger pangs. If Jane snaps a pic of the new special at The Village Deli, you’re subconsciously filing that information for later use.

You don’t have to make it. You know where to get it. Your mouth waters just at the picture. And so The Village Deli gets your business without really trying.

Pay attention to those food porners, especially the brand names. Our generation is doing their job for them.

By Rachel Stuart