Why authenticity makes or breaks restaurant influencer marketing campaignsWhy authenticity makes or breaks restaurant influencer marketing campaigns

Editor’s note: Nation’s Restaurant News is excited to partner with Belle Communication to launch The Influencer Insider, a new content series highlighting social media influencers and how their perspectives — and audiences — can be leveraged for restaurant success. Click here for more information.

When influencers were still a young social media phenomenon, it used to be enough for marketing teams to simply use a recognizable social media star to get eyeballs on the product and to garner engagement. But as social media marketing has matured as a business, the bar has been raised for campaign standards, and now — according to influencers themselves — organic, authentic marketing and influencer partnerships are more crucial than ever.

PR agency Belle Communication built Brilli, an influencer insights tool that surveys influencers on trends that they and their followers are seeing or want to see from restaurants and food operators.

“Influencers aren’t just online celebrities or video creators; they are experts in their niche, have a direct pulse on cultural trends, and are armed with powerful comment sections and analytics that show exactly what makes their followers tick,” Kate Finley, founder and CEO of Belle Communication, said. “Think of influencers as your secret weapon for market research and a faster way to understand and predict the preferences and actions of your customers.”

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Last month, influencers were asked to predict foodservice trends for 2025, and this month they’re talking about what makes a successful (and not-so successful) social campaign. Authenticity topped the list.

“What used to work but doesn’t anymore includes overly polished, commercial-style ads that audiences now find less engaging compared to authentic, relatable content,” Trinh Carreon (@Trinhdoesthings) said. “Hashtag stuffing, which was once a common strategy to boost reach, is now ineffective as platforms prioritize relevance and engagement.”

Over the past few years, there have been plenty of examples of marketing campaigns that were either borne out of organic social media trends or paired perfectly with viral moments and influencer partnerships. In 2024, Cracker Barrel’s “Grandma sweatshirt” sold at their retail shops went viral with Gen Z before Cracker Barrel began capitalizing on its popularity authentically. Chili’s Triple Dipper appetizer enjoyed massive success last fall in tandem with the popularity of the TikTok mozzarella sticks cheese pull challenge. Even new corporate policies can create viral moments, like Starbucks’ new Sharpie policy that encourages baristas to write notes on cups; elaborate notes and drawings have since gone viral on social media.

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There is a lot of profit to be gained from restaurant brands actively paying attention to influencers and regular social media users alike are engaging with their brand on social media.

“We did a campaign with Chili’s for Halloween where they had mozzarella stick costumes, where each side was part of the mozzarella stick, and the cheesiness of the pull was in the middle,” said Jake Rosen, CEO of influencer management firm Jake Rosen Entertainment. “They did such a great job of seeing what was going viral with their content, and leaning into it. … It just felt like very much that they were listening to their audience, which I thought was great.”

Authenticity doesn’t just apply to creating or responding to viral social media moments. Influencers are also passionate about being trusted to use their own voice and creative instincts when partnering with brands.

“Campaigns tend to fall flat when brands overly dictate the creative direction,” Danny Kim (aka @DannyGrubs) said. “Social media content performs best when it feels authentic and true to the creator’s voice, rather than forced or constrained by rigid, overly specific creative briefs. If the content feels overly ‘paid’ or promotional, viewers will swipe up.”

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Forcing social media campaigns clearly does not resonate with younger generations, particularly Gen Z. But besides authenticity, another key winning social marketing technique is pop culture nostalgia. Celebrities or pop culture moments and fast-food brands have been a winning combination for years even before social media marketing existed, and that is still the case now.

“Right now, I do see a lot of restaurant brands are thriving with limited time collaboration items,”  Nate Llorin (aka @NateLo98) said. “Like McDonald’s Kai Cenat Chicken Big Mac and Wendy’s SpongeBob meal. All these collaborations with big names drive people to want to try the item and create their own opinion.”

Contact Joanna at [email protected]