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PUBLISHED DATE: - 12-10-2024
DOI: -
https://doi.org/10.37547/tajiir/Volume06Issue10-04
PAGE NO.: - 28-35
PECULIARITIES OF MARKETING AND
BRANDING IN THE CONFECTIONERY AND
CAFE INDUSTRY
Anastasiia Chystiukhina
Entrepreneur, business owner, Founder & CEO, Just Right: Cakes, Coffee,
Gifts, Wausau, WI, USA
ORCID Id:
0009-0008-5994-3018
INTRODUCTION
When opening a business in the food industry,
many factors must be considered to ensure the
future success of the establishment: location, food,
and staff. Equally important, however, is the
development of a brand for the cafe, which entails
creating a unique concept or idea. Branding allows
a business to stand out from competitors, establish
communication with customers, and build a
corporate culture.
In the new market conditions, where brands have
become one of the key strategic assets of
companies, the need to master the theoretical
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Open Access
Abstract
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foundations of branding and its practical
application has grown significantly. Leading global
brands are often referred to as strong brands due
to their economic efficiency and market
leadership. However, the strength of a brand is not
solely based on company profits; it encompasses
multifaceted factors. Ultimately, consumers often
determine the strength of a brand. In many cases,
the high strength of a brand is explained by close
communication with consumers, target group
research, and the development of unique values.
The relevance of this topic is due to the fact that
many Ukrainian brands follow the trend of
building their own trademarks. Companies with a
diverse product range are paying more attention to
their product assortment. To attract more target
consumer groups, inventive manufacturers may
offer the same product under different brands.
Review of Recent Research and Publications
The results of scientific works related to the
marketing and branding peculiarities in the
confectionery and cafe industry, as well as
challenges faced by marketing activities in these
establishments, have been highlighted in the
studies of scholars such as L. Bovsh, M. Bosovska,
O. Harmatiuk, O. Kitchchenko, Ye. Prykhodko, A.
Rasulova, M. Riabenko, T. Serhiienko, and others.
Despite numerous studies, questions regarding the
most effective methods of implementing
marketing measures, which have the greatest
impact on the recognition of an establishment and
its brand in today’s market conditions, remain
unresolved.
Objective
. The goal of this article is to identify the
essence and theoretical features of marketing and
branding in the confectionery and cafe industry, as
well as to explore the problems associated with
marketing activities in these establishments.
In line with the purpose of this article, the
following tasks need to be addressed:
•
Identify the specific features of
marketing activities in confectioneries and cafés;
•
Study the impact of marketing
activities on the specifics of service delivery in
confectioneries and cafés;
•
Identify the main problems arising
from marketing activities and the promotion of the
confectionery and café brand;
•
Investigate the various marketing
tools used by confectioneries and cafés that form
the marketing mix or marketing complex;
•
Examine the main idea of the
advertising campaign, which is to create the most
favorable conditions for customers to make
purchases and replicate the corporate style in
every part of the establishment.
METHODS
In this scientific article, the following research
methods were used: induction to identify the
features of marketing activities in confectioneries
and cafés, and the study of how marketing efforts
affect the specifics of service delivery in these
establishments. Synthesis was employed to
identify the main problems arising from marketing
activities and brand promotion in confectioneries
and cafés. The comparative method was used to
analyze the different marketing tools employed by
confectioneries and cafés, forming a marketing mix
or marketing complex. The generalization method
was applied to study the main idea of the
advertising campaign, which is to create the most
favorable conditions for customer acquisition and
replicate the corporate style in every part of the
establishment.
DISCUSSION AND RESULTS
Marketing activities in confectioneries and cafés
have specific characteristics, such as being
primarily focused on the local market, which is
geographically limited. The market size depends
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on the location of the establishment and its
accessibility
to
consumer
traffic.
Some
confectioneries and cafés operate within the
broader city market in the service segment,
offering services like event catering, business
meetings, and attracting tourists. Food products
are perishable and cannot be stored for long
periods, so when demand arises, it must be met
promptly.
The
advertising
focus
for
confectioneries and cafés is not only on products
and services but also on the business itself, its
image, features, and differentiation from other
businesses [2].
The specifics of service delivery in confectioneries
and cafés significantly impact the marketing of the
restaurant business. It emerges as a distinct
branch of service marketing. Every marketing
research technique, function, task, marketing
technology, and element of the marketing system
related to the food industry has its unique features.
Upon analyzing the marketing activities of
confectionery and café brands, several problems
were identified:
•
Confectioneries and cafés often pay
insufficient attention to the stages of the sales
funnel, leading to issues with brand recognition
and customer loyalty.
•
There are challenges in the quality of
services related to online advertising, including
problems with analytics and quick responses to
external factors.
•
The lack of a website and social
media pages in today’s realities further limits the
visibility of confectioneries and cafés in the market
and their ability to engage with consumers [3].
Confectioneries and cafés use various marketing
tools that form a marketing mix or marketing
complex. The classic elements of this
comprehensive configuration include product,
price, place (distribution), and promotion
–
the
“4R” concept. The dominance of
the human factor
in service-specific activities led to the introduction
of the fifth “R” (people), which refers to employees
of confectioneries and cafés, their recruitment,
training, motivation, and evaluation systems. The
use of these five tools forms th
e “5R” marketing
mix concept [7].
In practice, when developing a marketing plan for
confectioneries and cafés, it is recommended to
adhere to the “5R+1C” comprehensive marketing
models, which include elements of the food
industry’s marketing mix, namely:
•
Product policy;
•
Pricing policy;
•
Communication policy;
•
Distribution policy;
•
Personnel;
•
Customer service [7].
According to the proposed marketing mix model,
the need for developing a marketing program for a
food industry business is evident. This program
includes external marketing activities aimed at
consumers and internal marketing programs that
contribute to the formation of a highly motivated
and customer-oriented staff. Overall, this increases
the level of customer service in confectioneries and
cafés, thereby achieving the marketing goals.
The marketing mix for confectioneries and cafés, as
an integral part of the service sector, has certain
differences from the marketing of material
production. Thus, improving the quality of service
for visitors not only promotes the occasional
emergence of loyal customers and new orders but
also ensures the stable operation and further
development of the food industry establishment
[5].
First of all, it is necessary to consider the cyclical
ecosystem of the digital strategy, which will be
used to implement the marketing digital strategy.
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This sales funnel includes all touchpoints with
consumers that lead to purchases, which is the
business goal of confectioneries and cafés (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1 – Ecosystem of internet marketing strategies of confectionery and cafes
Source: created by the author based on [4]
To address these tasks, a comprehensive approach
to forming a new digital strategy is required by
selecting tools in digital marketing and
implementing them accordingly. In practice, it is
essential to expand SMM activities and increase the
visibility of the establishment in the market, as
well as develop a website with a user-friendly
interface and the possibility of online table
reservations or dessert orders.
This approach to optimizing the effectiveness of
the digital strategy for confectioneries and cafes
proposes focusing on increasing brand recognition
among target audiences by employing media
advertising strategies within Google’s Display
Network and enhancing keyword quality scores
through structured keywords and search ads. With
this placement option, communication with the
brand will cover all phases of the sales funnel
within a limited budget (Fig. 2) [4].
Recognition
CPM focus coverage:
ad serving, branding,
price aggregators, SN ads
Conversions
Traffic, focus on CPS:
paid search, SN ads,
display ads
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Fig. 2 – The scheme of the sales funnel according to the minimum budget
option
Source: created by the author based on [4]
By adding media advertising on Google’s Display
Network to the selected tools, the brand can
engage with the target audience from the moment
of initial contact to the first purchase.
The choice of Google’s Display Network is driven
by three main factors:
1.
This tool allows businesses to
connect with consumers as they browse websites,
watch YouTube videos, check Gmail, or use mobile
apps.
2.
Google’s Display
Network can
capture 80% of the brand’s potential target
audience at the lowest possible cost per thousand
impressions (CPM).
3.
A combination of location targeting,
site context, and audience targeting ensures ad
effectiveness and maximum audience reach [8].
The Display Network contains over 3 million web
pages and covers more than 90% of internet users.
If a company places ads there, the advertisements
will appear on various sources, such as websites,
videos, and mobile apps. However, if there is a
preference for the ads to be shown to the right
audience, it is necessary to properly configure
targeting and advertising settings. Therefore,
custom audiences based on user search queries,
visited URLs, YouTube channels, etc., are the most
accurate.
Confectionery and café communities on Instagram
often require significant changes, as they tend not
to focus on potential service consumers. Pages are
often managed without considering modern SMM
trends. To improve the representation and
visibility of the establishment on social media,
specific objectives and tasks must be addressed:
1.
Based on Instagram page statistics,
create avatars for the permanent stories.
2.
Update the Instagram profile
header.
3.
Develop a well-thought-out content
plan focused on sales.
4.
Establish
consistent
content
categories.
5.
Design a unique visual style for the
page.
6.
Increase the number of posts per
week and their frequency (minimum posts on
Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) [9].
Знання
responsive display
ads
Зацікавленість
advertising on
Facebook and
Instagram
advertising on the
Google search
network
Вибір та придбання
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7.
Improve the quality of the content
on the page. Photos should be more professional
and created exclusively for the confectionery or
café. This will eliminate issues related to content
originality and authorship. Texts should be concise
and sales-oriented.
8.
The
current
menu
of
the
establishment must always be available on the
page.
9.
Reduce the number of giveaways or
develop a completely different approach, as
contests do not always reach the necessary target
audience [9].
The next stage of the advertising campaign is the
creation of a media plan. Its goal is to determine
the set, budget, and volume of advertising
materials used in social media campaigns for
confectioneries and cafés on Instagram and
Facebook. This media plan for social media
advertising includes daily posting of stories and
reels at 9:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 4:00 PM, and 8:00 PM.
It is important to note that posting at the same
times throughout the day is considered to engage
the audience most effectively.
As part of the media plan, it is necessary to design
an Instagram post to promote the menu or the
establishment itself. This post will be informative,
allowing Instagram followers to familiarize
themselves with new menu items and try new
dishes at the establishment or order delivery [10].
Additionally, targeted advertising on Instagram is
planned, where the establishment will be
promoted to the target audience, specifically those
who enjoy good food and relaxing in a pleasant
atmosphere.
A popular way of promoting the establishment is
to develop new menu items or pastry assortments
and offer tastings to visitors. In practice, television
and banner advertising costs are considered
inappropriate and ineffective for confectioneries
and cafés. Therefore, the promotional strategies
should include tastings, flyer distribution, and
active Instagram page management, which
highlights the establishment’s activities in real
time [7].
Global experience shows that one of the most
effective tools for running a business in the food
industry is the implementation of a marketing
concept. Worldwide practice demonstrates that a
marketing concept is effective in the restaurant
business when it is holistic, inclusive, and applied
to all areas of the confectionery or café. Its practical
implementation is associated with selecting tools
that specify the tasks, i.e., the marketing package.
The marketing mix is defined as a set of launched
and controlled marketing tools used together to
achieve the desired response from the target
market.
A win-win option remains advertising through the
decorative and interior elements of the
establishment, such as reproductions of
masterpieces of world architecture and art [5].
Confectioneries and cafés captivate with their
products, service, atmosphere, and quirky details.
They build relationships by hosting interesting
mar
keting events such as children’s workshops, DJ
services on weekends and holidays, themed
evenings, gourmet dinners, tastings, closed-menu
tastings, WOW services, and WOW effects
–
all the
best things that can be showcased to guests
immediately to build guest loyalty. From a
business perspective, these marketing activities
should have clearly defined goals that align with
the establishment’s marketing strategy. This
means that every event should be planned and
accounted for in the monthly, quarterly, and
annual marketing plan. For example, tasting an
updated menu can help increase orders. It is
important to balance the concept of the
confectionery or café and the form of specific
marketing activities aimed at creating a positive
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impression on customers. Also, to make this
experience memorable, it is necessary to
emphasize that the development of the restaurant
business, based on providing experiences, is
possible when the consumer participates in this
experience on a personal level. A creative approach
to implementing experience marketing strongly
influences the desire of customers to visit the
establishment again. Confectioneries and cafés
often hold culinary workshops, cooking shows,
culinary quests, themed gourmet festivals, and
more. The synergy of these methods on a
subconscious level undoubtedly increases guests’
trust in confectioneries and cafés [6].
The successful and comprehensive use of
experience marketing allows many marketing
objectives to be effectively addressed for
confectioneries and cafés. Representing the target
audience, positioning and spreading the brand’s
value, increasing the number of visitors, and
creating newsworthy opportunities for long-term
PR communication with a median check enhance
the prestige and respect of the confectionery or
café among its staff and guests.
The main idea of the advertising campaign is to
create the most favorable conditions for customer
purchases and to reproduce their corporate style
in every part of the premises. To do this, it is
necessary to attract the consumer to visit the
confectioneries and cafés. External advertising will
help, online advertising will remind them of the
product, and business cards and gift certificates
will allow customers to choose a specific
establishment’s brand, while the corporat
e style
creates a positive mood and attitude toward the
confectioneries and cafés [1].
Consumer loyalty is shaped by the brand’s
appearance, communication, the design of the
establishment that welcomes customers, and the
offerings it can provide. Therefore, it is necessary
to constantly improve and pay attention to the
details that form the core of the confectionery or
café’s image.
CONCLUSIONS
It is worth noting that in practice, many cafés focus
on digital marketing, actively participating in
social media, and developing their online presence
through a good website. The coffee market is
highly competitive, so a clear and cohesive brand
is crucial for attracting customers, and consistently
high-quality coffee and service will encourage
repeat visits to the café and confectionery.
Opportunities for attracting customers can also be
created by opening cafés as co-working spaces,
exhibition
halls,
or
places
for
artistic
performances. Many cafés employ local artists who
decorate the walls with prints or paintings or host
open mic nights.
One of the most interesting aspects of business
planning for a confectionery or café is creating a
cohesive brand for such a business. It is important
to consider both the atmosphere and spirit of the
café, which can be expressed through the logo and
aesthetics of the business. Additionally, it is
important to demonstrate a unified brand in all
presentations and documents of the café or
confectionery.
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