Instagram Stories. Influencer marketing. The decline of Yelp. The Ellipses team makes their industry predictions for 2019.
‘Tis the season to reflect on the year we’re leaving behind and plan and predict for the year ahead of us. 2018 was a year of much tribulation in the social media world (Cambridge Analytica anyone?) but also a huge year in many ways (1 billion+ users on Instagram and counting). With 2018 behind us, we look forward to building upon what we have learned this year and taking it into 2019, ready to take on the world. (Well, the marketing world at least.) Here is what we think you can expect in 2019, in PR, social media and the food industry.
Diana Haven
Eat Your Feelings and Have Fun
The stress we’re feeling from our jobs, soul-crushing commutes, polarized politics and warnings of global climate calamity will find solace in comfort food in 2019. Carbs are coming back in a big way, with a new wave of Instagramable donuts leading the charge. We’ll see more innovative donut flavors, such as Blue Star’s Blueberry Bourbon Basil, as well as cupcake/donut hybrids that incorporate eye-popping decorations, such as those at Donut Bar and Pink Box, which is opening in Berkeley soon! Pasta will continue its comeback, gluten and carbs be damned, with an increasing interest in those made with whole and ancient grains (such as those by Oakland’s Community Grains).
Related to one eating their feelings as an escape (no judgment here!), we’ll see more restaurants enticing customers to leave the safety of home with more entertaining names, décor, presentation and moments of surprise and delight. Themed restaurants, once huge in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, are back, but this time with much better food. Thanks to Instagram, diners are looking to make their personal claim to outrageous experiences, from the Hello Kitty Grand Café in Irvine, to the 8,500-square-foot post-apocalyptic Mad Rex in Philadelphia, complete with a virtual reality lounge, props from movies and TV shows, and the Survivor Bar serving apocalyptic cocktails in old tin cans. Retail will take a larger piece of restaurant real estate in 2019, or vice versa, with hybrid concepts like Restoration Hardware’s incredible RH New York, or neighborhood themed concepts that also sell highly curated service ware, like the new, mid-Century Modern Bardo in Oakland’s Lakeshore district.
Restaurant and grocery delivery services make dining at home – and escaping the outside world – more convenient than ever. The temptation to relax in front of Netflix, Hulu or HBO and enjoy dinner with family and loved ones after a stressful day and commute makes it more challenging for restaurants to tempt diners to go out. Restaurants will step up to the challenge with creative concepts, surprising presentations, incredible décor and delicious food. It’s going to be a fun year for dining.
2019: The Decline of Yelp
Can it be? Quite possibly, yes. Yelp’s latest earnings call revealed that the infamous and powerful review site is struggling to keep advertisers, as more and more people are finding business referrals and reviews through Instagram, Facebook, Google – and even Airbnb and Travelocity – than Yelp. Peer-to-peer recommendations have risen to prominence since Yelp’s earlier days, and users would rather rely on friends and their close network of trusted sources. Even though they may be strangers on Instagram, they’re chosen strangers that feel much more authentic. These days, you can easily ask your network on Facebook or Instagram for their recommendations and read their mini-reviews of local businesses, and those sources are much more trusted than a list of strangers on Yelp. Google Maps has also found its way into our lives for so much more than just directions; it’s now a resource for what’s near you, just like Yelp offers, complete with reviews, photos and a star rating system. And, since Google prioritizes its product over other sites, its results take prominence in search results. All of this spells trouble for Yelp unless it can shift its business model.
Melissa Crawford
Boozy Ice Pops
While frozen rosé and other slush-inspired cocktails graced poolside menus this past summer, we predict you’ll see more boozy treats like ice pops having a major moment in Summer 2019. With creative flavors profiles like Sparkling Lychee Mimosa and Piña Colada, the buzz surrounding these frozen libations is totally justified. And, to sweeten the deal, they serve as a great alternative for someone wanting to enjoy a splash of alcohol without the unwanted calories.
This past year FrutaPop, a small-batch, hand-crafted ice pop company based in New York, made waves among the press with features on Good Morning America, USA Today and ABC’s ”The Chew.” But what really sets FrutaPop’s alcoholic ice pops apart is the brand’s range in mouthwatering flavors like Watermelon Margarita, Apple Cider Bourbon and Moscow Mule.
SnöBar is no stranger to the alcoholic food scene. Known for its alcohol-infused ice cream, the brand debuted alcoholic push-up pops to its product line this past year. With its motto being “a full cocktail in every serving” you can get your margarita, cosmo or mojito fix in popsicle form.
Restaurants across the nation are also jumping on the boozy ice pop bandwagon. Departure, a modern Asian restaurant in Denver features a strawberry daiquiri pop made with white rum, orange liquor, orange juice, sugar, water and fresh strawberries. And in Texas, 3 Eleven rotates its boozy pop flavors seasonally with its most refreshing being a cucumber-jalapeno pop made with cucumber, jalapeño, lime, simple syrup and local Dallas Katy Trail vodka.
The Boozy Ice Pop trend is taking its time to infiltrate the grocery market, although this could change as we enter 2019. The good news is you can order booze-infused pops easily online! Which flavor will you choose?
Pay Attention to Nano-influencers
By now, we’re sure you have some idea of what influencer marketing is. It’s been said that the bigger the follower count of an influencer is, the better the influencer is. However, results are showing that isn’t always the case. Fans are growing tired of seeing pitchy, sales-like content from influencers and, as a result, brands aren’t seeing the best return. What followers yearn for is authenticity in posts, a trend we believe will have a major upswing in 2019, with the rise of nano-influencers and their more authentic content. Unlike macro- or even micro-influencers, nano-influencers have a much smaller and genuinely more authentic following, usually less than 10,000, and tend to focus on a particular subject area that is of personal interest to them. Although their audience reach is much smaller than celebrity and other macro-influencers, they tend to have a far more engaged community, demonstrate high levels of commitment to ensure the brand’s product is well represented, appeal to a Gen Z audience, and provide a better return on investment for the brand long-term. 2019 will help us take a hard look at who is chosen for influencer marketing campaigns and begin working with people who remind us of our family, friends, and neighbors.
Amanda Shepherd
Reusable Straws Will Be the Norm
This prediction is a specific one based on a much larger shift in the industry – the ban on plastic in general. However, the idea of a reusable straw is still seen as “silly” and, by some, even “gross.” With entire states beginning to ban the use of plastic straws (you can’t get one in California restaurants unless you ask for it), we will continue to see more and more people using reusable straws; so much so that it will become normal. I, for one, already put this ridiculously cool collapsible straw on my Christmas list and look forward to continuing to reduce my own plastic use next year.
Feeds Are Out. Stories Are In.
Yes, admittedly, that’s a click-baity headline, but I am predicting that next year will see stronger viewership of stories, particularly on Instagram, as opposed to the news feed. A record 400 million users already view stories on Instagram, which have been around since 2016, but with over one billion users on Instagram now, that number will rise dramatically in 2019. It’s much easier and more interactive to view stories and tap to the next one as opposed to swiping your thumb up to scroll down a news feed. I think people crave (and miss) chronological order viewing; stories give them that. If you haven’t started taking advantage of stories on Instagram, make 2019 the year you start.
Adrienne DeAngelo
Lumpia, Adobo and Porridge, Oh My!
Immigration may be the hot-button issue of the day, but there’s no political debate over the culinary influences that are reshaping the nation’s restaurant landscape. In the past few years, we’ve seen an explosion of ramen shops, omakase-style menus and izakaya-inspired pub food. It was only a matter of time before these Japanese influences found their way into Italian and California cuisine—sometimes in new and groundbreaking ways. Today, Japanese techniques and ingredients are the new normal in the Bay Area even as they continue to make their way across the rest of the nation. The coming year will bring Southeast Asian flavors to the fore, with Filipino food as an emerging trend. Expect to find traditional Filipino fare mixed with modern twists that honor the culinary traditions of immigrant grandparents and parents. Newly opened Archipelago in Seattle has created a Pacific Northwest-focused menu and pop-up-turned-brick-and-mortar restaurant FOB Kitchen in Oakland adds fresh ingredients, vegetarian options and exciting cocktails to the mix. While these foods may seem novel to the uninitiated, it won’t be long before dishes like lumpia, adobo and arroz caldo (rice porridge) are recognizable options on restaurant menus all around the country, weaving their way into our national fabric.
Year of the Woman
Pundits called 1992 the Year of the Woman in politics. 2019 is shaping up to be the Year of the Woman in the restaurant industry. In the aftermath of the #metoo movement, we’ve seen long-overdue recognition for contributions women have always made in the kitchen, but we’re also seeing increased respect for the role that women should be playing in the restaurant industry. In Oakland, shamed chef Charlie Hallowell is attempting making public amends for his behavior and has relinquished his fate to an all-female advisory board. More and more women are stepping into management and oversight roles and have been emboldened to move into nontraditional roles, like butchery and bagels. Additionally, women are stepping confidently into restaurant ownership and celebrating a supportive work environment as a cornerstone of their business model. In the coming year, look for improved kitchen work environments for all genders, more women- and minority-owned businesses, more women entering the wine industry, and more female chefs finally getting their due.
Hanna Reichl
Rise in Vegan Menu Items
In 2018, we saw a rise in diet-sensitive foods. In 2019, I’m predicting a huge rise in one food category in particular: vegan. We recently saw the Impossible Burger surge in popularity, and in 2019, expect to see a lot more vegan items like it pop up on restaurant menus.
Interestingly, the Dutch food design agency, Marielle Bordewijk, predicted a rise in “masculine” plant-powered food. The agency found in a recent study that it is common for men to feel “shame” when ordering vegan or vegetarian dishes in restaurants. But with more and more chefs thinking outside the box, we are bound to see more versatile vegan-friendly dishes that prove heartier and heavier than ever before.
GlobalData reported that there were six times as many vegans in America in 2017 as in 2014. This number is only growing. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for new vegan menus.
More Influencers Move to Pay-to-Play
Here at Ellipses, we love influencers. Once upon a time, you could send a product to an influencer (before the term influencers was even a thing) in exchange for a free post on social media. In 2018, we saw a huge shift away from this practice. In 2019, expect to pay your influencer partners.
Even though influencers are less likely to post for free, influencer marketing cannot be ignored. Companies need to think about shifting marketing money into influencers. A whopping 84 percent of consumers make a purchase after reading about a product or service on a blog. Influencers have become a trusted voice in society, and for many brands, have been leaps and bounds more successful than traditional advertising. It is time that these influencers are compensated for all the hard work they do behind the scenes to bring your brand awareness.
2019 may be the year to rethink your marketing and advertising strategy. Influencers build awareness, provide brands with amazing content they can use on their own social media, drive sales and are a great investment for brands. Need more reasons to partner with influencers? Check out this blog post by Scrunch.
Lara Frasco
CBD-Infused Beverages
As marijuana continues to be legalized around the country, we will see it blending into the food & beverage industry more and more. Derived from the cannabis plant, CBD can help with everything from stress and insomnia to anxiety and pain without getting high. Plant Miami has created the topical Plant Medicine cocktail featuring fresh pineapple, house coconut milk, dark rum, and a dose of CBD oil. At the Los Angeles location of popular vegan Mexican restaurant Gracias Madre, guests can find a CBD Snow Cone made from lemon, agave, hibiscus hielo raspado, and cannabidiol oil. Coalition Brewing in Portland, Oregon changed the game with the state’s first commercially produced CBD-infused beer. Not only does CBD exist in beverages, but it is also booming in cosmetics and pet-care products. According to Hemp Business Journal, U.S. hemp-derived CBD sales will reach $450 million in 2020 and surpass $645 million by 2022 across several different industries. Will you help contribute to this multi-million dollar industry in 2019? We’ll definitely check out what all the hype is about.
Even More Instagramable Food
People taking pictures of their food for Instagram is a trend that has been on the rise for years, but in 2019 we are going to see more restaurants take notice. Restaurants that reach Instagram fame are no accident: They create menus that feature items with the exclusive intention of going viral. For example, HOME sf, a café in the Outer Richmond and Outer Sunset, attracts visitors with its Birthday Cake Latte. Influencers post the colorful latte to their millions of followers, like YouTuber Emma Chamberlain. HOME sf is constantly reinventing its lattes solely to continue attracting Instagram users. This trend isn’t exclusive to restaurants either. Pop-up exhibits like The Museum of Ice Cream and Color Factory are specifically engineered for selfies.
Retailers are also taking a page out of this playbook by creating shopping experiences with Instagramable moments, including photo booths, branded mirrors, and neon signs. For two weeks, ModCloth offered its San Francisco shoppers the opportunity to be styled and then photographed by a professional photographer. This resulted in more than 250 unique portraits, almost five million social media impressions and an increase in visitors. This trend is just getting started and in 2019 we are certainly going to see more restaurants and companies succeeding because of their viral intentions.
Your turn! What are your predictions? Share them with us on Twitter.