After my last Food for Content Thought battle between Les Mills and Lululemon, I’ve decided to do another head to head contest. This time the #contentmarketingbattle is between Mexico and BurgerFuel.
Now this one may seem like I’m putting a heavyweight up against a lightweight – BurgerFuel the long standing takeaway giant that is hugely popular in New Zealand and afar in comparison to Mexico, a great little restaurant which is growing and growing throughout the country, now with 7 locations.
But regardless of the outcome, let’s see how they stack up.
Round 1 – The blog
Now, unfortunately here’s where Mexico come unstuck. Simply they don’t have one. And of course blogs aren’t for everyone, but one thing that runs throughout the entire online experience for Mexico is for me the need to take their customers beyond just the food. A blog, or some iteration of one could be just the trick.
A key theme for the blog could be to take their customer behind the scenes, letting them go behind the bar or into the kitchen and see you guys hard at work. Essentially give them something they can’t see elsewhere and further create atmosphere for the restaurants.
Perhaps look to incorporate:
- Videos or images (alongside some snazzy wording obviously) about making new dishes, and the process of getting new items onto the menu.
- Store openings and everything that goes into it. Perhaps a cool time-lapse video of the restaurant makeover could be a go.
- Posts where customers can get to know the people behind the brand. Anything from staff outings and what you’re up to through to staff profiles helps customers start to relate to their local restaurant and the people running it.
BurgerFuel have a neat little section on their site called World of BurgerFuel, a place customers can go to get a glimpse into who BurgerFuel are as a company and what they’re up to outside of the stores. It invites the customers to engage with the company across different facets of their world, not just when their eating.
The one thing I would say about BurgerFuel’s blog, and to be fair this is pretty nit picky, is that there are a few posts that simply reiterate their latest advertising at the time, normally around new products. Due to the fact that any new advertising or product launch will more than likely feature on their homepage anyway, it’s probably a tad unnecessary to add it to blog post as well. Perhaps they could take it a step further, as I’ve suggested for Mexico, and delve into how those products came about.
Round 1 winner is clearly BurgerFuel, kind of through default, but Mexico has a clear avenue to gain some traction.
Round 2 – Social
Whilst BurgerFuel have a LinkedIn account as well, pretty much both players lay out their social on the same three platforms: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. They both boast good followings and the tone and style reflect their brands nicely.
So to be fair they both do a pretty good job of it.
On Twitter, both companies are harnessing the user generated content (fancy name for customer tweets) and lapping them up to create brand advocacy through word of mouth. So big tick there. Although Mexico could do with posting a tad more of their own content as well. It seems to be a tad longer between drinks for their own stuff and whilst it’s great that customers are initiating engagement, they could start the conversation a bit more and harness those engaged customers. Even things like quick promotions and giveaways can do the trick.
Now for Facebook. As I was scrolling through the different Facebook pages for each Mexico location, the most obvious thing was that all the content was the same. They were screaming out for local, more specific content. And then I saw this:
Phew! Once Mexico get all their customer’s eyeballs in one place, I think they can focus their social efforts on one page and look to do more. They currently use their awesome imagery very well, but just like the blog (which of course they can promote on Facebook), they need to take the customer beyond just the food and tell a story more, create a sense of loyalty and intrigue even with what they’re up to.
BurgerFuel use Facebook well for a mix of food and “other”. And whilst their non-food related posts seem to get less engagement I think it’s important that they continue to show the scope they have and what else they offer to the community and the like.
So, winner of this round again goes to BurgerFuel. But, once Mexico gets all their burritos aligned (sad dad joke I know) I think they will make big gains here.
Round 3 – Imagery
Both companies have the perfect products to show off, as no one loves lusting over anything more than food. And both utilise it well within their website, social (of course Instagram) and in the case of BurgerFuel their blog also.
The style of imagery is different for each company, and reflects their target customer well. BurgerFuel’s a little more gritty and to the point, whereas in comparison Mexico’s are seemingly simple but sharp and modern.
I would have to say that both entice me to want to rush out and grab something to eat but I would have to say the range of Mexico’s imagery makes them the winner here.
The winner = BurgerFuel
With some saying BurgerFuel were destined to win, I would say that given time Mexico will be a surprise contender for the title. I will definitely be watching them grow even further.
As always, got an opinion or need any help with your content then feel free to comment below or get in touch (especially if you’re Mexico or BurgerFuel).
