Recession – what recession?

Everywhere I went in Melbourne on a recent business trip I found the cafes and restaurants were full (Melbourne wins the food crown, without a doubt). Seems much the same around Sydney too.

After a recent photo shoot, the food stylist and I stopped off at Wahroonga for lunch. The café was overflowing with happy people enjoying lunches with friends, some obviously celebrating (the bubbly and flowers were the giveaway). Why? Because the message those businesses are promoting is that their customers should feel good. They are ‘selling’ fun, enjoyment, a friendly atmosphere.

Some fine dining restaurants are supposedly doing it tough – people aren’t buying a second or third bottle of wine; they aren’t ordering two courses, let alone three anymore. Just as consumers reassess the price of what they buy (because they see that retailers are overpricing, because they constantly need to have sales), so top end restaurants haven’t yet found the right message (and offering) that makes customers feel good about spending so much money with them.

I read recently that ‘food is the drug of choice’ for most people. Retailers are saying much the same thing, with bumper sales of lollies and chocolate. The recession (or at least the threat of one) means people are looking for feel-good experiences.

People frightened by the GFC are less likely to be swayed by threatening health messages. Now is the time to tailor messages to what’s good about food and how the nutrition benefits can help.

OK, so the news media love stories about how this or that food causes cancer or some other dread disease, but the majority of health stories are ones about hope and how some new development will benefit Australians. Think positive and promote good news – it will be far better received.