The Value of Ownable Media Assets in Food Campaigns

By Associate Creative Director Amanda Calder and Senior Art Director Madi Kurvers. 

The best marketing campaigns can’t be replicated. Why? Because the creative is so original, no other brand could claim it. Every piece of content, from print ads to social media posts, should be an authentic reflection of the brand you have built. It should spotlight the unique product, service or perspective you offer and the unique brand story your audience connects to.

Creative visuals should tell your story just as much as the words accompanying them. Capturing and showcasing ownable photography and videography is the best way to do that.

Still stuck on stock? Here’s why you should prioritize original visuals.

 1. Capture the Perspective Unique to You

No one else can connect with your audience like you can. You have an audience because they appreciate or relate to your point of view. After all, consumers choose to support brands they see themselves in. Deliver on all accounts by publishing content that visually communicates your perspective, reflects your audience back to them and demonstrates niche understanding only your audience could appreciate to engage your customers.

Take a look at our recent work with the National Watermelon Promotion Board. Through a recipe shoot in collaboration with Dish Works, we captured their story with ownable content unique to the brand and recipe visuals that engaged viewers. Not only does our work here appeal to the eye, but it also expresses the bright, fun feeling of eating watermelon we want viewers to experience and associate with the sweet, juicy fruit.

Every marketer knows that targeting a specific audience is critical. In our work on the Real Fast Real Food campaign for the Mushroom Council^®, we targeted younger generations, so our team created trendy designs with bold text and colorful graphics that appealed to millennials and Gen Zers. To build on the success of our previous concept, we also held a shoot to film “quick and easy” mushroom recipe content.

Capturing a unique point of view during a photoshoot doesn’t happen by simply showing up to set with a camera and hoping for the best. For both brands above, we captured aesthetic content specific to the campaigns’ goals and upheld brand integrity thanks to thoughtful planning. Groundwork is required prior to the shoot, from mood boards and mockups to shot lists and schedules. It’s important to ensure everyone involved understands the vision.

2. Spotlight the Genuine Product 

Your product is what sets you apart, but your ads are what communicate that ‘uniquely you’ difference to your audience. Without your actual product in the creative, how can you send that message to your customers? Owning your media assets eliminates the need for stock photography, ensuring your marketing is as authentic as the product itself.

We’ve been fortunate to work alongside Sun World to launch an exciting new grape variety: AUTMUMNCRISP^® grapes. These are no ordinary grapes. They are huge, crisp, juicy, round grapes with a distinctly milky green hue. We knew to have a successful outcome, the ads needed to truly represent the product. Details down to the shade of green and shape of fruit were paramount to the creative, a near impossible ask of a stock image. See the difference in these two images?

Not quite the same effect. The second image tells the consumer exactly what they’ll get from an AUTUMNCRISP grape. Remember: Stock photography can be used by anyone or any brand for any reason. The stock image you settle on can be seen anywhere, even in a competitor’s ad.

As you can see, shooting owned media was strategically imperative for the AUTUMNCRISP^® campaign creative. The real product got the spotlight and every visual matched the campaign’s overall bold, cheeky theme. Our art director on set ensured every creative detail like stylized lighting and props reflected the brand’s aesthetic. A carefully planned shot list ensured media was effective for future needs, maximizing its value.

Some products are truly incomparable in looks and quality. In our work with Land O’Lakes Foodservice, we quickly learned “Not All Cheese Sauce is Equal.” The visuals in the ads had to be accurate because their professional customers need to be confident in what they’re buying, and the brand needs to maintain its established trust in product quality. No cheese sauce stock images compare to the consistency and packaging Land O’Lakes Foodservice offers. This photoshoot was vital in accurately representing their product. Using the genuine product enabled us to capture a gallery of product photos with their packaging and name on it that we’ve been able to use for many different placements.

3. Tell Authentic Stories

Perhaps the most important feature of brand content is its ability to tell your story.

Storytelling is a vital part of building relationships with your audience. By sharing honest messages about your brand’s values, you can establish relatability and trust with the customer that goes far beyond just making a sale.

In our work with the California Avocado Commission, for example, we traveled to a real avocado grove for an ownable media shoot. With the goal of communicating their genuine story, we developed a campaign centered around the avocado growers and their legacies. Local growers were photographed in their own fields, with their avocados, telling their stories of generational farming. After seeing these photos and videos, customers could instantly connect with the stories of the people growing their food, building trust that the California Avocados they pick up in grocery stores are grown sustainably by a real person they can relate to. By spotlighting the source and shooting in an authentic setting, the brand’s credibility and ideals came through.

Ownable visuals also give you a space to demonstrate thought leadership and valuable expertise. When capturing California Avocados, for example, we’re sure to convey the brand’s knowledge by choosing ripe avocados and using the proper cutting techniques. If viewers don’t see that industry expertise conveyed, your brand could risk not being taken seriously.

No matter your audience, it’s important to be authentic. In this campaign, we created a brand anthem video for California Giant Berry Farm to be displayed at trade shows, focusing on the longevity of the brand by emphasizing its vibrant past and bright future. We highlighted the players who work together to get berries from farm to table, appealing to the audience’s role in that process, with shots of real berry varieties, farmers inspecting berries in their fields, and employees at their blueberry packing plant. We knew that if the history and sustainability of Cal Giant was reflected in the content, it would successfully serve the campaign’s B2B business goals.

Capturing ownable media is not just nice to have. It’s non-negotiable if you want to authentically represent your brand with visuals that resonate deeply with your target audience.

You know your story best, but we are here to help you tell it. We pride ourselves on our ability to understand your brand’s values and goals, and render them into a compelling narrative through innovative creative production.

Looking ahead, we’re excited to continue pushing the limits when it comes to food media. Stay up to date on our latest ventures as we continue enhancing our visual storytelling in ways that are distinctly curious.

Amanda Calder is an associate creative director at Curious Plot. She has more than 15 years of experience bringing creative ideas to life visually. Amanda has worked on clients ranging from food, agriculture, athletic events and hospitality.

Madi Kurvers is a senior art director at Curious Plot with 7+ years of experience in graphic design and art direction. She is a foodie, a creative and an adventurer. Her favorite part about her career is that it combines her passions!