Think BIG: In An Era of Uncertainty, Make Your Value Crystal Clear

What’s hot right now:

Why Communicating Value Isn’t Optional — It’s Essential

In today’s pressured environment, value isn’t a buzzword, it’s a lifeline. Operators are battling rising ingredient and labor costs, evolving diner expectations and a constant mandate to do more with less. Meanwhile, procurement teams are tightening scrutiny and prioritizing partners who make their jobs easier, not harder.

Your brand can either be a line item or a solution.

That distinction starts with how you communicate. In a market where tariffs, inflation and uncertainty are forcing buyers to rethink every decision, clear, value-forward messaging is no longer optional. It’s the key to relevance, resilience and revenue.

This isn’t about shouting louder. It’s about making a sharper case for why your brand matters.

What Value Messaging May Sound Like:

Accelerate speed-to-market with customizable platforms and pre-built or pre-tested product solutions that cut R&D cycles in half.
Maximize menu utility through versatile SKUs that flex across dayparts, formats and seasonal offers—no extra inventory required.
Deliver on-demand trends—from plant-based to global flavors—without increasing back-of-house labor or complexity.
Offset margin pressure by streamlining procurement, supporting labor efficiencies and minimizing waste through smart formulation.

This kind of messaging isn’t just marketing. It’s a roadmap for how your brand helps buyers solve real problems—and how you earn a seat at their strategy table.

Elevate with Thought Leadership and Owned Content Strategy

The modern foodservice buyer doesn’t want a pitch—they want a partner. To differentiate, bring fresh perspective and proprietary insights at every stage of the buyer journey:

Trend-driven blog content: Regular posts that spotlight shifts in consumer dining habits, ingredient trends, supply chain challenges or operational strategies. These pieces position your brand as helpful and current, not just promotional.
Short-form video storytelling: Use insights from culinary leaders, R&D and even satisfied customers to bring your value prop to life. Snackable content performs well on LinkedIn, in email and on trade media sites.
Proprietary data and insights: Commission your own reports or distill internal learnings into visual insights. Sharing data that helps buyers make smarter decisions positions your brand as forward-thinking and indispensable.
Resource hubs for sales enablement: Host all of these helpful materials—sell sheets, demos, spec sheets, influencer content—in one accessible space (ideally a dedicated landing page on your website). Sales teams will have easy access to what they need, and prospects can refer back when they’re in the buying mindset.

(Source: Forrester)

Maximize Every Resource for Greater ROI

In a high-noise market, one-time content just isn’t enough. Buyers require multiple touchpoints before taking action, and they’ll engage with brands that show up consistently across formats.

Consider building an integrated content ecosystem, where you repurpose assets across channels and formats to extend reach and impact:

Turn earned media into social proof: When your brand is featured in a top trade publication, break it into LinkedIn posts, Instagram story slides, email snippets or callouts in decks.
Amplify influencer content across platforms: Paid and organic influencer videos don’t just live on TikTok or Instagram. Reshare them with added brand context in digital ads, sales decks and product pages.
Convert blog posts into email nurtures: Extract key takeaways, add a timely hook and drive buyers back to your resource hub. Share value upfront and don’t rely on clicks.
Layer content into sales follow-ups: Instead of only sending a sell sheet, include a recent media mention, influencer quote or product demo. These “soft” proof points help close the trust gap and prove your company is present in cultural and industry shifts.

This approach ensures that every piece of content you invest in works across your entire marketing and sales funnel, not just the channel it was created for.

Integrated Content Ecosystem_Belle Communication

Example Content Ecosystem in action

Industry News:

Social media influencers have largely replaced the power previously held by food critics. How we discover and experience food has fundamentally changed.

This month Brilli™ asked foodie influencer partners for insights on the types of restaurant reviews they publish, the impact content has on operators, their review criteria and how restaurants should handle responses.

Check out the results in the latest Influencer Insider edition from Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN).

Upcoming: Look out for a special ThinkBIG issue in May, in which we’ll reveal new data findings from over 1,140 Gen Z + Millennial poll respondents about what’s driving restaurant traffic today.

Influencer Insider: Why restaurants are underestimating influencers as a resource

News we’re noting:

Toast and food critic Keith Lee team up to give back to restaurants – Strong example of how B2B brands can find and partner with authentically aligned influencers who normally are reserved for B2C campaigns.
Thought leadership is doing a lot of following these days – As trend reports flood the market, standing out requires more than data—it demands bold, original insights packaged to break through the noise.
Why grocers should partner with influencers – This points to an opportunity for foodservice and CPG brands – leverage your influencer campaigns as strategic sales tools. Demonstrate to retailers that you’re investing in demand-driving tactics that benefit store partners.
Chili’s pop-up finances fast food meals in latest dig at rising prices – Once again, Chili taps into culture and consumer sentiment to deliver bold, hyper-relevant marketing.
Transforming staple foods into brilliant new brands – As legacy staples crowd the shelves, breaking through requires more than utility. It demands distinctive or disruptive marketing that transforms the familiar into something craveable, memorable and modern.
What happens if you stop advertising? – Brand sales decline immediately in the first year and then every subsequent year after stopping advertising with an average sales decline of 16% a year after stopping, 25% after two years, and 36% after three years.
More on the two Gen Zs – Gen Z has split into two micro-generations: Gen Z 1.0 (pre-Covid young adults) and Gen Z 2.0 (those who grew up during Covid), who differ significantly in their views on AI, social media habits and the American Dream. These differences make it nearly impossible to create one-size-fits-all messaging or strategies targeting the entire Gen Z cohort.

Fresh off the press: Client wins

Belle headlines

Rubix Foods’ Flavor Fight campaign just earned top honors from the Association of National Advertisers, taking home Best of B2B Influencer Marketing in the B2 Awards—and we’re proud to have helped bring it to life.

The campaign tapped macro foodie creators to develop Gen Z-inspired sauces, previewed them at a Lollapalooza activation and compiled the insights in a custom report designed to grab attention.

The Rubix team raises the bar on what B2B marketing can be, proving that bold, insight-driven creativity doesn’t just build buzz—it drives results. Cheers to the Rubix team for pushing boundaries and putting flavor innovation front and center.