How to feed the democratic process

Miss Holly is standing for the school council, and we recently had a very serious campaign meeting over cups of tea and far too much enthusiasm.

After some debate, we settled on an idea: mini muffins. Each one topped with a little sugarpaste disc stamped neatly with ‘Vote Holly’. I made a makeshift stamp, and together we set about turning chocolate chips into political capital.

Let’s be clear, it’s absolutely not a bribe. It’s simply a thoughtful gesture from Holly to her lovely schoolmates, who will, coincidentally, be voting. She took her task very seriously, carefully pressing each message into the sugarpaste and making sure there was an extra muffin for her teacher.

After all, even democracy needs a little sweetness. Of course, using food as a promotional tool is nothing new, though maybe less common in primary schools.

I still remember receiving a little package from the Northern Ireland Tourism Board some years ago. Inside was a selection of artisan chocolates, each one bearing the campaign logo.

Needless to say, it captured my attention immediately (as food tends to do), and I even ended up writing about the campaign at the time.

But food-led marketing isn’t confined to tourism boards or food brands. Netflix has made an art of it as their blockbuster launches often come with edible extras, from branded snack boxes to partnerships with food delivery platforms. ‘The Squid Game’ collaboration with Just Eat springs to mind; nothing says light entertainment quite like a side of kimchi and existential dread!

Luxury fashion houses have joined the feast too. Gucci and Armani, known to be trendsetters, host exclusive dinners and chef collaborations to launch collections. Haute couture is paired with haute cuisine and it works beautifully as an experiential hook for media and influencers.

Over the years, I’ve attended my fair share of menu launches, some of which feature influencers delicately pretending to eat for the perfect shot before abandoning the plate entirely. It’s a curious phenomenon I never understood but then, I have never been an influencer.

Aldi also used food cleverly to challenge its budget image. The supermarket launched pop-up restaurants with well-known chefs creating fine dining dishes using only Aldi products. The idea was so popular that getting a reservation was harder than securing Glastonbury tickets.

We all remember ‘The Restaurant’ on RTÉ 1 which was also sponsored by Aldi.

Even Ikea has joined the trend with their Taste the Future recruitment campaign inviting tech candidates to interviews over 3D-printed, plant-based Swedish meatballs. Yes, they were real. And no, they didn’t come flat-packed.

It’s a wonderfully modern twist on the business lunch and proof that food is still one of the most effective and enjoyable ways to get our attention.

Perhaps this is the start of a new culinary marketing era. With 3D-printed snacks and edible branding on the rise, it may not be long before we’re all nibbling on logos and slogans.

After all, if you want people to remember your campaign, feeding them is never a bad start.