The food industry is no exception; artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing this field as well, providing innovative solutions that enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs, and create new development opportunities. This article explores how generative AI, like ChatGPT and other tools, can be utilized by producers and distributors to optimize marketing operations and improve overall effectiveness.

Generative AI in food product marketing

Generative AI is emerging as a powerful tool for food companies. Beyond the various applications of artificial intelligence for producers, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers (involving production, development, logistics, customer service, and many other aspects), let's focus on the applications that are spreading within companies for supporting marketing activities.

The two approaches we will discuss are:

1. Creation of personalized content: In this case, the marketing, communication, and sales departments within the company use generative AI to automate and optimize their activities. We will explore the possible applications and the benefits that follow.
2. Chatbots for customer support: here, a virtual assistant is implemented to interact with potential customers, intercepting or anticipating their needs. We will see that there are already effective and easy-to-implement tools that can open up new opportunities for companies.

This process involves various target groups, both for B2C (aimed at end consumers) and B2B marketing (targeting restaurants, retailers, supermarkets, hotels, bars, pastry shops, and other businesses).

For B2C:

Generative AI can assist in creating content for marketing campaigns, informative articles, consumer guides, and personalized recipes based on dietary preferences and needs. This type of personalization not only increases engagement but also enhances the perception of the brand as being attentive to individual consumer needs.

Some possibilities that can be easily implemented include:

• Generating content for marketing campaigns: social media posts, website articles, email marketing, and other activities can be made more efficient through creative writing. We will explore how to train generative AI and what elements to include in the prompts to increase the efficiency of these activities.
• Suggesting personalized menus: based on dietary preferences (vegetarian, gluten-free, with specific ingredients), ease of preparation, special occasions (birthdays, anniversaries), or dietary restrictions.
• Creating informative content: such as guides on how to properly store food, cooking tips, or detailed nutritional information.
• Recommending products interactively: based on personal tastes, budget, and other factors that the customer can indicate while conversing with a well-trained chatbot (as we will see in the section dedicated to chatbots for businesses).
• Real-time assistance: examples include a conversational app that helps customers choose and find products within a supermarket or a virtual assistant on an e-commerce site.

For B2B:

Generative AI can also be leveraged to promote and facilitate relationships with B2B customers: retailers, wholesalers, restaurants, hotels, bars, ice cream parlors, pastry shops, bakeries, and other businesses that purchase products supplied by the company (as a food and beverage producer or distributor). This content can cater to the specific needs of the target audience and align with current market trends. For example:

• Creating content for B2B communication and marketing campaigns to be distributed via social media, the company website, email, and specialized magazines and portals. Here are some examples of useful and promotional content:
  
  • Menu suggestions for restaurants: developing seasonal menus based on fresh ingredients and culinary trends. The aim is to promote the products we supply, providing valuable information and inspiration for food service customers.
  • Product proposals for retailers: offering advice on which products to feature, based on sales data, market trends, and consumer preferences; providing suggestions for promoting specific or seasonal products during particular times of the year.
  • Content for hotels and hospitality establishments: crafting personalized culinary experiences for guests, such as themed dinners, tastings, or breakfast ideas, using the products in our catalog.
• Data analysis and market insights: AI enables the analysis of large datasets to extract valuable insights, creating detailed reports that summarize sales data, campaign performance, and market opportunities, thereby facilitating strategic decision-making.
• Customer service and B2B orders: providing immediate responses to frequently asked questions about products, prices, availability, and company policies can be managed by a dedicated chatbot. Furthermore, leveraging customer data, the chatbot can deliver personalized responses and suggestions based on purchase history and specific customer preferences.

Multilingual marketing and international clients

Another advantage for both end consumers and business clients is that content generation with AI and chatbots can be used in multiple languages, making it easier to interact with international customers.

Consider a sales assistant who, even if trained in a specific language, can converse with customers from around the world.

Operational activities, such as exchanging emails with international clients, can also be expedited with generative AI, improving efficiency and speeding up the writing and/or translation process.

It is important to note that all AI-generated content, which automates writing tasks, must be carefully reviewed to avoid errors such as "hallucinations", incorrect data and facts, imprecise texts, or content that is unsuitable for the target audience. Despite the necessary review and editing phase, the time savings can be substantial, thereby enhancing the potential of your team.

Creation of custom content

Utilizing generative AI to create personalized content that meets the specific preferences and interests of consumers is a highly effective approach for increasing engagement and enhancing brand perception.

Automated content writing can be customized based on the channel being used (email marketing, social media, website articles) to maximize the impact and effectiveness of the message. Beyond text content, it is also possible to produce images and videos.

Let's explore the key elements for effectively instructing generative AI in the context of marketing and branding activities.

Important elements in prompts for writing marketing content

Automating the creation of marketing content with ChatGPT and similar tools necessitates the development of well-structured and detailed prompts (i.e., the instructions given to the AI).

Here are the key elements that should be included in prompts to ensure original content that aligns with the company's goals, products, and target audiences:

A) Content objective - Clearly define the objective of the content. For example:

• Brand awareness: "Create a social media post to increase brand awareness and introduce our new organic product".
• Engagement: "Write a blog article that engages readers with useful tips on how to use our gourmet products in their daily recipes".

B) Product Description - Include specific details about the products to be promoted:

• Product features: "Describe the unique features of our new line of gluten-free snacks, highlighting the natural ingredients and health benefits".
• Usage and Benefits: "Explain how our extra virgin olive oil can enhance the flavor and nutritional value of recipes".

C) Target audience - Specify the target audience to personalize the tone and style of the content:

• Demographic segmentation: "Create an Instagram post aimed at young adults aged 20-30, emphasizing a healthy and active lifestyle".
• Audience preferences: "Write a marketing email for parents of young children, highlighting the safety and quality of ingredients in our baby food products".

D) Distribution channel - Indicate the distribution channel for the content to adapt the format and style:

• Social media: "Generate a Facebook post featuring an attractive image of our new vegan dessert, with a brief descriptive text and a link to our website".
• Email marketing: "Write a newsletter announcing the summer promotion of our products, including a special offer for subscribers".

E) Tone and style - Define the tone and style of the content based on the brand and audience:

• Formal or Informal: "Use an informal and friendly tone for a blog article discussing the latest culinary trends".
• Promotional or informative: "Adopt an informative and professional tone for a whitepaper on the nutritional benefits of our superfoods".

F) Call to Action (CTA) - Include a clear call to action to guide the reader's response:

• Call to Action: "End the post with an invitation to follow our page for more updates and exclusive promotions".

Example of a detailed prompt:

"Write a Facebook post aimed at young adults aged 20-30 to increase brand awareness and promote our new gluten-free snack. The post should be informal and engaging, highlighting the natural ingredients and health benefits of the product. Include an image of the product and conclude with a call to action inviting readers to visit our website for more information".

Providing context and additional resources

To enhance the accuracy and relevance of responses generated by ChatGPT, it is highly advisable to provide detailed context before submitting a writing prompt. This context can be uploaded from various sources, such as PDFs, websites, and more. Here are some examples:

1. Uploading PDF information: this includes catalogs, relevant product information, company policies, market descriptions, and other internal documentation.

2. Extracting content from websites: provide URLs of web pages containing key information such as product pages, company blog articles, FAQs, and more.

3. Uploading data from spreadsheets: use Excel or CSV files to upload structured data like product lists, prices, sales statistics, and customer feedback. This method is also the simplest way to interface with your software (management systems, CRM, ERP, etc.), which can usually export data in this format.

4. Integration with management software, databases, and APIs: This enables real-time integration of information and data from your business software, such as inventory availability, sales data, and customer information (many management systems and CRMs offer data access via API), or from external services providing data, statistics, and market trends (such as Nielsen and Euromonitor), logistics and transport services (including delivery time and rates, shipment tracking), and product and nutritional data (e.g., Edamam and Open Food Facts databases).

Implementing a chatbot for food companies

Implementing an AI-based chatbot (e.g., powered by ChatGPT) for a company in the food and beverage sector offers numerous advantages, enhancing operational efficiency, customer interaction, and the ability to respond quickly to market demands. This tool can provide a competitive edge by automating and personalizing communication with both end consumers and business partners.

Implementation and training of the model

To improve the accuracy and relevance of responses, the company can utilize PDF documents containing the product catalog, ingredient information and organoleptic characteristics, technical sheets, and company policies. Additionally, third-party APIs can be used for nutritional and logistical information.

To train the chatbot, a variety of information sources can be collected. Internal data, such as customer service conversations (emails, messages from the website, etc.) and sales reports, can help better understand frequently asked questions and customer needs. Additionally, as highlighted earlier, external data sources such as market analysis and statistical data provided by specialized companies can be integrated to obtain insights on the latest trends.

Advantages for B2C

In the B2C context, the chatbot can immediately respond to consumer inquiries about products, ingredients, and recipes (in multiple languages). This level of personalization not only boosts customer satisfaction but also enhances the brand's image as being attentive to individual needs. For instance, when a customer asks for recipe suggestions using specific ingredients from the product catalog, the chatbot can provide detailed and relevant answers, creating a more engaging and helpful shopping experience.

Advantages for B2B

For B2B, the chatbot can support retailers, business partners, restaurants, and other types of business customers by providing up-to-date product information, suggestions on which items to order based on market trends, and answers to technical questions. This optimizes the management of relationships with partners and customers and reduces the staff's workload, allowing them to focus on more strategic activities. Additionally, by integrating the chatbot with transportation service APIs (many couriers offer this option), the company can provide real-time updates on delivery times, costs, and shipment statuses, enhancing the reliability and transparency of logistics operations.

Thanks to their ability to provide immediate and personalized responses, manage complex information, and integrate with various business systems, chatbots are an essential tool that will become increasingly significant in the future.

Examples of AI services specific to the food sector

Many companies have developed AI services specifically for the food industry. Here are some examples.

TasteGPT by Tastewise is a generative AI tool that analyzes data from social media, recipes, menus, and other sources to provide insights specific to the food industry. It allows for:

• Identification of patterns and trends in real time.
• Generation of ready-to-use reports and presentations.
• Provision of personalized recommendations for products and marketing campaigns.

Chef Watson by IBM utilizes artificial intelligence to create new recipes by analyzing ingredient combinations and their chemical components. It is ideal for developing new culinary ideas and introducing menu innovations while ensuring proper nutrient proportions.

Afresh is an AI platform that optimizes the supply chain for fresh products, helping grocery stores manage inventory, forecast demand, and order accurately. It can be used to reduce food waste and increase sales.

Innit offers a technology platform that uses AI to provide personalized culinary experiences, including intelligent meal planning and recommendations for foods and recipes.

Dragontail Systems is an AI-based kitchen management system that optimizes the order sequence to improve freshness and service accuracy.

Brightseed's Forager is an AI platform that discovers and maps bioactive compounds in plants, linking them to human health benefits, useful for developing new food products with specific health properties.

Hungryroot uses AI to personalize shopping lists and recipe recommendations for customers, improving marketing efficiency and increasing customer satisfaction through advanced personalization.

The advantage of being an early adopter

The ability to remain competitive requires constant adaptation to technological innovations. Early adoption of AI-based technologies offers a significant edge over competitors, even in the food and beverage sector.

Companies that integrate AI into their operations, from production to wholesale distribution to retail sales of food and beverages, can optimize processes, improve resource management, and personalize the customer experience in unprecedented ways.

Industry players who are early adopters of AI-based technologies not only establish a competitive advantage but also position themselves as innovative leaders in the sector. This proactive approach allows them to seize emerging opportunities, maximize the benefits of AI, and have the time to test and refine various tools before these technologies become a widespread and established standard in the industry.