Bloom Thinks: The Power of Occasion #1

Why occasion should be #1 for food and drink brands.

Occasion can be overlooked or under-clubbed as a hook for food and drink brands. We think otherwise. Recent projects have proved that occasion is a rich and powerful way of ticking every brand box. And for making strategic and creative ideas go further.

It’s in our nature to lean into occasion. Stories and depictions of mealtimes and social gatherings have always played a huge part in culture; from Ancient Greek ceramics to the Last Supper; from My Big Fat Greek Wedding to Martin Parr. It’s when people are their best selves. When we’re more united than divided. And when new connections and memories are made.

Most importantly occasion is when the cultural rubber hits the road. Culture is communal. It's about the values and behaviours we exchange. It’s about the places where we meet, the things we do there and the conversations we have. And because we break bread (or Pringles) and drink wine (or Poppi) while doing it, occasion is a potent fuel for food and drinks brands.

When we say occasion we don’t mean time-of-day or season. ‘Scheduled’ is a dead-end for brands. Think Baileys or Pimm’s. Both delicious. But both historically handcuffed to Christmas and summer (NB Baileys has recently taken effective measures to shift beyond festive period). Brands can’t prosper without year-round sales.

Done right occasion is bigger. Instead of a date brands should consider every facet -the tempo, the setting and the mood. Who’s there? What are they doing? What are the props, the sounds, the sensations?

This approach captures an occasion expansively, with benefits for both positioning and identity. An occasion-led positioning is emotive and actionable, for all. An occasion is easy to understand. And it’s easy to express visually and verbally.

Bloom’s identity for Heineken UK’s Cruzcampo lager imports Spain’s tardeo occasion.This is when the shadows lengthen, work ends and minds relax. So we used early evening shadows, Sevillian tiles and mellow yellows to evoke that occasion when only a crisp flavoursome Iberian lager will do. Cruzcampo owns an occasion that mingles a moment, a mood, an attitude and an experience.

In short occasion connects deeper because it’s so real, rich and multi-sensory. In the next chapter we’ll talk more about how it’s done, with more examples to illustrate.

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