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New Open | 一餐一世界 撰文／魏 韶嫈 文字編輯 / KAT
A beautifully plated dish is more than just a chef’s “trick.” It’s a crucial element in creating word-of-mouth buzz. Through visual aesthetics and design, a dish can become a memorable touchpoint for customers, serving as the start of their connection with a brand. The insights behind this concept play a pivotal role in overall branding and marketing strategies.
The Art of Plating: Crafting Visual Memory Points
When chefs design a dish’s presentation, their goal is not only to enhance its visual appeal but also to make it unforgettable. The key elements often include:
Clever Use of Colors: For instance, contrasting the bright red of a sauce with the pure white of fish to create a striking visual impact.
Creative Shapes: Transforming an ordinary dessert into a work of art that inspires customers to capture and share it on social media.
A Story Behind the Dish: Incorporating seasonal flowers or local elements into plating to evoke cultural depth and emotional resonance.
Take Japanese kaiseki cuisine as an example. Chefs often emulate the beauty of the four seasons in their plating, offering diners not just a meal but a visual and gustatory journey that leaves a lasting impression.
What Can Dish Presentation Teach Us About Branding?
The meticulous details of plating reveal that a successful brand needs more than just a good product—it requires experiences that are both unique and memorable. This parallels the process of effective marketing.
Starting with the Details: Building Brand Memory Points
Whether it’s plating a dish or crafting a marketing strategy, success lies in the details. This could mean creating a distinctive brand color palette or embedding core values into every visual element.
Connecting Emotionally with Customers: Beyond the Product
Dish presentation showcases a restaurant’s care and effort. Similarly, marketing strategies should convey the warmth and story behind a brand to foster emotional connections.
Innovating to Amplify Brand Presence
Internationally renowned Michelin-starred restaurant NOMA exemplifies this. Each dish combines local ingredients and cultural narratives, offering diners a taste of Nordic nature’s soul. Their marketing emphasizes storytelling over products, attracting food enthusiasts from around the globe. Meanwhile, Taiwan's new bubble tea brand MARUMARU gained rapid recognition by incorporating plating aesthetics into its drink presentations, enticing countless customers to share their experiences online.
Conclusion: Marketing Needs Its Own “Plating Aesthetic”
From plating, we learn that marketing is not just about promotion but a harmonious blend of visuals, storytelling, and emotions. When brands pay attention to every detail and use creativity to connect with customers, they become timeless, just like a signature dish etched in memory. Next time, try approaching your brand marketing strategy with the “eye of a chef.”