How marketers use selfies, food and video to reach social media users

Many dub the brand/rockstar relationships “influencer marketing,” and according to a recent study, it’s a rising trend. The study found that 92 percent of consumers look for referrals from those they know, finding referrals online 81 percent of the time.

The popularity of this marketing strategy is leading some brand managers to think of increasingly creative ways to attract consumers’ attention.

Though Chili’s has more than 25,000 followers on Instagram, the restaurant chain is making it more tempting for diners to share their dishes through the photo app. It now serves fries in stainless steel containers and places burgers higher on the plate, using buns that are more aesthetically pleasing.

“Food is the second most photographed thing, after yourself,” Wyman Roberts, chief executive officer of Chili’s parent company Brinker International, told Bloomberg. “Selfies of people eating food is the sweet spot.”