In the 1993 film, “Falling Down”, Michael Douglas’ character, William Foster, walks into a fast-foot restaurant and confronts the restaurant staff in a frustration that many people feel when it comes to food we see advertised:

I love the line “Can anybody tell me what’s wrong with this picture?”

This is true literally when it comes to food photography, but often the experience your customers are expecting differs from what they actually experience.  If it’s overwhelmingly BETTER than expected, you’ll be a shoe-in for rave reviews online and a consistent flow of buzz-worthy word-of-mouth endorsements.

However, if it’s not, you’re in for trouble. Your less-than-satisfied customers will never say anything at all to their friends about their experience, or worse, they will go online and blast you with  bad online reviews.  They may not even be that passionate about that experience a day after they write their review, but their words will last and the emotion in their review will turn potential customers away from your business.

Authenticity is huge for customers – people want genuine experiences that are positive and live up to the promise you make.  Sometimes, as in the case of fast-food restaurants, the food art depicts something different than what appears on our tray. So either change that reality or treat it head-on as McDonald’s has recently done in a web video. I think the video certainly explains why there is a discrepancy, and while we all long for the 3″ high Quarter Pounder with Cheese, I think the behind-the-scenes video does shed light and informs customers (by the way, at the time of this post, this video on the McDonald’s Canada YouTube channel has received well over 3,000,000 views – people are talking about it!)