The Commoditization of Food & Beverage CPGs: A Critical Look at Modern Food Branding

The Western world of consumer packaged goods

When I was a child, growing up in communist Poland, most food products were sold in generic brown bags or were unpackaged, requiring personal containers for transport. The concept of food was limited to just a few products and packaging was virtually nonexistent. The scarcity and heavy rationing of food essentially reduced it to a commodity rather than a product.

The visual scarcity around me perhaps ignited my interest in food and beverage branding and advertising. I remember my awe when I first encountered Western consumer packaged goods. Although they were pretty much forbidden, I managed to collect colorful cans, wraps, and boxes, displaying them proudly in my room. They were the toys of my childhood. The vibrant and visually captivating designs of these items, often smuggled into Poland from the West, sparked a lifelong fascination with visual design and eventually steered me towards a career in food marketing and branding.

Human behaviors and how to influence them

The communism ended in 1989, Poland opened up and Western CPG brands entered the market. After studying human behaviors and how to influence them in college and graduating with an MA in Sociology, I jumped into working with the market research group with psychologists and statistical data. We tested many food and beverage CPG products for effective advertising and marketing ideas in the focus groups. I learned how consumers think when they buy and what makes them tick but also about the statistical data-driven approach. Ever since college and that experience, I remained passionate about studying masters of psychology and persuasion, and also those who analyze important empirical data and know how to quantify it.

In the early days of my adventures with food marketing, each packaging and branding effort seemed to tell a story, evoking emotions and sensual experiences rather than merely promoting a product. This was the essence of branding I cherished—the art of connecting with people who would use the products on a deep emotional level. This is how I got into it in the first place because these things brought me joy, and made me feel and think about a lot of different things. They were highly stimulating to all my senses and created pleasant memories in my mind.

The art of storytelling

After moving to the United States, I immersed myself in the world of food and beverage advertising and marketing, absorbing its intricacies firsthand and connecting with many who work at its highest levels. I befriended masters of the trade and began to learn even more about the visual aspects of advertising, food photography, commercial video production, and most importantly the art of storytelling in commercials. Being near Hollywood, I got involved in content production, an experience that rekindled the passion I had cherished back in Poland.

The earthquake in the food and beverage industry

The rise of the internet, followed by the explosion of social media, brought about a tremendous wave of food and beverage entrepreneurship. I witnessed what I can only describe as an earthquake in the food, beverage, marketing, and advertising world. This era introduced a flood of intriguing brands, innovative CPG products, and services. Having lived in the U.S. for some time, I realized the Western market had previously been dominated by a handful of corporations controlling the food chain, so this influx of food and beverage innovation was a breath of fresh air. It was so refreshing!

Internet and social media entrepreneurship brought countless new market opportunities that resulted in the rapid growth of new brands, each introducing fresh visual aesthetics and vibrant colors to branding. They also reinvented the way we advertise, market, and sell food and beverages. Unfortunately, this vibrancy soon faded into uniformity. Today, a visit to stores like Whole Foods or Erewhon, or scrolling through social media, reveals an endless repetition of styles and aesthetics.

A visit to most product websites confirms this trend; they all appear strikingly similar, showcasing the product without any human connection or brand identity. It feels as if all product photography is directed by the same hand; there is a total lack of creative differentiation in style, lighting, or presentation. Despite their high technical quality, the images lack substantial storytelling, persuasion, and authenticity—key elements that truly make the brand. This uniform approach leaves a bland and unmemorable impression, making distinguishing one brand from another difficult.

The challenge of maintaining originality and authenticity

This shift reflects a deeper issue in modern marketing: the challenge of maintaining originality and authenticity amidst widespread access to technology and platforms that once promised to democratize branding. As a result, the market is now flooded with products that might catch the eye but fail to make a lasting impact or evoke a genuine connection with consumers. And that’s why probably most of them end up in discount markets or simply die.

In today’s marketplace, new brands often focus intensely on product-centered strategies, where “cool” packaging seems to be the main offering. My extensive research in the industry has yet to reveal a brand that maintains a consistent and unique message or evokes a distinct feeling through its content. Instead, what prevails is fast content—quickly consumed and just as quickly forgotten by the audience as they move on to the next trendy item. They are nicely packaged but they became commodities just like unpackaged bulk produce.

On-demand inauthentic influencers

Social media platforms exemplify the prevailing branding issue, inundated with repetitive content and on-demand influencers who lack any emotional connection to the brands they promote. These influencers often appear to be performing rather than genuinely engaging with the products. The packaging is always prominently displayed, aimed directly at the viewer, which only emphasizes the inauthenticity of these posts. This situation prompts a critical question: How many consumers recognize the lack of sincerity in these influencer endorsements? Their attempts to persuade often seem dishonest and fail to convince, reflecting a broader issue of surface-level engagement that does not foster genuine brand loyalty or consumer trust.

Creative Director or Knockoff Director?

Many of these brands employ in-house so-called Creative Directors. However, from my observations, a more apt title might be “Knockoff Director,” as there appears to be a pervasive lack of original creative thought and a fundamental misunderstanding of consumer behavior. These roles often consist of mimicking popular trends rather than pioneering new, innovative ideas that genuinely resonate with consumers. This approach stifles the products because it fails to foster a meaningful connection between the brand and its audience, ultimately undermining the potential for genuine brand loyalty.

Today’s approach is disproportionately focused on superficial aesthetics rather than cultivating meaningful connections through unique stories and authentic experiences. This shift dilutes the consumer experience and undermines the potential for brands to establish a memorable presence in an increasingly crowded marketplace. By neglecting the core elements that once made branding effective, companies risk fading into the background, unable to distinguish themselves or build loyalty among consumers. Most brands are unable to establish a memorable presence in a crowded marketplace.

In my extensive experience collaborating with various emerging CPG brands, both through agencies and directly, I’ve observed a prevalent trend: many brands approach me with the intent of mimicking their direct competitors. Rarely do I encounter a brand eager to showcase its unique identity. In discussions with clients, I emphasize the critical importance of authenticity and uniqueness in the success of their brands. Often, they listen but don’t truly understand what that entails. Many have simply created a product and packaging, treating everything else as an afterthought.

Most creatives don’t know much about consumer behavior

I’ve also noticed that these brands often go directly to creators or photographers who are merely content producers, not behaviorists. They know what looks cool, cute, or good but lack an understanding of the motivations behind consumer behavior and what creates persuasion and connection in content and branding. It’s important to start with professionals who understand this aspect of human behavior.

You get what you pay for

The regression to uniformity

I can’t help but feel that modern food branding and consumer packaged goods have regressed to the uniformity reminiscent of my experiences during communism. Despite their branded packaging, these products have become so predictable and homogenized that they’ve reverted to mere commodities. To truly stand out and last in the marketplace, it is crucial to move beyond conventional strategies and commonplace advice.