The impact of food blogs in shaping Lebanese consumers' brand perception in the food and beverage sector

Abstract

“We lived on farms, then we lived in cities, and now were going to live on the internet!” This quote is taken from the Academy Award-winning film The Social Network (Imbd.com, 2010) and can be viewed as a representation of the current trends of our modern society. The rise of Internet usage and new technology is causing the world to move towards digital media which has led to the development and facilitation of blogs. Although the history of blogs is short, they have evolved into a valid and popular medium encouraging debates and allowing individuals to share their interests, provide suggestions, and voice their opinions to the public. Additionally, gastronomy blogs are considered to be one of the most read forms in the food and beverage literature. This research seeks to study the impact of food blogs in shaping Lebanese consumers’ brand perception in the food and beverage industry specifically because blogs have become an increasingly important topic in media research. The five concepts investigated in the literature review and regarding; the food and beverage sector, Internet marketing in the food and beverage industry, blogs, branding and consumer behavior. Moreover, persuasion and two step flow are two fundamental theories in understanding media effects on audience which will be supportive to this study. In order to answer the research questions and analyze the hypotheses, qualitative and quantitative research methodologies were used. An interview with Mr. Anthony Rahayel a well-known Lebanese food blogger was conducted in addition to an interview with Mr. Walid Baroudi owner of The Peninsula restaurant, along with a survey addressed to a random sample of Lebanese consumers who are internet users and precisely blog readers. Lastly, the results suggest that credible food bloggers have brought profound changes and impact on Lebanese consumers.