Good communication can help businesses attract new customers, build brand loyalty and achieve business goals. We invited Kenshiro Uki, president of Sun Noodle North America, to share his integrated communications strategy for growing influence and success in 2021.
Sun Noodle, like so many other companies, has experienced headwinds since last spring as the food and restaurant industry continues to adapt to the effects of the pandemic. We have worked closely with our restaurant partners and are proud of the innovations we launched together such as takeout noodles that hold their texture and ramen-kit collaborations with noted chefs such as David Chang of Momofuku and Ivan Orkin of Ivan Ramen.
Throughout 2020, we felt it was important to increase our various forms of communications to maintain as well as strengthen relationships with our customers and partners. This year, we will continue to share our story and engage with our customers and consumers as we wait for a return to a more normal existence. Here are a few highlights of our communications plans to support our business goal of providing the freshest and highest quality ramen to hungry stomachs everywhere.
Engage with Social Media Followers
Social media, primarily Instagram and Facebook, has been crucial to engaging with our audiences, not only for providing updates on product details and availability, but for showcasing Sun Noodle’s unique brand personality. First and foremost, as a second-generation family-owned company from Hawaii, we want to share the spirit of aloha from our “ohana” (Hawaiian for family). With this spirit, we help everyone from home cooks to professional chefs create “craft ramen,” using fresh (not fried or baked) noodles and creative ingredients. We use our social media channels to share ideas that we hope will spark inspiration for how to use Sun Noodle products.
Secure (Virtual) Media Opportunities
We always enjoy the opportunity to share our story with journalists and media influencers to build awareness of our growing operations in Hawaii, California, New Jersey and New York.
While we cannot invite folks to tour our factories right now, we can share our noodles and provide virtual immersion experiences for them such as ramen recipe walkthroughs and remote interviews with respected ramen chefs. We plan to showcase more of these types of experiences in 2021.
More Videos and Other Content
Creating and sharing content that is appetizing, inspiring, and informative is part of our recipe for marketing success this year. Sun Noodle has tried different content mixes over the years, and we’ve found, as one example, that short videos resonate with home cooks who discover that our noodles are fast, fresh and fun.
We will continue satisfying this appetite for ramen education with more tutorials on toppings, flavors and preparation. Based on response and engagement, we will understand our consumers better, create brand awareness, nurture customer leads, educate audiences and build trust through this content-driven approach.
“Sharing Sun Noodle’s story, by way of an integrated communications strategy, has been instrumental in our successfully launching new collaborations, supporting our restaurant partners and maintaining our presence with our Sun Noodle community.”
Create Sun Noodle SWAG
We often hear from ramen fans around the world who appreciate Sun Noodle and what our family-owned company represents. In 2021 we plan to create new Sun Noodle branded merchandise such as hats and t-shirts so that people can show their love of ramen noodles, especially since they may not be able to visit their favorite ramen shops right now.
Using branded merchandise encourages consumer participation, helps businesses engage with remote employees and builds overall brand awareness. As a company that has grown to three different factory locations with customers from all regions of the country, branded items can unite our Sun Noodle ohana and encourage pride, both internally and externally.
Final Thoughts
We are grateful for the love and support that we have received throughout these turbulent times. Sharing Sun Noodle’s story, by way of an integrated communications strategy, has been instrumental in our successfully launching new collaborations, supporting our restaurant partners and maintaining our presence with our Sun Noodle community. We are optimistic for the future of the food industry and are eager to help the world “slurp with Aloha!”