A 'clean eating' revolt
In 2016, #cleaneating was all the rage. In fact, it was the most Googled diet term last year and became a social media sensation. But it seems that the tide is turning with a steady slew of criticism directed at this movement.
The recent Clean Eating – the Dirty Truth BBC2 documentary goes some way to discredit this way of eating. It does it by focussing on the lack of evidence behind its ‘pseudoscience’, with celebrities and bloggers looking to distance themselves from it.
Jumping on the bandwagon, KFC released a spoof video announcing the launch of a ‘clean eating burger’ (in fact, their new Dirty Louisiana burger). KFC is tapping into a growing fatigue around the #cleaneating trend. How patronising to imply that if you’re not eating spiralised boiled chicken or raw baby kale that you’re eating ‘dirty’!
It’s interesting to see a brand taking a stance against the health revolution rather than just adapting. For brands that lack any real health associations or credentials, the way forward may well be to stay true to their DNA by embracing and celebrating our indulgent moments and guilty pleasures with consumers. Why not give to us what so many of us (secretly!) want? A good old fashioned ‘dirty’ burger, not a flavourless healthy spin-off.
Here at Razor, we are busy updating our ‘Healthy Eating’ segmentation and are mindful of how easy it is to get swept up in all this health hype. We can’t forget about the mass of less-engaged or disciplined ‘healthy’ eaters that exist – or those ‘naughty’ moments we choose not to broadcast on Instagram that are often ‘forgotten’ about!
Which brands are talking to us then?
