Social Media Marketing Lessons from the Movie Chef

It’s been awhile since I’ve been to the movies. I’m thinking Harry Potter was the last thing we saw, but I really can’t remember. With a toddler it’s hard to get out to just sit there for two hours when you get a sitter. Last weekend, though, we were able to get to the movies and saw Chef. The gist of it is a chef, stuck in a creative rut and slave to “The Man” that owns his restaurant elects (as a result of a bad review) to strike out on his own with a food truck business. The movie covers the success of the food truck and a rekindled relationship with his 10-year-old son. In all honesty, it was a really great movie, but because I associate literally everything with marketing, I couldn’t help but take away a few tidbits that I want to pass forward about social media marketing and inbound marketing.

Never underestimate the power of Twitter.

In the beginning of the movie, Chef Casper has never heard of Twitter. When he finally creates a profile out of curiosity to check out the fallout surrounding a terrible review, he discovers that the review has gone viral. He uses Twitter to call out the critic and the resulting video of him losing it at the restaurant and quitting goes viral as well. Take away, here? Watch what you say and do on social media. While some viral exposure is great, you have to make sure to be balanced when it comes to your actions (or lack of action).

If a 10-year-old can do it, you can do it.

The one great thing that came out of the social media mess that Chef Casper was in? A TON of followers on Twitter. At a few points in the movie, Chef Casper’s 10-year-old son uses Twitter and Instagram to draw a serious crowd. Rather than just making a drive across country to bring the food truck home, they end up on a lucrative tour of different cities, Tweeting, Facebooking, Instagramming and cooking their way into the hearts of their target market. Chef Casper has no idea that his son is even doing any of it until they start to draw serious crowds. Take away? Stop being intimidated by social media and just do it. If a 10-year-old can amass a crowd out of thin air, you can create engagement on social media as well.

Be amazing at what you do.

Anthony Volodkin said, “Be undeniably good. No marketing effort or social media buzzword can substitute for that.” And he’s right. Chef Casper didn’t have a massive advertising budget. He was completely broke. He did, however, have a passion for creating delicious food – and doing that incredible thing (along with a bit of help from his marketing guru) is what made him so successful in the end. The thing about social media is that you can’t fake it. People know if something is genuine right off the bat. If you’re honest from the start and create something truly worth following, you’ll get engagement without even trying.

The biggest thing that I took away from the movie Chef is that you can’t every lose yourself. Chef Casper worked in a restaurant where he thought he had creative freedom, but the reality was that he was subject to the owner’s whims. If you’re passionate about something, let it ring through in everything you do and you’ll never have to struggle when it comes to your marketing. With the right tools and a bit of hard work, you can absolutely show your target buyer that you’re the best at what you do and have them lining up, just like Chef Casper.
Read more:

• How Social Media is Like Cooking