| This paper examines the convergence of food public relations and social media. More specifically, it chronicles how mobile food trucks have emerged as a new industry that has taken full advantage of social media and is establishing best practices that may be adopted by other industries. The purpose of this study is not only to investigate the rise of the food truck phenomenon as it parallels the rise of social media, but also to explore how "gourmet" food trucks have helped improve the reputation of the food truck industry as a whole. Another aim is to study how the use of social media has contributed to company branding, with the ultimate outcome of developing recommendations on how to effectively use social media. The key issues discussed in this paper include the origins of mobile eateries, the factors that have led to the rise of food trucks in the digital age, the new audiences food trucks are attracting and how the current wave of "gourmet" food trucks have helped improve the reputation of this entire dining genre. Results reveal that social media fueled the food truck phenomenon as the trendy new "in" thing to do, not only for consumers, but also for restaurateurs. The principal conclusion is that the promotion of a product or brand through social media is not just a fad, but rather the new standard of public relations. |
