Seventeenth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

Effective marketing strategies, encompassing a range of thoughtful approaches and channels, are vital for businesses to not only capture consumer attention but also to establish a distinctive brand presence in a competitive marketplace. The objective of this study was to determine the marketing strategies employed by food business owners in San Juan, La Union, Philippines. The focus included on the exploration of the challenges faced by these business owners and the coping strategies implemented in response to the identified challenges. In this study, a descriptive qualitative research design was implemented, employing purposive sampling to deliberately select five participants. Data collection was conducted through semi-structured face-to-face interviews and thematic analysis was used to analyze the responses provided by the participants. The findings show that food business owners face challenges in maintaining a unique brand identity, audience management, operations, and variability. Key marketing challenges include the need for comprehensive pre-campaign strategies like social media advertising and time-sensitive promotions. Other highlighted marketing strategies involve audience identification, health-centric messaging, interactive culinary experiences, and trend-centric campaigns. This study highlights the importance of a unique brand identity for differentiation and emphasized the complexity of sustaining such identities in the market. Further studies exploring the challenges of improving marketing sales for food business owners are recommended.