Unlocking Growth Through Small Bets: A Strategic Guide for Food Marketers

In today’s hypercompetitive food marketing landscape, even established brands struggle to cut through the noise. While foundational strategies like OTT campaigns, social media activations, and PR outreach remain critical, forward-thinking CMOs are increasingly layering in small bets—nimble, low-investment initiatives with outsized potential for brand elevation. 

These tactical plays aren’t replacements for core marketing pillars but rather high-efficiency multipliers that create viral moments, deepen consumer connections, and generate earned media at CPMs that would make any performance marketer swoon. Let’s explore why this approach is becoming non-negotiable for brands seeking relevance in 2025.

Redefining Risk in an Era of Budget Scrutiny

With 73% of CMOs reporting increased pressure to demonstrate short-term ROI (Forbes CMO Survey 2024), the calculus of marketing investments has shifted. Small bets thrive in this environment by operating at the intersection of frugality and creativity. Unlike traditional campaigns requiring seven-figure budgets and extensive lead times, these initiatives are designed for agility—concept-to-execution cycles measured in weeks, budgets under $50K, and metrics focused on earned media value and social amplification.

The Idaho Potato Commission’s (IPC) “Big Idaho Potato Truck” activation exemplifies this principle. By floating a 6-ton spud sculpture around Manhattan on a barge, they transformed a logistical limitation (the truck was too big to enter the city) into a $30K investment yielding 100.5M impressions—a $0.29 CPM that outperforms most programmatic benchmarks. This wasn’t just a stunt. It was a masterclass in asset repurposing and newsjacking.

Anatomy of a Breakthrough Small Bet

Phase 1: Mining Category Truths for Viral Potential

Every iconic food brand owns a sensory signature—the snap of a potato chip, the aroma of freshly baked bread. The IPC’s “Frites by Idaho” campaign leveraged this insight by bottling the scent of French fries into a limited-run perfume. The result? A Valentine’s Day launch that sold out in four hours and generated 600M+ impressions across The Late Show with Steven Colbert, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Fox News, MSN, NPR, NY Daily News and many others.

Key Takeaway:
Don’t just sell product benefits; weaponize the emotional and sensory associations already embedded in consumer consciousness. As TikTok’s #FoodHacks community proves daily, culinary nostalgia is prime territory for viral reinvention.

Phase 2: Designing for Shareability

At February 2025’s South Beach Food Festival, the IPC sidestepped the main Burger Bash competition to create their own “Best Side Dish Challenge.” By providing chefs with free potatoes and a $2,500 charity incentive, they turned 16 culinary influencers into brand ambassadors. The resulting dishes— from jalapeño hashbrown bites with maple syrup to potato fritters served in martini glasses—became social catnip, with #SpudCreativity trending in 12 markets.

While traditional metrics like CPM matter, small bets demand custom KPIs:

• Social Velocity: Shares per initial post
• Earned Media Quality: Tier 1 press hits vs. trade coverage
• Co-Creation Index: UGC volume from partners/consumers

The Small Bet Evaluation Matrix

Not every clever idea deserves a green light. Use this framework to pressure-test concepts:

The Compound Impact of Small Bets

While individual campaigns deliver splashy results, the real power lies in cumulative effect. Over time, your small bet portfolio should materially contribute to your overall marketing goals, such as:

• Increasing unaided brand awareness among key segments of your target audience
• Reduce CAC on DTC sales as a result of organic social lift
• Distinguish your brand as being uniquely fun and contemporary vis-à vis your competitive set 

Your Next Move

As you evaluate Q3-Q4 plans, consider:

1. Inventorying Existing Assets

• Could your mascot get the Macy’s Parade treatment?
• Would a limited-run “mystery flavor” create social FOMO?

2. Building a Small Bet Pipeline

• Dedicate 5-7% of your budget to test 3-4 concepts annually.

3 .Institutionalizing Learnings

• Create a “Viral Playbook” documenting best practices from wins/fails.

The era of “set it and forget it” marketing is over. In its place rises a dynamic model where $40K perfume launches and potato barges become the secret weapons of growth-focused CMOs. The question isn’t whether you can afford to take small bets—it’s whether you can afford not to.

Ready to explore how small bets could revolutionize your brand’s trajectory? Let’s connect to brainstorm over coffee (and perhaps a side of perfectly seasoned fries).