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The Olympics may be over, but the online popularity of a chocolate muffin from the athlete village lives on.
One of the surprise stars of the Paris Olympics, at least on social media, was a decadent chocolate muffin served in the cafeteria inside the Olympic village.
It started to gain traction online when self-titled “Olympic village muffin man” Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen posted a series of Tiktok videos capturing his devotion to the sweet treat.
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Soon athletes from around the world were posting videos sampling the muffins, reviewing them and sneaking them out of the village to share with visiting family.
By the second week of the games, food bloggers, influencers and magazines were attempting to recreate the recipe for the muffin few have tried. And yes, someone eventually tracked down the recipe.
But, why the passion for this chocolate muffin?
The Olympic chocolate muffin hits the right triggers
Adam Ferrier, consumer psychologist and founder of creative agency Thinkerbell, says the muffin went viral because it hits all the right emotional triggers, with ease.
For starters, the appeal of food is universal.
“It’s language that everybody around the world can talk about.”
It appears to be far from an average muffin, with chunks of chocolate covering the top and a rich gooey centre oozing out in many videos.
Emotionally, Mr Ferrier says “there’s something almost cathartic or gluttonous about beautiful, rich, tasty muffins in the Olympic village”.
He says seeing fit and disciplined athletes indulging in the chocolate muffin is giving us permission to enjoy a sweet treat as well.
There’s also a practical side to its viral success.
He explains that “food gets eyeballs”, and for athletes at the Olympics jumping on the chocolate muffin trend, it’s easy content, whether you’re trying it or sneaking it out of the country.
Food regularly goes viral on social media — from feta pasta to a cucumber salad, and while it might seem like a modern or pandemic-related phenomenon, Mr Ferrier says “the appeal of food as a medium to communicate preceded social media”.
Viral cakes can be a double-edged sword for small businesses
Pastry chef Nat Paull, a cookbook author and owner of the now-closed Beatrix Bakery in Naarm/Melbourne, says the chocolate muffin is the “last thing” you’d think would come out of the games.
She’s been loving the videos, including a blogger who baked a dozen versions to get it right.
“This resurgence of people making chocolate muffins, I think that’s incredible.”
She says in its “nicest form” this online hype is uniting people to enjoy something, and that food — particularly cakes — can be “very photogenic”, lending themselves easily to online fame.
While at the helm of her bakery for more than a decade, Ms Paull noticed the shift in the way customers used social media — people making sure they got the picture just right before taking a bite, or posting a picture from the queue on a busy day.
She says purchases and activities like lining up became a “currency in social media”.
But online success can have a downside.
She says there’s an important distinction between the viral chocolate muffins that isn’t available for purchase and a product from a business, which can see demand become unsustainable when a product takes off online.
Social media hype for a small business can be “like planning for a barbecue for eight people and then 20 people turn up unexpected”.
Even nice reviews can lead to the disappointment of other customers, Ms Paull says.
“When I see things that are viral, I see someone say, ‘This is the best ramen in Melbourne.’ But when I approach it, I like to go, ‘I just hope it’s delicious.'”
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