Have you ever heard of ‘bean soup’ theory? (Don’t worry, this hasn’t suddenly turned into a cooking blog, stay with us!)

The theory

Bean soup theory, otherwise known as the ‘what about me?’ effect, is a phrase that was coined in 2023, when a vegan influencer posted a recipe for a high-protein bean soup on TikTok. The comment section was flooded with questions like “what if I don’t like beans?” and “how can I make this bean-free,” highlighting a significant lack of media literacy and digital empathy among users, who clearly failed to comprehend that perhaps the video just wasn’t targeted at them. The phenomenon can be traced back even further to English philosopher Francis Bacon’s ‘Idols of the Cave’, which essentially describes human beings’ tendency to view all things through the coloured lens of their own lived experiences. When one considers this naturally narcissistic behaviour and combines it with the contemporary information environment, it poses some interesting challenges for those of us who make a living through understanding how the public thinks.

Social media and algorithms have completely revolutionised how we consume media, and given rise to a filtered, ‘echo chamber’ mentality whereby individualism and personal preference is encouraged and prioritised above all else. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the resulting filter bubble does create a huge amount of variance between any two people’s online ecosystems. This in turn has implications for journalists, brands and communicators alike in how they interact with their audience. And you thought it was just about beans…

What this means for PR

Why is this relevant for PR you ask? Well, for an industry that is founded on how successfully one can ‘relate’ to the ‘public’, we’re all too familiar with the fact that it is virtually impossible to cater comms to absolutely everyone on planet earth. In fact, even pre-social media, the aim has never been to appeal to the masses (we’ll leave that up to the folks in the sales department.)

Here are our top tips for navigating the ‘what about me’ effect…

• Know your audience – and accept that you can’t own everyone else’s

Before any piece of content goes out, be crystal clear about who it’s for. Not in a vague, ‘general public’ sense – but specifically. What do they already know? What platforms are they on? What is their relationship with your brand or issue? The tighter your audience definition, the more effective your message, and the less likely it is that your campaign will be derailed by responses from people who were never in your target group to begin with.

• Stress-test your messaging across the media literacy spectrum

Not to get all ‘worst-case scenario’, but any good campaign has a contingency plan. When putting together a crisis communications strategy for your campaign, evaluate all ends of the media literacy spectrum. What will the most informed reader take away from this? What will someone encountering your brand for the first time make of it? The least digitally literate audience member will still form an opinion – and in a crisis, that opinion travels fast. Building in clarity at every level isn’t dumbing down, it’s just good practice.

• Separate signal from noise in your feedback

Not all engagement is meaningful engagement. When a piece of content attracts criticism or confusion, the first question to ask is: is this coming from our intended audience, or is this the bean soup effect in action? For example, a campaign aimed at educating people in Birmingham about home safety (shoutout to our recent Ring x Crimestoppers campaign) won’t be of much interest to someone from Liverpool. Should they for some reason find themselves reading about it in a ‘Birmingham Neighbourhood Watch’ Facebook group and reacting badly, it’s therefore important to consider the wider context in which this reaction is taking place. Distinguish between feedback that reveals a genuine communications gap and noise generated by people reacting to content that was never designed for them. Both matter, but they require very different responses.

All of this to say that the communications landscape is constantly changing. At Clearbox, we believe that common sense will always prevail, but that it is crucial to keep abreast of shifting trends in audience behaviour, as these can create unforeseen communications roadblocks for PR professionals. The nature of the game is always the same, but the rules are often subject to change. Whether you’re issuing a press release or an innocuous bean soup recipe, be prepared! Consider all potential outcomes.

And the next time you’re debating the merits of a piece of content, maybe take a beat – ask yourself, is this message meant for me? What is it trying to achieve and for whom? Until then, please put down the pitchforks!