2024 Silver Customer Acquisition

Agency: OLIVER and Precis

Client: The Guardian

Entry Title: Feast App: Featuring Flavour Adventures

Executive Summary

Convincing an audience used to getting free online recipes to pay in an already saturated market needed a campaign full of flavour.

Strategy

The Guardian’s long-running Feast supplement wanted to extend its offering to an app, but with a paid-for subscription offering.

An innovative approach to compete against the likes of FoodTok in a saturated market was needed. Customer research showed that despite owning multiple cookbooks and frequently seeking inspiration from social media, even confident chefs feel equally uninspired and overwhelmed by the plethora of options - leading to a recipe rut, despite the glut of choices.

Instead of positioning the app as a source of simple yet satisfying meals like its competitors, it was turned into a unique culinary companion, elevating everyday cooking into a masterful adventure. The strategy aimed to make Feast an indispensable tool for adventurous home chefs.

Creativity

The team cooked up scenarios highlighting sudden needs to break free from recipe ruts, showing how the Feast app could turn challenging situations into opportunities for inspiration. Hero recipes from Feast were portrayed at different stages of the cooking process, from initial preparation to adding the finishing touches.

Pop-up banners and Guardian website takeovers featured mouthwatering recipes by renowned chefs, while audio ads with Meera Sodha captivated listeners. Print ads and a personal email sent to subscribers from Nigel Slater gave them the ‘insider’ feeling.

Then the campaign went wider: social taster reels and chef partnerships on Instagram and TikTok proved that while there are many free options online, the Feast app offers well-curated meals like a beloved recipe book. Influencers, paid media podcast reads on shows like Off Menu and Table Manners and Glastonbury marketing were key ingredients.

Results

The Feast app exceeded its ambitious annual download target by 91% in the first six months. This achievement underscores the effectiveness of the combined creative and channel strategy, as well as the app’s compelling value proposition and widespread appeal.

Install-to-trial and purchase rates stood at 13% and 5% respectively. In addition, 43% of users who opted for the 14-day free trial converted into paid subscriptions, underscoring the app’s vital role in the kitchens of enthusiastic home cooks.

The Team

OLIVER - Rod Sobral, Global Chief Creative Officer - Rae Stones, Executive Creative Director - Naomi Daley, Copywriter - Jaala Kenchington, Creative Director - Eytan Smith Creative Director - Liam Smith, Design Director - Kate Scally, Senior Designer - Louis Johnson, Motion Designer - Lily Sevilla Artworker - Darren Thomas, Managing Director - Mary Ogbewele, Account Manager, Rebecca Andrews, Senior Project Manager - Heleana Blackwell, Senior Planner

The Guardian - Kate Robarts, Senior Marketing Manager, Joel Midgely, Head of Marketing