We set one intent. Put Chavroux Goats Cheese in mind before the shop.
Awareness. “I could make that.”
To trial. We heroed the host, the person plating up for friends, and use the language the feed loves. Things like hands in frame, slice, spread, serve.
The brief went beyond summer though. The need to educate and inspire uses for goat’s cheese beyond the cheeseboard. With snacks, quick meals, social gatherings, outdoor eating. Event when it came to the great British BBQ, we didn’t try to replace the burger. We made the burger look better.
That meant quick, clever sides that slide between buns and salad: whipped goat’s cheese, charred veg, drizzle, crunch.
Goat’s cheese didn’t fight the BBQ, it folded through warm courgettes, melted over flatbreads, dolloped next to grilled peaches (even we’re hungry now!).
Social‑first iPhone filming. Easy to prepare. Well presented. Properly enticing. We didn’t compete with the staples. Instead we inspired the dishes that complement those moments, and that work away from the BBQ too. Mediterranean cues. British back garden. Easy. Beautiful. Repeatable.
Results that made the client grin.
Tuning in to summer, delivered results
- Creator posts averaged 3.6% engagement across 252.7k followers. For context, Instagram medians sit around 0.36%. Ten times better.
- On our own channels, the “make-and-do” recipes earned 8.9% engagement on the summer organic set. That screams saves. Saves mean “I’ll make this at the weekend.” That is the job.
- En Plein Air awareness, shot on iPhone, delivered 3.56m impressions, 2.56m reach and 419,825 video views on just teeny tiny spend. Approx £0.70 CPM. Efficient.
- A second burst delivered 778,017 impressions, 580,310 reach and 754,178 video views on just over a grand. Approx £0.0014 per view. Sub‑penny views. Awareness for pennies. Sheesh!
- Trend‑aligned edits still spiked though. The Butter Board delivered the highest ad engagement (around 0.5% vs a campaign average of 0.2%).
Why it worked (all our secrets)
We hacked the occasion, not the category. Cheese already owns the BBQ. Goat’s cheese doesn’t. We slotted it into the moment with sides, pairings, boards. So it felt natural and nickable. From board to basket.
Pre‑shop mindset baked in (see it, save it, add to list).
The star is the person plating up for friends. iPhone, hands in shot, steam and crumble. Ingredients on screen. Method in captions. Steps pinned. Easy to copy tonight.
That’s why saves spiked. AND saves predict intention. Intention becomes purchase.
We planned for year‑round, not just July. Mediterranean cues meet British back garden. Works for match night, park picnic, Friday tapas. Same backbone, different toppings. Making it extendable beyond summer with zero reinvention.
We ran two‑speed media to win scale and proof. Brand cuts bought low cost reach and frequency. Creators supplied credibility and conversation. We benched against live CPM/CPV norms, pushed harder when costs sat below market, and fixed creative or audience when they didn’t.
It’s worth mentioning. Butter Board didn’t win by luck. It followed a repeatable pattern: simple prep, visible texture, fast payoff in the first three seconds.
Trend aware, brand right. Format first. Always.
Steal this if you’re a food brand (the things we learned)
- Build a Sides Library. Ten 20–35s iPhone recipes that plug into common occasions: match night, park picnic, Friday tapas. Label the occasion in second one. Make it easy to choose and easier to copy.
- Write for social search. Put ingredients and method on screen and in captions. Pin a comment with the steps. Add alt text that names the dish and the key flavours.
- Spark the right creators. Micro foodies with 10–50k followers often outrun brand handles on engagement. Give them host‑hacks briefs. Let them riff in their style.
- Optimise to saves over likes. Track saves, shares and cost per 10‑second view alongside CPM. Treat saves as the leading indicator of trial.
- Run two‑speed media. Reels for low cost reach. Spark Ads for social proof. Compare against sensible baselines and adjust creative or audience fast.
We didn’t try to turn goat’s cheese into the main event. We made it the clever upgrade for you summer meal. Creators and social‑first video delivered engagement 10× Instagram medians and mass awareness at sub‑market CPM and CPV. That is how you move Chavroux from “nice on a board” to “weekend must‑have.”
Oh and if you want to see how we built brand trust to outshine in category, have a read of this case study