This month's Ceres Edit brings together a selection of LinkedIn posts from across the team, covering everything from reactive social media and the changing relationship between journalists and their audiences, to food, nutrition, leadership and some exciting client activity.
From Birds Eye's brilliantly simple response to a cultural moment and new beginnings for the humble beansprout, to exploring the connection between soil and gut health, bringing campaigns to life and celebrating the people shaping the food industry, here's some of what's been keeping us talking and thinking throughout September.
Maddie on knowing when to join the conversation
I know this happened last week, but I’m still thinking about how good this was 😂👏.
When Amelia announced that Chicken Shop Date was coming to an end after 12 years, naturally the internet had a lot to say about it 🥲.
And while plenty of brands could have found some way to jump on the conversation, Birds Eye UK & IE had possibly the easiest reactive marketing opportunity handed to them on a plate🍗.
Their response? A box of Chicken Shop Chicken, a handwritten note… and not much else.
Simple. Funny. Completely relevant to the brand.
I think sometimes we overcomplicate reactive social. The temptation is to see something trending and immediately ask, “How can we get involved?”
But the better question is probably “does it make sense for us to get involved?”
Because when the connection between the brand and the cultural moment is this obvious, you don't need to force the joke or over-explain it.
Bravo, Birds Eye👌.
Read Maddie's original LinkedIn post
Ceres on giving the humble beansprout its moment
A new client and a new mission: give the humble beansprout the attention it deserves 👀
We’re very excited to welcome J. Pao, the UK’s leading beansprout producer, to Ceres.
To kick things off, James and Maddie headed to the J. Pao factory to see first-hand how millions of beansprouts make their way from seed to plate and get properly immersed in the process behind it.
And now, we want to get more consumers excited about them too.
We’ll be working with J. Pao on a digital campaign designed to get more people noticing, talking about and ultimately choosing beansprouts when eating out.
Because for an ingredient that’s long been a staple of East and Southeast Asian cooking, we reckon the beansprout deserves a little more main-character energy.
Read Ceres' original LinkedIn post
Emma on why your next story idea might be in the comments section
Thank you Rachel Duffy for an interesting and informative session with Roxhill Media on 'why your next story idea is in the comments section', exploring how the sentiments expressed by readers can, and do, spark new story ideas.
The line between what was previously seen as two separate ecosystems - ‘above the line’ and the comments section - is becoming increasingly blurred, with Rachel’s team monitoring comments daily and journalists even popping up to reply to comments on their own articles.
When pitching an idea inspired by a comment, Rachel advised that PRs should take a holistic view. The strongest stories are often those where the initial sentiment is backed up by wider SEO or social trends and has the potential to work across multiple channels.
Thanks again for an enlightening morning. I’ll definitely be looking ‘below the line’ for story ideas more often from now on!
Read Emma's original LinkedIn post
Ceres on bringing Calm From Within to life for Yakult
Not every event brief comes with a reminder to pause, breathe and reset… but this one did🧘
Earlier this summer, we had the pleasure of bringing Yakult UK & Ireland’s ‘Calm From Within’ campaign to life at The Mandrake Hotel in London, with an intimate media and influencer event exploring the connection between stress and gut health, drawing on Yakult’s expertise in gut health.
Because sometimes the best way to talk about calm is to help people actually feel it.
The evening included a dedicated sound healing session with Joseph Evling-Taylor of Urmi Sounds, creating a moment for guests to properly switch off, slow down and experience a little calm from within.
From “butterflies in the stomach” and “gut instinct” to that familiar knotted feeling, Lucy Jones RNutr Registered Nutritionist for Yakult, shared expert insight into the connection between our stress levels and what’s happening in our gut, along with practical tips to help support calm from within through everyday habits.
We were also joined by a brilliant group of guests, including Dr Gareth Patterson (The Irish GP), Dr. Emeka Okorocha, Mary Comber, Emma Gritt and Grace Duncan, who helped make the evening feel even more special.
Behind the scenes, there was plenty to bring together, from venue liaison and guest outreach to attendee travel, videographer briefing, goody bag curation, branded décor and on-the-day management.
And even with tube strikes and classic London rain doing their best to test the theme, the room still felt calm, considered and engaged.
A big team effort, a beautiful setting, and a campaign message we loved bringing to life. Thank you to everyone who helped make the Calm From Within event such a special evening ✨
Read Ceres' original LinkedIn post
Emily on the journey from soil to gut
I stole a couple of hours away from the desk on Friday afternoon to head to Peterley Manor Farm with Kathryn Race for its Soil to Gut conversation with Registered Nutritionist and author Dr Lucy Williamson.
Not only was it great to meet Lucy and hear more about her new book, but it was also interesting to explore the connection between healthy soil, the quality of the food we eat and our gut health and how looking after one can ultimately help support the others.
Working in this space, I spend a lot of time talking about gut health, nutrition and where our food comes from, so it was brilliant to hear Lucy bring all three together and explore the journey from soil to gut. There were some really useful nuggets and, as always, enjoyed opening my mind to different ways of talking about and understanding gut health and nutrition that I may not have considered before.
Lots of food for thought (quite literally), followed by an excellent gut-friendly lunch from the Peterley Manor Farm kitchen. A very good way to spend a Friday afternoon! 😊
Read Emily's original LinkedIn post
Ceres on the conversations shaping the dairy category
The latest issue of The Grocer’s Dairymen kept us pretty busy 👀
Across the supplement, our clients Lactalis UK & Ireland and Yakult UK & Ireland are part of conversations spanning social trends, changing eating habits, innovation, gut health and functional dairy drinks.
Taken together, it’s a good snapshot of just how many different influences are shaping the dairy category today.
For Lactalis, that ranges from how dairy brands are tapping into social trends and occasions, to innovation across continental cheese. And for Yakult, it’s the growing focus on fibre, the gut microbiome and the role dairy drinks can play in everyday routines.
What we liked about the issue is how often those conversations start to overlap. A social trend can give a familiar product a new role. A new format can respond to a changing eating habit. And innovation is increasingly being shaped by much more than the product itself.
For us, that’s often the interesting bit. Staying close to the conversations happening around a category, and knowing where our clients have something useful and relevant to add.
And, of course, it’s always lovely to see the coverage land too 💚
Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eFgA4hPc
Read Ceres' original LinkedIn post
Ceres on celebrating the pioneers of organic food
What better way to see out Organic September than with a look back at one of our favourite pieces of coverage? 🌾
We loved seeing our client Doves Farm Foods Ltd featured in The Grocer’s ‘Organic Heroes’, as one of five producers helping to shape the future of organic food and drink.
It was a great opportunity for us to work with the team to bring their story, and Clare and Michael’s long-standing commitment to organic farming, to life for The Grocer’s readers.
Co-founder Clare Marriage reflects on how she and Michael started Doves Farm in 1977, driven by a belief that it was possible to grow quality food without artificial pesticides and fertilisers, at a time when the idea of organic farming was far from mainstream.
Fast forward nearly 50 years and a lot has changed. More consumers are asking questions about where their food comes from and what organic really means, with Clare describing the organic label as “a kind of gold standard”.
It’s a brilliant reflection on how far both Doves Farm and the organic category have come, while keeping sight of the principles that started it all 💚
A big thank you to Dene Mullen at The Grocer for such a thoughtful feature and a really interesting look at the people and businesses shaping the organic category today.
You can read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/ejf8AYi8
Read Ceres' original LinkedIn post
We'll be back soon with the next edition of The Ceres Edit, bringing together more of the posts, perspectives and themes shaping our thinking at Ceres.
