The opportunity
When lockdown came into effect, Woolworths tasked our TASTE team with producing COVID-appropriate food content for both TASTE and Woolworths audiences. The goal was to support Woolies shoppers with affordable, pantry-friendly recipes, entertain them during lockdown, and build camaraderie and trust for both Woolworths and TASTE.
The solution
We created articles, recipes, social media posts and lo-fi videos, all shot on phones in our food stylists’ kitchens. This content was shared across both the TASTE and Woolworths digital channels. It took four primary forms:
- Articles combining legacy recipes into practical guides for fast, easy, pantry-friendly meals
- Lo-fi videos featuring a mix of entertaining project cooking and simple, time-saving recipes for stressed families
- Step-by-step recipe galleries for trending lockdown meals, created with phones for Instagram
- Weekly wine webinars hosted by chefs, sommeliers and winemakers
TASTE’s usual video output is high-end, but this project pioneered a new approach. Our stylists filmed from their own kitchens using their phones. What the content lacked in polish, it made up for in relevance and human connection.
We also adapted our recipe development using data-led insights. We focused on high-search terms during lockdown such as banana bread and no-yeast recipes, using our client’s product sales data and social media insights to guide content strategy.
“The TASTE team are long-standing partners who have always delivered excellence as representatives of Woolworths. The period during COVID-19 and lockdown has been no exception. With very little heads-up, they were able to completely pivot their content plan, ensuring it was relevant and meaningful to our customer during this trying time. Woolies (through TASTE) has been by her side at every step, recommending daily solutions that speak to her lockdown need states.” – Cathy Lund, Head of Content: Woolworths
The results
The content was a runaway success. In April 2020, TASTE’s digital footprint grew 64% month on month and 97% year on year. Website traffic was up 145% from March and 252% year on year. Social media audiences grew 7.5% year on year, with Instagram impressions up 62.6%, engagements up 137.1% and profile link clicks up 66.8%.
In May, although recipe search volumes dropped as lockdown eased, the TASTE website still saw 140% year-on-year growth. On Woolworths’ own platforms, engagement on food content improved and strategic content in direct mailers achieved click-through rates as high as 66%.
