TV chef collaboration proves a recipe for success

Challenge

The Hoover brand is synonymous with vacuum cleaners but there’s so much more to their appliance portfolio. To expand their presence in the fast-growing built-in cooking category, they began a brand partnership with celebrity TV chef Simon Rimmer in 2019. We were brought in to activate the collaboration, with a brief to boost awareness of Hoover’s cooking credentials that leveraged Simon as a high-profile brand ambassador.

Solution

Aligning the activation strategy with Hoover’s ‘The way you live’ brand proposition, we have brought the partnership to life with a series of content-led campaigns that have showcased the product and demonstrated Hoover’s brand pillars of Trust, Performance & Wellbeing, using Simon and his well-honed presentation and cooking skills.

The activation has been delivered primarily on social with a combination of organic and paid content targeting a carefully profiled audience of ‘in-market’ cooking enthusiasts, plus Simon’s own social followers. Highlights include:

Live virtual breakfast cook-along raising funds for the Magic Breakfast charity
Instagram Live Q&A between Simon and wellbeing influencer Adrienne Herbert
‘Dinner with Rimmer’ – a social competition to win a meal cooked by the man himself
Consumer and trade press advertising to promote the partnership
Spotify playlist – a sponsored playlist of Simon’s favourite ‘tunes to cook to’
Regular recipes encouraging people to sharpen up their cooking skills
Foodies Festival – Hoover sponsored the cooking demonstration stage with Simon and other celebrity chefs wowing the crowds
‘Cook-off clash’ which pitted the cooking skills of Warrington Wolves players vs. Simon (you can guess who won!)

Foodies Festival - demo stage headliner

Promoting the partnership in press

Instagram Live wellbeing Q&A with Adrienne Herbert

Recipe inspiration cards

Spotify playlist

Results

The partnership is into its third year and has delivered impressive commercial results for Hoover. Their share of the built-in cooking appliance market has risen exponentially since 2019. Total social impressions for the activation are at 5 million and rising, while we’ve generated over 50 pieces of press coverage with a combined reach of over 155 million.