Serving up success: Taste campaign

Gingerhead is a proudly female-led brand and marketing agency based in Liverpool, offering everything brand-related. From strategy and positioning through to identity, campaigns, digital assets, and beyond.

We set out from day one to build a different kind of agency. One that throws out the rulebook, brings in the real talk, and makes marketing that means something. Our Head Ginger was on a mission, to build a business that could be flexible, creative, and do good.

Whether we’re developing a bold new look for a local venue, crafting city-wide campaigns, or shaping the story of a regional organisation, we’re driven by our passion for what we do. We’re committed to helping the region thrive through compelling, authentic branding that resonates locally, nationally, and globally.

Our UK Agency Awards submission focussed on ‘Taste Liverpool’. We couldn’t be prouder to have delivered this campaign, a bold and multi-channel initiative that positioned Liverpool City Region as a culinary destination on regional, national, and international stages. Taste not only celebrated the city’s culinary excellence but also created a sustainable and future-proof identity, driving both short-term impact and long-term visitor engagement.

The campaign was designed to elevate perceptions of Liverpool City Region’s food and drink scene, spotlight independent restaurants, and stimulate hospitality footfall during quieter periods. Our measurable targets included driving 80,000 visits to key campaign pages, achieving over 10 million DOOH impressions, increasing follower growth by at least 3,000 across Instagram and TikTok, and securing a coverage rate of at least 1 in 3 press releases issued.

Our approach employed a multifaceted segmentation strategy, leveraging Visit Liverpool’s audience profiling. We targeted Metro Culturals, Experience Seekers, and Trips & Treats, initially within a three-hour drive, before expanding to international audiences in France, Ireland, and Belgium. Younger audiences were reached through TikTok, Meta, and influencer-led content, while older demographics were engaged through email, print, and family-friendly channels. A strong sustainability narrative showcased Liverpool’s field-to-fork produce, resonating with eco-conscious visitors.

The Taste campaign identity was revitalised with a bold visual direction, expanding its colour palette inspired by Liverpool’s architecture and food psychology. Playful taglines such as ‘Feast on this,’ ‘United by flavour,’ and ‘Espresso yourself’ amplified engagement. Bespoke photography and videography captured authentic stories behind Liverpool’s food scene, while hand-crafted illustrations tied landmarks and flavours together in a distinctive style.

In total, 120 independent restaurants were spotlighted, backed by a campaign toolkit, creative assets, and high-impact digital placements across OOH, PPC, and social media.

The campaign was delivered across winter into spring, meaning shoots faced challenges of limited daylight, unpredictable weather, and last-minute influencer cancellations. By adapting schedules, prioritising indoor shoots, and leveraging our network to secure replacements, we kept production agile and resilient. Coordinating 120 restaurants required precision planning, our solution included piloting shoot days, handheld setups, and providing venues with social-ready footage as incentives.

The Taste campaign exceeded all expectations:

• 868 million impressions and interaction with 61 million people.
• Increased food and drink page visits from 3,000 annually to 127,000+ in just three months.
• Food and drink content elevated from number 30 to number 4 on Visit Liverpool’s top 10 pages.
• 490,000 visits to campaign pages.
• Social engagement rose to 1-3% (from 0.2%) and 4,900 new followers gained across Instagram and TikTok.
• Conversion rates: 2-5% from social ads, over 11% from PPC.
• 12.7 million DOOH impacts achieved.

We created an identity that is both playful and future-proof, while amplifying the voices of 120 independent venues. To demonstrate value, we applied the TOMS framework, showing that every £1 invested delivered £1 in social return, while also delivering a conversion.

Sustainability was also a big priority: by capping digital ad run times, improving targeting, and using programmatic display, we introduced new strategies that reduced ad waste and cut campaign emissions by 42% compared with previous activity.

Ultimately, this campaign played a vital role in supporting record-breaking visitor numbers to Liverpool post-pandemic.

Being shortlisted for the UK Agency Awards is a testament to the creativity, collaboration, and resilience of our team. At Gingerhead, we’re driven by our values – delivering work that not only meets commercial goals but also makes a social impact. Entering this award reflects our pride in the Taste campaign and our gratitude to the hospitality partners, stakeholders, and collaborators who made it possible.

As one of our Gingerheads put it: “Taste was more than a campaign- it showcased the heart and soul of Liverpool’s food culture. Being recognised for this work is an honour we share with everyone that contributed to this project and the incredible people we worked alongside”.

Our client, Pamela Carroll, Head of Marketing at Visit Liverpool said ‘“Truly experiencing the food culture of a destination is an incredibly important part of what makes a holiday great. The team at Gingerhead went above and beyond to help us put the Liverpool City Region on the map where creativity, culture, and food come together in unforgettable ways”.  

As we build up to the 10th anniversary of Gingerhead, being named the winner of ‘Best Integrated Campaign’ would be a proud and defining moment. It would mean the world to us.