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About this page
The promotion of The Antichefs tv show is both online and offline. A mix of in-person activities and outlandish digital & social media advertisements. This page includes examples, references and social media guidelines.
Our Goals
We want our brand to memorable. If we introduce the brand to our audiences early on, in a place of learning, and provide fun activities to schools to complete, our brand will be easier to remember!
The advertising should begin before the TV show has even been filmed. A targeted campaign in schools, for example, to find children to appear in the competition and to stir interest in the show. A mysterious Instagram account posting people eating meals that don't make sense. A little chaos and confusion!
To achieve this, our advertising campaign will be split into four phases:
Recruitment (before the cameras roll)
Pre-broadcast (once we have a show to promote)
During broadcast (to engage our found audience and to build a new following)
After broadcast (to keep interest in the show going until a new season)
Before the Cameras Roll
Promotion for The Antichefs begins as early as possible. Our Advertising Strategy starts with a ground-roots idea to stir interest in cooking and nutritional skills, targeted to schools.
We send ambassadors (chefs, producers, nutritionists) to schools to find lunch-times' most fussiest eaters.
Teachers and parents can advise us on who might like to feature on the tv show. Everyone will receive an invite to apply.
We bring fun activities, cooking experiences and educational content to help generate a buzz around the competition.
The more exciting the activities, the more likely the children are to tell their parents about it - and the more likely they are to apply to the show!
What happens when you let children run a restaurant?
A Creative Mystery
In the run-up to broadcast, we want to create an interest in our brand - and a mystery around what THE ANTICHEFS is.
How? Imagine someone walks into a restaurant, sits down to order their food and the waiter brings them a plate, but the food is made of Lego! We create a handful of TikTok personalities who visit restaurants to review food to build a small following. One luxury restaurant they visit has children working the kitchens and floor - someone brings out toy food to their surprise and the confusion of their TikTok audience. People may ask questions, but at first, we leave very little answered.
Meanwhile, THE ANTICHEFS' Instagram account is posting photos of plated Lego food.
The Antichefs Pop-up Restaurant
The reality is: we have created a POP-UP RESTAURANT called The Antichefs, in London, that only serves Lego food! A restaurant run by children, serving meals made of toys: available for a few days with invites to social media personalities and the general public to share their experiences. Anyone can visit and have their perfect meal crafted out of a set of toys.
Picture opening Deliveroo or JustEat and seeing a plastic-food restaurant amongst those listed. People can take-away takeaways of their favourites dishes, branded with our logo.
A note on sustainability:
All plastic food will be bought from charity shops and anything left will be donated to childrens charities. All takeaways will be in recycled paper bags. This is important to keep our brand image aligned with our ethos and values. The pop-up experience will leave no destruction to the surrounding environment. Our crew will fully clean and clear the site afterwards. A donation will be made to local food banks as well.
Social Media Schedule
Starting three months before broadcast, post twice-weekly images of fancy restaurant meals recreated using Lego.
Then, two months before broadcast, begin sharing potential viral videos on TikTok and Instagram. See ideas below.
A week later (or once videos gain traction), reveal the POP-UP RESTAURANT, with invites to the public and personalities.
One month before broadcast, we air our first television trailer. A 30-second advert of what to expect in the show with a focus on the competition and the drama.
During the competition, share highlight reels from the episode. Select moments of humour and drama to create a buzz online.
While the show is on the air, begin posting recipes on Instagram and on a website, with short how-to videos for families to recreate the dishes at home.
After broadcast, continue to share highlights, recipes and more to keep the audience engaged whilst waiting for series two!
Target Audience & Research
A wind-down, Saturday evening programme. You can sit down, watch without too much "thinking". Perfect for watching as a family.
From the GWI Kids report "Kids These Days", two thirds of kids aged 8 to 11 watch TV shows with their parents and a third of 12-15 year olds say they decide what to watch. It's crucial therefore, that our campaign appeals to these age groups as well as their parents.
According to recmedia.com McCain's advertising campaign has been successful at promoting their chips with a message of family and bringing people together. Their "We are Family" ads feature a diverse range of people from different ethnicities, backgrounds and abilities.
For our advertising campaign to be successful, we should replicate the sense of inclusion through diversity. Our online personalities should reflect our society. The interactive experiences (pop-up restaurant) will be accessible to all. We can do this be ensuring that our social media posts are family-friendly.
Disney World ran their Grand Adventure ad campaign that promoted their multi-generational theme park. They did this by reaching out to children of all ages and their families. They also asked for comments from grandparents to share their adventures at Disney with their grandchildren. By using Instagram and TikTok, we will be able to collect comments from those interacting with our posts and incorporate them into our campaign. Directly replying and re-shaping our ads in a fluid, reactive way to how the audience responds will help ensure we are performing as best as possible.
In 2024, Lego promoted a collaboration with National Trust encouraging children to visit the great outdoors. They created themed sets to inspire adventures within nature - and included National Trust discounts in the box. Their campaign promotes a healthy balance between playing indoors and outdoors and fosters a connection between brands as well as between children and parents. Our branded social media posts should also help build a bond between families by promoting cooking together in the kitchen with nutritious meals from the show.
See more references and research under the Research & Development / Target Audience page.
Social Media Advertising
5.17 billion social media users worldwide
TikTok is the fastest-growing platform with a 100% user growth rate between 2020 and 2022. Their active users grew 13% between 2022 and 2023.
Instagram has more than 2 billion actively monthly users: so the potential reach is huge! Instagram Reels generate more likes and saves, but fewer comments than regular posts.
Total spend on social media advertising is projected to reach $219.8 billion in 2024.
Of the top 6 social media platforms with the highest return on investment, Instagram and Facebook tie at the top.
On Instagram, ad reach has incresed by more than 20% over the past two years. Both Instagram and TikTok statistics show that users opened the app on 62% of days each month.
TikTok is the most frequently used app worldwide, with Android users spending an average of 34 hours per month on the platform. Around 37% of their users are 18-24 years old and are the majority of their advertising audience. Ads reach 48% of women on the app, and 52% of men.
According to a US survey, 53% of TikTok users have visited or ordered food from a restaurant after seeing a video about it. [4]
32.7 billion #FoodTok views in the UK [5]
Takeaways
Social media advertising is an ever-growing tool that is incredibly important at reaching far and wide audiences. It presents a perfect opportunity for The Antichefs to promote our brand. Where videos go viral (for example of our pop-up restaurant) and for sharing clips from the show - TikTok and Instagram will help drive viewership and engagement.
REFERENCES
1 - https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-statistics/
2 - https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-global-overview-report
3 - https://www.charle.co.uk/articles/tiktok-statistics/
4 - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zdj3jfr
5 - https://madebyextreme.com/insights/tiktok-food-drink-industry
In-World Experiences
In 2024, Netflix launched Squid Game season 2 and in the run up, used transmedia devices to promote the show. For example, they put up giant balloons in Cardiff City Center, featuring iconic Squid Game iconography and used actors in costume to stand ominously in front of them.
As I walked past, there was quite a crowd drawn - with many people taking photos and videos of the event, myself included.
People are drawn to the unknown and unexpected. People unfamiliar with the brand will be asking questions. Our promotional campaign should also create a little confusion to get people thinking.
A photo I took in Cardiff. Who are they?
How do we make a Memorable Pop-up Experience?
The following is adapted from FORBES' Seven Steps to Make a Memorable Pop-up Experience (link) When designing our restaurant experience, we will take this all on board!
Maximise Results with a Clear Objective
If the purpose is brand awareness, then launch early to get customers familiar with the brand.
Use geo-targeted advertising if selling a product. Get ratings and reviews online.
Delight your Customers
Identify popular events and attractions on social media.
Find potential partners to use as traffic drivers for visibility.
Find the Perfect Spot
Location is crucial. What environment do we need? Does it need remodelling?
Think about footfall and ease of access. Do we want the restaurant to stand out and inviting to all? Or should it be subtle and exclusive?
Become the Most Interesting Brand in the Space You'll Occupy
Do things to keep people engaged. Advertise, promote and gift!
Gifting! We can gift the toy-food to our customers.
Engage with Experiences and Influencers
From the article: "Our most recent collaboration with a celebrity chef and Amazon best-selling author attracted people to our pop-up to try free dessert and bubble teas while getting the message out to her 200,000 followers."
Get Your Influencers Lined Up and Ready
Local influencers help bring in initial crowds. They can also help shape the in-restaurant experience based on what locals might want to see.
Sharing content online helps the experience gain traction beyond the local sphere and to interest people from all around.
Smile
The right staff! A friendly face.
In our instance, a restaurant run by children - maybe we should scout some child actors for the roles...
Guidelines & Ethos
Our social media guidelines are designed to ensure fair brand representation that is accurate to our identity (typeface, logo etc) and helps give us a build a good reputation.
Firstly, we take a NO AI approach to our campaign, promoting original ideas created by humans and not from "video generators" or large language models.
Fonts
All text in videos and images should use one of two fonts: Baron or DM Sans. We use Baron for large headings and DM Sans for body text.
Copyright
Do not share copyrighted content unless agreed it could be considered fair use. Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram encourage remixing and duet-ing which is the use of mixing someone else's videos with our own. There will be plenty of oppotunities for us to do the same.
Security
All accounts should have two-factor authentication (not SMS based) to prevent un-authorised access.
Language and Bullying
As a family show, no posts should use foul or derogatory language. This includes slurs and swearing etc. Any instances of trolling towards our show or staff will be blocked to limit exposure to our social media managers and to our audience.
Light "jesting" may be okay, if such a communication has begun from a commenter - funny brand accounts are popular!
Original Instagram Photos
To help you visualise some of our ideas, these photos were created and posted on Instagram. You can also see them in our pitch deck! This is the kind of food we will 'serve' at the pop-up restaurant...
We're on Instagram already!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theantichefs
Video Ideas
These are some ideas for TikTok or Instagram reels we can make.
Idea One
Customer walks into fancy restaurant. Waiter comes over, we only see the top of their head - level with the table as they're a child (short). Small hands reach up to grab the menu. They return with a plate of food made of toys, similar to the example photos. We hear chaos in the kitchen, children talking and screaming.
Idea Two
TikTok, someone orders a McDonalds delivery. They collect the bag from the front door, open the Big Mac box - it is a toy burger. The fries are fake chips. What??
Idea Three
Photos of Domino's store fronts. Text and voice over: "Mum, I want Dominos for dinner!"
Random photos of mothers, text and vo: "We have pizza at home."
Pizza at home: toy food. Photos from kids toy sets.
Idea Four
"My oven is broken." Every frozen food (such as pizza) someone puts inside, comes out as the toy equivalent.
Teaser Videos
We have created two TikTok reels ready as examples, ready to promote our show! You can watch them on TikTok or via the (unlisted) YouTube links below:
Received almost 700 views in 15 minutes on TikTok!
The videos may seem simple in nature, but maybe that is the point? Being able to quickly throw out ideas and film them in a few hours and upload them regularly is part of the new era of social media advertising. Thousands of hours of content is posted online every minute - we need to keep pace! Low-budget videos are a perfect way to get involved on TikTok The ones I have created show that you can generate engagement and interest without having to spend lots of money on promotions.
At the time of writing, the first TikTok has more than 2000 views and 200 likes! Let's continue to replicate this success!
Promo TikTok 1 appears to have been far more successful than the second, even though they were uploaded at the same time. My assumptions would be that because it features a known brand and something more unexpected, viewers on TikTok are surprised and maybe even find it funny. Future videos should lean more into this!
Alternate Stream (on YouTube)
If the embed links do not work, you can stream them on YouTube.
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