Golden Effie for Foodbag: turning pride into growth

Executive summary

This Golden Effie-winning case reveals how we helped Belgian meal-box challenger Foodbag achieve ambitious growth in a collapsing market. We built a strategy on a simple but powerful insight: customer pride in local, quality ingredients. We created a campaign that humorously encouraged users to 'brag' about their excellent food choices, turning them into our most authentic ambassadors. This approach drove significant growth against the market trend and cemented Foodbag's position as the premium Belgian alternative.

Results

The company's growth plan significantly surpassed its 2024 targets.

• The KPI for extra revenue growth was set at +20%, but a growth of +35% was achieved.
• New customer growth: the initial goal of a +25% increase was surpassed, with ultimately achieving +47% growth in new customers.
• Web traffic growth: the objective was to increase web traffic by +35%, while the Foodbag website saw a +46% increase in visits.
• The creative strategy encouraging clients to ‘brag’ about Foodbag was successful, as word-of-mouth from 'friends and family' became the primary source of information for two-thirds of new customers.
• The campaign yielded a strong Return on Campaign Investment (ROCI) of 1:4.74.

Our approach

The big idea

We helped Foodbag turn customer satisfaction into a powerful engine for growth, using pride and humour as our main ingredients.

The strategy

In a collapsing market dominated by international giants like HelloFresh, Foodbag aimed for ambitious growth by leaning into its strengths: high customer satisfaction and a focus on local, quality ingredients. Our research showed that customers were already spontaneously justifying Foodbag's premium price by praising its superior quality. This created a sense of pride, which they were keen to share with friends and family, making them our most authentic ambassadors.

Our approach was to position Foodbag as the premium Belgian alternative. We tapped into the insight that choosing Foodbag wasn't just about convenience; it was a reflection of our customers' values and self-image. The challenge was to communicate this without appearing arrogant. We landed on a strategy of 'humblebragging' - a subtle, humorous form of self-promotion that feels authentic and relatable, perfectly navigating the line between pride and modesty.

The process

Our creative strategy hinged on the double meaning of the Dutch word 'opscheppen', which means both 'to serve food' and 'to brag'. We built a campaign around the core message: with Foodbag, you serve up quality you can be proud of, and it's okay to brag about it! This playful approach encouraged customers to share their positive experiences, breaking through typical Belgian modesty.

We rolled this out through a connected media strategy.

• Increase brand appetite with broad media integrations we highlighted the ease of Foodbag's service.
• Increase preference through inspiring content on digital channels and collaborations with culinary influencers who reinforced our quality credentials.
• This guided potential customers down the funnel, increasing first-time orders and encouraging existing users to order more frequently.

Let's cook up your growth.

Inspired by this case that won the Golden Effie 2025? Get in touch and let's discuss how we can build a strong growth strategy for your brand.