Blog Archives

Interesting Stuff, Retail, Uncategorised

23rd September 2026

Alsace Food and Wine: Cycling the Route des Vins d’Alsace

Most people plan a holiday around a beach or a city. At jellybean, we plan ours around lunch. So when my friend in Basel suggested cycling the Route des Vins d’Alsace, the only real question was how much Alsace food and wine we could fit into one trip.

Neil Brenson

Insight, italianblog, Retail

18th September 2026

Why Italian Food Brands Keep Winning in the UK

When the first lockdown hit in 2020, dried pasta, tinned tomatoes and blocks of Parmigiano Reggiano were among the first products to vanish from UK supermarket shelves, faster even than bread. It wasn’t panic. It was priority. Britain has been quietly obsessed with Italian food for a very long time, and in a crisis, people reach for what they trust. YouGov has named Italian cuisine the most popular in the world, with 91% of British people who have tried it saying they like it. For any Italian food brand weighing up the UK market, that’s one of the strongest tailwinds going in FMCG.

Neil Brenson

italianblog, Retail, Shopper Marketing

15th September 2026

Great Shopper Marketing Is Integrated by Instinct

Walk into any supermarket this autumn and you’ll feel it before you even see it: a connection between brand and shopper. It’s on the pack, in the display, in the moment someone reaches for it – a moment where the shopper doesn’t think, they just instinctively reach. That instinct isn’t random. It’s been built by everything the brand has already said elsewhere, integrated long before the shopper ever gets near the shelf. When that connection is executed well, it’s rarely an accident. It’s there because the shopper marketing agency behind it worked integrated by instinct – understanding how that moment linked to everything else the brand does and stands for, even if shopper marketing was the only brief they’d actually been given.

Neil Brenson

Retail

13th February 2026

The Insight-Action Gap: Why Food & Drink Brands Are Losing Ground

Here’s the uncomfortable truth from this year’s shopper, retailer and category conference: brands aren’t losing because they lack insight. They’re losing because they can’t execute brilliantly using the right insight.
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Neil Brenson

Jellybean News

9th February 2026

We Own It: Jellybean’s New Positioning

There’s no fanfare. No grand unveiling. Just a simple truth we’re stating more clearly than ever before: We own it.

Neil Brenson

Retail, Retail/Consumer, Shopper Marketing

4th February 2026

5 Costly Mistakes International Brands Make When Entering the UK Market

(And How to Avoid Them)

The UK market represents an incredible opportunity for international food and drink brands. With discerning consumers, a sophisticated retail landscape, and strong demand for brands with provenance, it’s no wonder the UK is viewed as a priority market to support global brand expansion. However, what works brilliantly in Milan, Barcelona, or Copenhagen doesn’t always translate seamlessly to Manchester, London, or Edinburgh.

Neil Brenson

italianblog, Retail, Retail/Consumer

2nd February 2026

Your Step-by-Step Guide to Launching an International Brand in the UK Market

Breaking into the UK market as an international brand presents unique challenges and incredible opportunities. You may be a household name in your home country, or even across multiple markets, but the UK requires a localised approach to truly succeed. At Jellybean, we’ve helped numerous international brands navigate this journey, including our globally acclaimed work with premium Italian tomato brand Mutti. Here’s your roadmap to UK market success.
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Neil Brenson

Shopper Marketing

12th December 2025

Shopper Marketing Agency Insight: Why ‘Shopper First’ Beats ‘Consumer First’

Consumer desire may drive brand love, but shopper decisions drive revenue, and they don’t always belong to the same person.

For years, brands have obsessed over the consumer: the flavour fan, the brand loyalist, the category enthusiast. But shopper marketing lives in a different reality: the consumer and the shopper aren’t always the same person, and even when they are, they think differently at different moments.

Neil Brenson

Retail

21st November 2025

Introducing the C-Influencer: The New (But Not New) Force for Good in Convenience Retail

At New Trade Media’s Partners in Success event, an insight was shared that immediately struck a chord with me. Their data confirmed something I’ve believed for 20+ years: <1% of convenience stores operate as true influencers in our sector.

Neil Brenson

Retail, Shopper Marketing

25th October 2025

Generation Flex: How Gen Z is reshaping shopper marketing strategy

If you still think in grocery aisles, Gen Z has already moved on.

Dentsu’s Generation Flex report, covered byThe Grocer this summer, shines a light on a generation that doesn’t see categories, only possibilities. For them, protein bars can be treats, bubble teas can be pick-me-ups and sustainability isn’t a choice – it’s a given.

Neil Brenson

Awards & Events, Influencer Marketing, italianblog, Retail

26th September 2025

Mutti Brings Italy to London with a ‘Deceptively Simple’ Immersive Dining Experience at the Queen’s House, Greenwich

In partnership with jellybean the iconic Italian tomato brand Mutti has transformed the historic Queen’s House in Greenwich into the stage for a one-of-a-kind immersive dining experience.

Neil Brenson

Awards & Events, italianblog, Retail

19th March 2025

Make it Mutti… and Make it Award-Winning!

We’re thrilled to announce that the Make It Mutti Immersive Dining Experience has been crowned Best Marketing Campaign at the World Food Innovation Awards 2025! Recognised for its bold creativity and immersive storytelling, the activity has set a new benchmark for brand activation in the food industry.

Neil Brenson

Industry News, Interesting Stuff, Retail

11th November 2024

Tesco’s AI – a nudge in the right direction or a nudge too far?

I was recently featured in an article by grocery industry bible The Grocer on the hot topic of Tesco’s Club Card AI. Tesco CEO Ken Murphy recently said artificial intelligence could be used to monitor how customers were shopping to help persuade them towards healthier choices. He said: “I can see it nudging you over time, saying: ‘I’ve noticed over time in your shopping basket that your sodium salt content is 250% of your daily recommended allowance.”

Neil Brenson

Industry News, Jellybean News, Retail

24th September 2024

‘Make it Mutti’ Reaches New Heights with an Immersive Tomato Dining Experience at Saatchi Gallery

This month, we have brought our latest client campaign platform Make it Mutti to life in an extraordinary way, staging a 3-night immersive dining experience at the Saatchi Gallery, London (17-19 September 2024). This unique event, took invited guests on a culinary journey through the life cycle of the tomato, combining incredible food, technology, and multi-sensory storytelling in a celebration of the tomato and Mutti’s heritage and values.

Neil Brenson

Insight, Interesting Stuff, Retail

1st May 2024

To Infinity Loop Marketing and Beyond the Sales Funnel

Credit to Infrared – Image licensed under Creative Commons

The traditional sales funnel marketing model is giving way to more sophisticated marketing approaches that prioritise integrated customer journeys and long-term relationships over one-time transactions. We’ve entered the age of the “Infinity Loop.” As a leading food and drink marketing agency we always ensure we are on top of trends be they food and drink or marketing theory.

Neil Brenson

Jellybean News, Retail, World Food

7th September 2023

Parma’s Dinner of the Thousand 2023

On Tuesday it was a delight to see the historic city centre of Parma transformed into a gourmet spectacle under the stars for the fourth annual Dinner of the Thousand (La Cena dei Mille). A thousand lucky guests embarked on a culinary journey like nothing I have seen or witnessed before.

Neil Brenson

Insight, Interesting Stuff, Retail

30th August 2023

Unwrapping Success: Launching Your Christmas PR Campaign

As September approaches and the kids go back to school – it can only mean one thing: Christmas is right around the corner. Savvy retail food and drink brands looking to position themselves as perfect Christmas gifts know that now is the prime time to roll out their Christmas PR campaigns. In this blog I’ll delve into why now is the perfect time to launch a campaign, explore various tactics brands can employ, and highlight how an agency like jellybean can help maximise results.

Neil Brenson

World Food

15th May 2023

EUROVISION DELIGHTS

Here at jellybean, we couldn’t agree more with the Director of Culture at Liverpool City Council Claire McColgan’s sentiments about Liverpool’s successful and truly impressive hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. She said: “Over the last two weeks in Liverpool we have shown the UK and the rest of the world that if you invest in culture properly, if you have the right people with the right attitude, magic can – and will – happen.” Hear, hear Claire. As a specialist food and drink agency, we love any opportunity to celebrate culture, music, and diversity, especially when it’s in our home country and especially when we can combine it with great food and drink. Eurovision is the perfect blend of these.

Neil Brenson

Interesting Stuff, Jellybean News

11th April 2023

Bring your sandwich A game.

We are thrilled to announce our latest collaboration with world ingredients brand Cooks&Co: the Worldie Sandwich Competition. As an agency that values creativity and food, we couldn’t be more excited to lead the development and management of this culinary competition.

Neil Brenson

Jellybean News

6th February 2023

Six Nations 2023: A Culinary Clash of Rugby Titans

The 2023 Six Nations Championship got off to a thrilling start at the weekend, with Scotland delivering a stunning performance to defeat England in the Calcutta Cup match at Twickenham, while Ireland dominated Wales in Cardiff on the opening day. Italy’s bravery and determination almost saw them clinch a famous Six Nations win against reigning champions France, but just missed out by a narrow margin.

Neil Brenson

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