Whether working from the office, travelling for client events or jetting across the globe, one thing has stayed firmly on our minds… food. From buzzing festivals to new pop-ups, refreshing cocktails to our favourite summer finds, we have spent August busy eating, drinking, reading and everything in between.
Gone are the days when social media was just for consumer brands. With platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and even TikTok evolving rapidly, it’s becoming a promised land for B2B brands looking to actively engage with chefs, buyers and decision-makers alike.
But what are they really looking for? With 75% of B2B decision-makers using social media to guide purchasing decisions1, getting your social strategy right is no longer optional – it’s essential. Here’s how to set your brand up for success:
The UK out-of-home coffee scene is brewing stronger than ever. With a projected £6.1 billion in turnover for 2024/25, the market has grown +4.1% YoY pushing the coffee category to 7.1% of all eating-out spend (up from 6.6% in 2022).This growth is fuelled by physical expansion with 12,229 outlets now operating nationwide growing the channel by +2.4%.
Of all the ways to be caught cheating on your wife, I’d be willing to bet that being found out by Chris Martin’s roving jumbotron must have been low on Astronomer CEO Andy Byron’s bingo card as he entered his Amex details (or drained the company’s expenses budget) for a night of earnest but enjoyable middle-of-the-road soft rock, yet here we are.
It’s hard not to feel some semblance of sympathy for the fallout that his – and Astronomer HR chief Kristin Cabot’s – very public transgression has engendered. The55,000 people at Boston’s Gillette Stadium may have been the first witnesses to their awkward and very public decoupling – the clunky switch from romantic embrace to shameful, face-saving disowning of each other right there in the kiss cam’s glare, yet the couple – and by proxy their respective partners, and shared employer – are now a firm part of 24-hour wall-to-wall public discourse.
Have you ever felt the need to turn the music off when you come up to a roundabout? Or, when you’ve driven over a pothole and heard quite an alarming bang? No, me either.
For years, the goal of digital marketing has been simple: get to the top of Google’s search results, earn the click, and drive traffic to your website. This model, built on the foundation of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), has been the undisputed king of digital strategy. But the kingdom is changing.
The search game is no longer about a list of ten blue links. It’s about one, single, definitive answer.
As pubs across the UK navigate evolving consumer habits, shifting economic pressures and continued recovery from recent turbulence, innovation has become the cornerstone of resilience. In Lumina Intelligence’s recent webinar “Reimagining the Pub Experience: Trends, Tech & Innovation”, a compelling narrative emerged: the pubs that thrive are those reconfiguring formats, embracing technology and catering confidently to new guest expectations.
Between the Lionesses (and their victory!), Wimbledon, the Lions, the Open and the Test Cricket, we’ve been spoilt for choice when it comes to sporting excellence in July.
And of course, with all good sporting events come hospitality occasions, and judging by this month’s flood of recommendations that came in from the team, we’ve been very busy frequenting our favourite local hot spots.
At the end of June, we attended Arena’s most recent event – ‘The Road To Net Zero’ which looked at hospitality’s complex relationship with sustainability, building upon the findings and updating the annual insights and attitudes from last year’s session.
June may mark the halfway point of the year, but at jellybean, it’s also when we celebrate our new year, taking stock of everything we’ve achieved as a company in the previous 12 months. And it’s been a busy one! Between becoming an EOT, building brilliant campaigns for our lovely clients, winning some prestigious industry awards and a whole lot more, we have of course, managed to continue our obsession with all things food and drink. And to be honest, if you’re going to blur the work/life boundary and go the extra mile for your job, jellybean is a pretty good place to do it.
Working at jellybean, we’ve always got an ear to the ground for any whisper of new foodie trends. We’ve watched various fads, crazes and diets come and go over the years, some fading out in the blink of an eye, others staying the course, still more regularly coming full circle.
Flora Southey is Editor of Food Navigator, her role comprises of covering the latest food trends, sustainability, regulation, and nutrition across Europe, North America, and APAC. In her Q&A, as part of the Lumina Q2 Food Strategy Forum, Flora provided a fascinating look at what consumers are hungry for in the ingredient world, as well as what food and beverage manufacturers and operators should be focussing on to make the most of the opportunities.
It’s been a challenging time for the pub market; but how is it fairing and what are the trends pubs need to consider to drive growth? Here are our take outs from last month’s Lumina Q2 Food Strategy Forum.
As part of Lumina Intelligence’s Food Strategy Forum day the beans enjoyed a Food Concept Study Tour, dedicated to highlighting London’s most exciting operators at the forefront of innovation. The theme for this quarter “Demonstrating Quality,” showcased how venues are elevating classics such as burgers, pizzas and sandwiches with innovative flavours, locally sourced ingredients, and refined processes.
On the hottest day of the year so far, myself and jellybean Account Director, Clare Freeman headed to London for the Lumina Q2 Food Strategy Forum. Hosted at the Everyman Cinema – Kings Cross, the fully packed session provided an insightful look into the eating out market, as well as what consumers want, the pub market and ingredient innovation. The Lumina panel walked us through the ongoing challenges, as well as the significant opportunities, for growth in 2025 and beyond.
On the hottest day of the year so far, myself and jellybean Account Director, Clare Freeman headed to London for the Lumina Q2 Food Strategy Forum. Hosted at the Everyman Cinema – Kings Cross, the fully packed session provided an insightful look into the eating out market, as well as what consumers want, the pub market and ingredient innovation. The Lumina panel walked us through the ongoing challenges, as well as the significant opportunities, for growth in 2025 and beyond.
jellybean is thrilled to celebrate an award season like no other!
We have been recognised by not one, but three award bodies in recent months, including the prestigious Drum Awards for Marketing (finalist), World Food Innovation Awards 2025 (winner) and Foodservice Packaging Association Awards (winner). These global and UK programmes acknowledge excellence and innovation in marketing, the food & drink industry, as well as the packaging sector.
