Just Eat moves away from experiential in favour of digital campaigns

In a bid to cut costs and stand out in a crowded student market, Just Eat is moving away from experiential campaigns and focusing on digital engagement instead.

The brand found that visiting freshers’ fairs and handing out vouchers was proving too costly.

“You end up being part of a very crowded marketplace of vouchers. Instead, we wanted to digitally engage them in a way that they’d like,” Just Eat’s senior content and campaigns manager Melanie Seasons told Marketing Week.

The campaign, created by Don’t Panic London, aims to find six “Chief takeaway testers” for the brand, which will result in the chosen students receiving £50 worth of takeaway a month for a year. The winners will also get the opportunity to work with the brand’s social media team to produce various pieces of brand content.

To enter, people have to fill out an application form on a specifically designed Just Eat hub and answer a few questions on why they would be perfect for the role. The brand has had over 1,000 entries so far.

“The application form is a bit more of a barrier to entry than most brands would usually have. But we see [the campaign] as an attractive proposition to any student,” she said.

For the campaign, the brand is partnering with Studentmoneysaver.co.uk, as well as using social, digital and YouTube advertising to get the message out.

Boosting the takeaway economy

Just Eat is also on a mission to shine a light on the wider UK takeaway industry, as figures by Cebr show that it contributes more than £9bn to the UK economy every year. This is equivalent to an eighth (12.5%) of the entire food services sector.

In response the brand is launching its British Takeaway Awards, which are taking place early November. The shortlist is based on consumer votes.

“There is a big focus on the consumer’s view of takeaway food, but no one is recognising the people behind the takeaway restaurants. So we wanted to boost the takeaway industry as a whole,” she commented.

  • Do you want to ensure your brand’s social campaign gets the recognition it deserves? Enter the social media category in this year’s Masters of Marketing. Go to the Masters site for details of how to enter.

Recommended