thomas'
140
years
Creative Direction
Design
Translating fandom from social channels to hardcover cookbooks
In 2020, Thomas’ commemorated 140 years since their very first Nooks & Crannies English Muffin. After a decline in bread sales in 2019, our challenge was to honor the past, solidify Thomas’ place in modern kitchens, and gather a new, younger generation of followers along the way. So we tapped into cultural insights to find a digital path into the kitchens and hearts of Mom Bosses throughout the US. The result was the first social listening-informed, user-generated cookbook with a fully-baked social strategy to match, making this anniversary a celebration of Thomas’ fans, new and old.
Beginning in store, we launched custom national packaging featuring the #Thomas140 hashtag, encouraging existing fans to share their Thomas' creations on social to inspire new fans. We shared these user-generated yums to Thomas' channels on the daily as a way to stoke even more fan content. We also dropped the surprise that our top picks would become a pillar for our cookbook. More shares turned into more purchases, which turned into more shares, which turned into, well… you get it.
Not only did we select our favorite fan recipes for inclusion, but we also mobilized a squad of famous foodies we knew our audience would love. We collected all the recipes, tested them for ourselves (the best part), and added a few of our own. Finally, we styled all 140 custom recipes with best-in-class photography and superior design. The finished product is the Thomas’ 140 Years of Yum cookbook, available in print and PDF download, featuring recipes for every meal of the day, interactive infographics, instructional poetry, and games to play while your English Muffins toast (because this year called for innovative at-home entertainment to conquer quarantine fatigue). Hey, want one?
Distribution
Social media, print
Techniques
2D photo composition / Design / Production / Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator
Collaborators
Agency
