The Power of IRL Communities in Food & Drink Marketing

Food and drink brands are increasingly activating through creator-founded IRL communities, run clubs, pop-ups, crochet nights, often in partnership with local cafés and independent food spots. The result: real feedback, real engagement, and content that doesn't rely on a feed to land.

Brands Meeting Communities Where They Are

·     My Favourite Sandwich runs a London-based run club, hosting fitness activities in collaboration with brands.

·     Blank Street launched its Autumn menu with a crochet club, partnering with 20 creators.

·     Vita Coco brought together its Runners and Stunners community to meet athlete Zharnel Hughes.

·     Maggie Klein's run club, Plodders, has partnered with JUCED.

·     Issy Sedgwick hosted a charity run club with JENKI, with gift bags from Mr Organic and Free Soul.

·     Gail's collaborated with Misha Grimes' community, Just Grieve.

“We’re seeing more and more brands lean into IRL activations. Beyond content, brands want products in consumers’ hands, real feedback on the ground, and meaningful offline engagement.” Verity Park, tbh Talent

Case Study: Lizi's Granola x These Girls Run

Just take our Lizi’s Granola pop-up, where we partnered with These Girls Run for a community-led 10k run followed by a granola-fuelled brunch at Nue Ground. By tapping into a highly engaged fitness and wellbeing community, the brand embedded itself in a moment of shared purpose, boosting brand affinity. Our social team captured high-impact content that brought the collaboration to life across brand channels, tapping into a new, highly engaged community of over 33k.

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