Digital Marketing Agency UK | Bear's Brownies Case Study

Hummingbird digital: Our results

Bear’s Brownies

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The Challenge

Bear’s Brownies began as a small artisan bakery built on one simple promise: real ingredients, baked with care, delivered fresh to your door.

Their brownies had developed a loyal following locally, thanks to glowing reviews and repeat word-of-mouth customers. But as demand grew, the team wanted to transform their passion project into a scalable national e-commerce brand — without losing the warmth and authenticity that made them special in the first place.

The challenge wasn’t just about growth — it was about balance.

With limited ad budgets, modest awareness, and no existing data infrastructure, Bear’s Brownies needed a smart, resource-efficient go-to-market (GTM) strategy that could drive DTC sales, boost repeat purchase, and build long-term loyalty.

They wanted to reach a national audience, but still feel handmade. They wanted performance marketing, but without losing the human touch.

That’s where Hummingbird came in.

Year

2024

Channels

GTM | Organic Social | PPC | Paid Social | Email

Industry

E-commerce / Food & Drink

Our Approach

We started by defining what made Bear’s Brownies irresistible. It wasn’t just the chocolate — it was the emotion behind it: joy, care, and nostalgia baked into every box.

From that insight, we built the brand’s digital foundation around an emotional and memorable message:

“Small Batch, Big Love.”

This line became the centrepiece of every campaign — a promise that every order, no matter how big the brand grew, would still feel personal.

From there, we created a full GTM system that integrated paid media, organic content, and CRM into a single growth engine — powered by storytelling, precision targeting, and genuine customer connection.

1. Paid Social: Turning Craft Into Clicks

We launched a storytelling-first paid social strategy across Meta and TikTok, using content that felt more like a peek behind the counter than an ad.

Our creative team developed short-form “baker-cam” videos showing the real process — melted chocolate being poured, brownies being sliced, boxes being hand-tied with ribbons.

These videos tapped into a growing appetite for authentic craftsmanship in the food space — and stood out amid over-polished ads.

By layering audience testing around gifting intent, foodie interests, and seasonal moments (e.g. Valentine’s Day, Easter, and Christmas), we achieved a 3.8× ROAS while cutting CPA by 41% over nine months.

TikTok creative alone generated over 4.2 million organic views, helping the brand explode beyond its regional bubble into a national conversation.

2. PPC: Capturing Intent at the Sweet Spot

While social drove discovery, Google PPC captured ready-to-buy intent. We focused campaigns on key search queries such as “send brownies by post”, “birthday brownie delivery”, and “thank you brownies.”

Every ad was written to balance performance psychology with emotional triggers — for example:

“Send happiness by post — handmade brownies, baked fresh and gift-wrapped with love.”

We tested landing pages, call-to-action phrasing, and emotional copy variations, which increased click-through rates and improved conversion by 34% within the first quarter.

3. Organic Social: Community First, Content Second

We rebuilt Bear’s organic presence around community and consistency.

Instead of static product shots, we focused on story-driven formats:

• “Baker-Cam” Reels: quick, immersive clips showing behind-the-scenes moments.
• Seasonal Drop Calendars: limited-edition flavours announced monthly to drive anticipation.
• Customer Shoutouts: sharing UGC and heartfelt customer notes to foster connection.

This created a rhythm that kept audiences engaged between product drops and built genuine fandom — resulting in a 4.9× higher engagement rate across platforms.

4. Email Marketing: Turning Customers Into Advocates

Next, we built an email system designed for retention, not just revenue.

Our flows included:

• Welcome Series: a warm, story-led introduction to the brand.
• Post-Purchase Follow-Ups: including personal thank-you notes and discount incentives for sharing feedback.
• Referral Programme: rewarding existing customers for bringing in friends with “a brownie on us.”

The result?
An email open rate of 55%+, a 78% uplift in click-throughs, and a growing base of repeat customers who saw Bear’s Brownies as more than a treat — as part of their gifting rou

The Results

Within just nine months, Bear’s Brownies went from a local favourite to a national e-commerce success story.

Performance Highlights:
📦 +287% increase in DTC revenue from email within 9 months
💬 4.9× higher social engagement rate
💌 Email open rate above 55%, with clicks up 78%

Repeat purchase rates doubled, and the brand saw its first full year of consistent monthly growth across all key channels.

Beyond the metrics, Bear’s Brownies achieved something bigger — a community of loyal customers who championed the brand’s story and shared it organically.

With “Small Batch, Big Love” as its north star, Bear’s Brownies proved that digital scale doesn’t have to come at the cost of soul.

Hummingbird helped the brand find the perfect blend of craft and performance — turning small-batch brownies into one of the UK’s most loved online gifting experiences.