TASECARED (ELLO MEDIA) - 2018-2020
CREATIVE DIRECTION + BRAND STRATEGY

In 2019, tastecard was one of the UK’s largest membership brands, with over 3 million members and thousands of restaurant partners. Despite its scale, the brand had become synonymous with discounts and struggled to connect with a younger audience seeking experiences, culture and lifestyle. The opportunity was to reposition tastecard from a transactional savings product into a modern lifestyle brand, creating a deeper emotional connection with consumers while strengthening its role within a rapidly changing hospitality market.

Alongside tastecard, the wider group presented an opportunity to build a more cohesive brand portfolio. Sister brand The Gourmet Society required a clearer premium positioning and distinct identity to broaden its appeal, strengthen its market presence and support the group’s long-term growth strategy.

led a complete strategic and creative transformation of tastecard, repositioning the business from a discount-led dining product into a lifestyle brand centred around experiences, culture and connection.

Starting with stakeholder workshops, audience segmentation and brand strategy, I developed a new brand DNA, visual identity, tone of voice and content framework that united teams across the business behind a single vision.

Beyond the rebrand itself, I directed campaign shoots, developed an always-on content strategy and introduced a more editorial approach to storytelling that helped shift perception from savings platform to lifestyle brand. This included building new content pillars, influencer collaborations, CRM communications and social campaigns designed to engage audiences beyond transactional offers.

A key focus was creating moments that connected with the diverse audience. I led the ‘Hands Off!’ experiential campaign, a charity dining experience that generated widespread media coverage and influencer engagement, securing coverage across titles including Metro, Evening Standard and Business Insider while reinforcing tastecard’s role as the ultimate dining companion.

At group level, I also shaped the future of sister brand The Gourmet Society, evolving its positioning, identity and creative direction to appeal to a more premium audience. By establishing a distinct role for each brand within the portfolio, I helped create a stronger ecosystem capable of supporting long-term commercial growth.