Phone story screenshots showing Maldon Salt tubs, a "THE FIRST POWER LIST" booklet and portraits of two women
Submitted by Jellybean

Maldon Salt 50 Chef Power List

Influencer Marketing

Jellybean built The Maldon Salt 50, a power list honouring UK chefs for Maldon Salt, and reports 4.2M opportunities to see on socials from the launch.

106KWebsite Visits

Case in 60 seconds

Maldon Salt needed a HORECA-focused campaign that would show thought leadership and the quality of its salt while positioning the brand as a trusted partner to the hospitality industry, so the work had to speak to chefs as peers rather than as buyers.

The campaign turns on recognition rather than paid endorsement, because chefs publicly honoured by a brand they already use have their own reason to share that honour, which the page frames as proof of a loyal network of users.

Jellybean created The Maldon Salt 50, the first of an annual power list celebrating the most influential Maldon Salt users in the UK hospitality industry, so that current advocates were honoured while new users were drawn towards the brand.

Jellybean named the top 50 Maldon Salt users across 5 core categories, profiled each in a magazine distributed with the last ever hardcopy version of The Caterer, and sent every candidate a curated gift box before launching the list through a press release and social media campaign.

Jellybean reports that over half of The Maldon Salt 50 created organic content on their own social channels, alongside 224,000 opportunities to see via PR, 4,185,000 opportunities to see on socials and 106,000 website visits.

Strategy Breakdown

Chefs and operators in the UK hospitality industry, the HORECA trade the brief named, including current Maldon Salt advocates and potential new users.
Salt is a staple ingredient in professional kitchens, so Maldon Salt set out to show its quality through the people who choose it rather than through product claims.
The brand acts as host of a recognition platform for the hospitality industry, honouring chefs rather than recruiting them, which the page frames as showing that people who care about food choose Maldon Salt.
Chefs named publicly alongside respected peers share the recognition themselves, and the quoted feedback shows candidates describing the honour of being in excellent company.

Creative & Execution System

Assets & channels

  • Instagram

Partners

  • Jellybean

Participation mechanic

  • Chefs named to The Maldon Salt 50 received a curated gift box and a copy of the magazine, and over half then created organic content about their inclusion on their own social media channels.

Creator role

  • Adam Byatt
  • Helen Graham
  • Michelle Truselle
  • Sophie Wyburd
  • Tom Phillips
  • Cyrus Todiwala

Results & Evidence

MetricValue
Social Opportunities to See4.2M opportunities to see
PR Opportunities to See224K opportunities to see
Website Visits106K website visits

Why Jellybean's strategy worked

  1. 1

    A ranked list of trade users turns customers into publishers, because each person named has a personal reason to share the honour, which is how over half of the list came to post organic content.

  2. 2

    Splitting a list into categories such as The Next Generation and The Educators widens who can be honoured, so one piece of work recognises established names and rising chefs together rather than favouring a single tier.

  3. 3

    Pairing a curated gift box and printed magazine with the announcement gives each candidate something physical to show, which supplies the material for user-generated content rather than leaving posts to chance.

  4. 4

    Framing the list as the first of an annual series builds a repeatable property, so each edition can honour current advocates while giving new users a reason to aim for inclusion.

Related Case studies