U:ME Cooking
Bringing a new brand to life online: website and social campaigns
Team
Paulina Wasik, Chloe Wooldrage, Charlotte Holland, Kari Yoshime, Scott Presly, in collaboration with Brandon Consultants
Expertise
Social Media, UX, Web Design, Web Development
Background
U:ME is an oil brand that believes in the everyday cook.
They stand by the idea that with the right attitude and a bit of confidence, anyone can make something delicious. U:ME offers a range of high-quality, plant-based cooking oils and "Spice Shots", all as inspirations to make your dish sing.
As a part of the international food and drink umbrella, the Princes Group, U:ME wanted to spread its fun and educational optimism wherever it could. Becoming active online was the next logical step, but entering the new realm was a daunting challenge.

The brief
U:ME approached tda! with a big challenge: to stand out from a crowded marketplace and efficiently communicate their unique brand offering.
As they were starting from scratch in terms of digital presence, we guided them through creating a digital ecosystem for their brand ensuring that their content was carefully placed on the platform where it would perform best, that each platform was chosen based upon the audiences who frequented that digital space, and that each audience group was identified in line with the brand and business goals. Once this was plotted out we had a brand launch plan with a strong website, an active social media presence and supporting online advertising.
Their main goal was to be branded as an authority on all things home cooking, positioning itself as a point of education for its target audience of millennial cooks.
Our solution
From web development to the new product launch, the Spice Shots, we have followed the brand's evolution since the early days, actively collaborating with the client and our partners at Brandon Consultants.
Our team of branding and content specialists brought the brand to life online, making sure that U:ME’s fun, playful personality comes through the new website and their ongoing social campaigns.


A fresh new website
As a brand, U:ME brings a lot of personality and fun to the table, which we translated with a bright colour palette and some tantalising, complementary food photography.
By using bold visuals and micro-animations, our team developed a dynamic site for U:ME that says it all: no matter what you are cooking, you can easily find the perfect oil for your needs.
The website also aims to educate consumers by showing the benefits and usage of the products through inspiring recipes and approachable content.
The secret ingredient: Social Media
We helped the brand launch on social media and establish a robust foundation on appropriate platforms - Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.
By creating fresh, relevant content and building a consistent posting pattern, U:ME managed to grow brand awareness and engage with its community.
We work continually to develop an elevated social strategy, constantly adjusting it over time to allow us to find the perfect balance between organic content and paid ads.
Original content like competitions and influencers' work helped us spread the word, generating interest in the brand and its offer.
















Finding the right voice
From creating posts and running the account, we felt confident in U:ME’s online voice and how to reach their audience. We made Social Media Brand Guidelines to help capture this and help the client more clearly see the work we had done.
Technology
Making the most of the wonderful, vibrant imagery of recipes and products was the main challenge when building the website.
Our team used MODX, a robust, flexible CMS which gave us complete freedom to build anything that our talented designers come up with; allowing them to let their creativity run wild.
The creative use of carousels and flipping recipe panels on the home page welcomes the consumer into the U:ME world, a place for anyone to experiment and improve in the kitchen.
The main concern before working with tda! was keeping a consistent brand look and feel whilst working across multiple design and creative agencies. tda! worked openly and collaboratively, putting the design element at the forefront of the creation to create a branded website that surpasses the expectations of the brief.
The results
Working with U:ME has brought forward a lasting relationship with the client and ongoing creative collaboration with excellent results.
In U:ME’s first 6 months with tda! we reached 5.5m via ads, boasted an average of 4% engagement rate while facilitating 5.8k traffic from social media.