2026 Silver Winner
A Taste of FT’s Appetites
The Challenge
The Financial Times, best known for global finance and business journalism, launched Appetites in March 2025, a new food and drink hub aimed at broadening its lifestyle offering. To reach younger, culture-curious audiences who may not see the FT as part of their everyday reading, the brand needed a fresh approach.
The Strategy
This campaign marked the FT's first large-scale creator-led activation within its Life and Arts section. Partnering with five UK-based creators across food, culture, and lifestyle, the campaign positioned Appetites as a destination for thoughtful, high-quality content, not just for finance professionals, but for a wider audience interested in how they live, eat, and spend their leisure time.
Execution and Innovation
With a unique focus on under-35s, an audience that under-indexes on FT Weekend content, the campaign combined influencer storytelling, paid social amplification, and editorial assets, including videos featuring renowned food critic Jay Rayner.
Results
The campaign exceeded awareness benchmarks across Meta platforms and drove 690 registrations at an efficient £28 CPA, proving that creator-led campaigns can drive both brand and performance outcomes. It also demonstrated how legacy media can integrate journalistic voices into influencer strategies in an authentic, scalable way.
Judge's Verdict
"A well-crafted and distinctive campaign that successfully repositioned a legacy media brand in a new space through creator-led storytelling."
"The seamless blending of traditional media with modern performance marketing resulted in authentic, on-brand content."
Thanks to our 2026 sponsors
Adtraction is a leading partner marketing platform that helps brands across Europe increase their sales at a predictable cost, while enabling partners to monetise their content and traffic. The company works with brands across multiple industries, ranging from e-commerce to financial services. With a user-friendly platform, Adtraction connects brands with a diverse range of marketing partners, from influencers and media houses to apps, tech platforms and comparison sites. The company was established in 2007 and is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, with offices in 12 countries across Europe.
Agenica builds AI marketing employees for brands and media agencies. Unlike generic LLMs, Agenica employees operates on live competitive activity—ads, creative and channel signals, plus a company’s internal KPIs and decision frameworks. It converts that into role-specific recommendations and ready to use briefs: what changed, why it matters, and what to do next.
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There for those that are there for all of us.
Partnerize is the only partnership management solution powering growth for marketers seeking high-quality, scalable subsidies to primary channels through end-to-end software & comprehensive service. Partnerize joined forces with Pepperjam and Brandverity to establish the leading global solutions provider for affiliate marketing and partner automation including brand monitoring and compliance. Partnerize serves 1,800 enterprise and mid-market clients worldwide, driving more than $10B in transactions via their relationships with an ecosystem of 750,000+ partners, including 250,000+ influencers. Partnerize services clients across industries including retail/e-commerce, D2C, travel, finance, telecom, subscriptions and gaming.
The #1 CSS partner for peak performance.
Redbrain is a UK-based CSS partner dedicated to helping online retailers unlock incremental sales by getting their products in front of high-intent shoppers. Founded in 2016 and now recognised as Europe’s #1 Comparison Shopping Service (CSS) partner by volume, we combine advanced AI-driven technology with hands-on expertise to drive billions in additional sales on a CPA basis. We work as an extension of our partners teams, enhancing product visibility across Google Shopping, Microsoft Ads and leading price comparison sites. At Redbrain, we’re focused on transparent, measurable growth that complements existing marketing strategies and maximises ROAS.