Phew, you've found me! Like unearthing a treasured vintage wine tucked away in the cellar. My name is Stacey Jones and I am the secret ingredient for creative agencies and food & beverage brands hungry for BIG EDIBLE IDEAS that linger in customers' minds and get people talking. I am on a mission to stand against bland marketing and food amnesia. My secret sauce is my ability to come up with memorable, immersive, and connective experiences and marketing that combine food, drink, art, science, and creativity. Whether you are on the hunt for a PR launch that will pop like a bottle of champagne at a soda convention or an immersive activation as unique as a white truffle in a field of mushrooms, I've got you covered. I thrive on teamwork and am always open to collaborating. Pull up a chair, take your place at the table, and let's explore the delectable menu of possibilities together.
External link for Secret Sauce Marketing
Tauranga, Bay of Plenty 3116, NZ
When foodies unite - so pumped to see this collab come to life.
Super excited to see this collab come to life. We're launching with two events this Wednesday and Thursday at Burger Burger Mount (Bayfair) and Burger Burger Hamilton (Made) to celebrate a special Burger Burger x Pepper and Me menu. Join us for a night of food and inspiration from two of my favourite foodies Mimi Gilmour Buckley and Cherie Metcalfe.
💥 Big trends = big marketing opportunities 💥 Here are three of my top foodie trends for 2024 and how they can be leveraged for marketing opportunities. If you want all the links to the examples I've mentioned plus some additional commentary, head over to my blog to check them out. 🤖 1. Culinary AI: Where Tech Meets Taste 🤖 The 2024 kitchen is where technology meets gastronomy in an unprecedented way. The integration of AI and robotics into kitchen appliances is nothing short of revolutionary, with gadgets that are becoming smarter than Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, and Marco Pierre White put together. To witness these groundbreaking innovations, one need only look at the #ConsumerElectronicsShow last week, where #AI took centre stage. From robotic cocktail makers to baristas, indoor smokers to AI beer makers (the latter sounds like the perfect man cave equipment to me), we're all about to get a whole lot lazier. 🌟 The Opportunity: I'm eagerly anticipating which innovator in New Zealand will be the first to introduce an AI-powered restaurant, complete with conveyor belts and robots. It's an opportunity ripe for the taking. 👠🍕 2. Gourmet Glam: Where Food Meets Fashion 👠🍕 It's hard to ignore the ever-growing intersection of food and fashion - you know it's a thing when Snaxshot devote an entire article to it this week (by the amazing Andrea Hernández). Examples include Barilla Group x Nik Bental or closer to home, KFC and Nic Von K (Kat Day, Special PR) - it's a thang. 🌟 The Opportunity: Brands should contemplate the ideal fashion labels to partner with and consider going beyond mere accessories and vice versa. Why not play that game... "if your brand were a fashion item, what would it be...?" 🌮🍣 3. Food Collisions 🍣🌮 The concept of 'food collisions' was a major trend in 2023, and it shows no sign of slowing down. Think burger tacos, sushi burritos, and ramen carbonara – a true fusion fiesta that's giving birth to some truly mouthwatering TikTok moments. I think it's interesting how these trends are starting to embed themselves in restaurant experiences - my cheeseburger sushi at a winery in Margaret River over Christmas is a case in point. Keep an eye out for the kimchi hotdog in 2024 - with Korean still trending, I foresee this Asian take on sauerkraut as the next iteration. 🚀 The Opportunity: Food brands should contemplate how they can ride this trend by highlighting a specific star ingredient in the mix or enlisting an influencer to offer their take on the trend. What's the next big fusion sensation, and how can it sizzle across social platforms? I've started a Secret Sauce Marketing newsletter - sign up for more content. I promise more insights, trends, and foodie goodness, with a local spin to make it more relevant to NZ. #foodandbeverage #Trends2024 #foodmarketing https://lnkd.in/gV458fNh
Happy 2024 everyone! Who else is excited about this year? I'm ready and rearing to go. I ended 2023 with my first major project for Secret Sauce Marketing, for Special PR for Hawke's Bay Tourism and Rush Munro. I am so excited to get stuck into more foodie projects this year that bring together creativity + food + innovation. I'm keen to know what projects people were most proud of in 2023?
Yay, super proud to win two more event awards!
Yay! I'm thrilled to announce that tonight Flavours Of Plenty won two NZ Event Awards for Best Lifestyle Event and Best Local Government Event, powered by Tourism Bay of Plenty. This was about activating our siloed ecosystem and putting our region on the food map. For those of you that has watched our three year journey, I'm so proud of all we have achieved. While I'd love to take all the credit, I feel like just a crumb of blue cheese on a humongous cheese platter. But hey, blue cheese is delicious, right? I missed the ceremony last year when I won two awards with Kitchen Takeover, so it's incredibly special to be here in person this time to accept the awards. Congratulations to the mahi of Rae Baker Loretta Crawford Suzy Spear Oscar Nathan
Now this was a lot of fun! Thank you P1 for having me speak at the Design And Innovation Meet Up. I owe a lot to Priority One Western Bay of Plenty - it was my time there working in the innovation space that led me to learn about design thinking and start-up culture. It gave me the framework to test and prototype new ideas, the confidence to fail fast, and access to a group of like-minded individuals. This acted as my springboard for starting Kitchen Takeover, which, in essence, is just one big design thinking experiment! The team also announced the new iteration of our region's innovation festival, Daybreak. I was lucky enough to work on the inception of this festival back in 2018. Full circle or what! Check it out: https://lnkd.in/gPNV8EGg.
Colour-changing cocktails, a culinary journey of Tauranga Moana, blindfold taste tests, and tales of resilience leading to success – our final Design and Innovation Meetup of 2023 was an absolute feast of innovation! 🍸🍽️ 🙌 A huge shoutout to Stacey Jones from Secret Sauce for being our special guest. Your incredible story and the fun-filled role as a guest judge for Tauranga’s first D&I Meetup MasterChef competition made the evening unforgettable – Crafting the story of Tauranga Moana on a plate was a blast, even if these dishes won't make it to restaurant menus anytime soon 👀 That's a wrap for this year! Keep an eye out for the early 2024 D&I Meetup – we can't wait to see you all there! 🎉 #Innovation #Design #Networking #BOPMeetup
Hooray, the first blog is here. How to leverage secrecy, scarcity and exclusivity to sell out ahead of time, every time.
Wondering how to sell out an event ahead of time, every time? How did I manage to sell 15 consecutive sold-out pop-up restaurant events, selling thousands of tickets with no prior venue, menu, or wine list disclosure? For me, it's all about harnessing the undeniable power of secrecy, scarcity and exclusivity. Here are my three top tips for making them work for events across the spectrum: 💡Maximise your budget: My recommendation is channel a majority of your budget into the pre-sale phase. The impact of your scarcity message diminishes once tickets are up for grabs 💰. 💡 Embrace the Countdown: Set a designated sale time, to create a sense of exclusivity and urgency. This transforms ticket purchasing into an event in itself, fueling word-of-mouth buzz among attendees. If they miss out... well they will remember to be quicker next time. #winwin 💡 Use Event Teasers to Keep Them Guessing: Don't reveal everything at the start; instead, use secrecy to your advantage and watch the excitement build organically. Check out the blog for the complete recipe: 🏊♂️ https://lnkd.in/gtynGwwg