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wagamama announces GK Barry as Noodle Union President
wagamama launched the noodle union platform, a safe place for students and apprentices, in 2022 with the promise to make student life great again.
The inaugural noodle union president, Niko Omilana, represented the rebellious Gen-Z spirit and launched the noodle union into student consciousness.
However, come 2024, the noodle union needed a new leader who would connect directly and authentically with students, someone fresh and disruptive… enter social media icon, GK Barry.
GK helped the brand tap into a new female audience, and authentically deepen its role within Gen-Z culture.
THE GOAL
Announce GK Barry as our new president of the noodle union and to ensure wagamama remains fresh, credible and relevant amongst Gen-Z audiences.
Drive downloads of the recently launched soul club app, to allow always-on communication with customers and encourage increased restaurant visits.
THE RESULTS
72 Combined pieces of earned social and press coverage
10K New followers on wagamama’s social channels
3 Tier A interviews for GK Barry
2.7M Organic views on the launch asset
50K soul club sign ups following the launch of the campaign
THE STRATEGY
GENERATING ENGAGEMENT THROUGH CALENDAR MOMENTS AND STRATEGIC MEDIA RELATIONS
FINN Partners suggested using A-Level Results Day as a strategic play to further soul club sign-ups and secure nationwide coverage.
GK Barry’s opening pledge as the noodle union president was to launch wagamama’s first-ever A-Level Results Day giveaway. It was an opportunity to engage with new university students and introduce them to the noodle union, as well as get them to sign up for wagamama’s newly launched loyalty app, soul club.
As a result, we achieved national coverage in publications including The Standard, Mirror and Mail Online and mass syndications including the Secret sites.
The wagamama team wanted to ensure GK’s voice was heard as the noodle union president and as a spokesperson to young people, so in response to this, we landed three interviews for GK Barry with Cosmopolitan, Closer and Pink News.
HARNESSING GK BARRY’S PERSONALITY TO HOST IN-DEMAND EVENTS
GK Barry is known for her hilarious podcast ‘Saving Grace’, so wagamama took things to the next level – hosting ‘chatty barry’, a podcast-style bottomless brunch at wagamama.
Fans had to sign up to soul club, wagamama’s loyalty app to get on the waitlist to receive a ticket. The event had a waitlist of over 1,700 proving GK Barry’s relevance and demand.
Working in tandem with events company SSHH, wagamama’s Royal Festival Hall restaurant was fully redesigned to look like a nineties chat show set – the perfect backdrop for videos and stills.
The team booked hun-worthy talent and gk’s celeb pals to be interviewed including Louie Spence, David Potts, and Charity Shop Sue.
Press attended from Cosmopolitan, Grazia, Closer and Mail Online and influencers from Big Brother and I Kissed a Girl.