CASE STUDY
Doubling enquiries through a
personality-led brand refresh
Services delivered:
Client overview
Sophie’s Kitchen Sussex is a bespoke catering business based at Horsham Sports Club, providing event catering for weddings, corporate functions, wakes, and private occasions. The business also offers seasonal menus and provides catering for pre-planned events for members and visitors at the club.
Despite strong local relationships, Sophie’s online presence had plateaued. Her brand, originally designed in-house, lacked strategic direction and professional execution, resulting in social media content that was often overlooked.
“I used Mikey for my social media across two platforms on my start-up business. He is very professional and easy to work with, he listens to exactly what my vision is and he uses his wealth of experience to bring it to life.
He has increased engagement on all my platforms and continues to do so. I’m extremely happy with his work and I will definitely be using him to do my website.
Sophie TremayneManaging Director, Sophie's Kitchen Sussex Ltd
I cannot recommend him enough.”
The challenge
When I first took on Sophie’s social media management, there were no existing creative or brand guidelines, only a request to “keep it professional”. The original colour palette of white, navy blue and forest green gave little room for creative differentiation.
After an initial burst of engagement, audience activity began to flatten. We needed a cost-effective way to revitalise the brand, reignite engagement, and reflect Sophie’s real personality – playful, warm, and authentic – without losing her existing audience or exceeding her limited budget.
The approach
We began with a three-phase refresh process designed to connect Sophie’s personality with professional clarity and consistency.
1. Brand direction & creative development
I presented Sophie with three creative routes. Traditional, Fun, and Loud. Each exploring different colour and typography combinations. Rather than choosing a single route, Sophie combined her favourite elements: retaining her recognisable navy blue while introducing a vivid hot pink for contrast and energy, alongside a refined emerald green accent.
Primary
Creamy Beige
#F3E5D8
Route 1: Traditional
Secondary
Teal Blue
#3A9CA8
Text
Deep Charcoal #3B3B3B
Accent
Soft Coral
#E98E7C
Primary
Bubblegum Pink
#FF85A1
Route 2: Fun
Secondary
Turquoise Blue
#3EC1D3
Text
Rich Chocolate
#5C3D2E
Accent
Sunny Yellow
#FFD166
Primary
Zesty Orange
#FF7F11
Route 3: Loud
Secondary
Hot Pink
#FF3F7E
Text
Charcoal Black
#212121
Accent
Crisp White
#FFFFF
Final brand palette
Colourways
Primary
Hot Pink
#FF3F7E
Secondary
Navy Blue
#002352
Text
Crisp White
#FFFFF
Accent
Emerald Green
#50C878
Typography
Headings: Source Serif Variable
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
Body: Microsoft Sans Serif
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
2. Tone of voice & language guidelines
To align with the goal of being authentic, warm, and playful, I developed a tone of voice guidelines that mirrored Sophie’s personality: humorous, approachable, and confident.
Social media captions became conversational and sensory, using rhythmic phrasing for readability and emotional pull.
This human, upbeat language brought the brand to life while remaining professional and approachable.
Caption:
Say hello to our summer lineup of ice-cold coolers, now serving from the hut at Horsham Sports Club beer garden!
Strawberry Refresher
Dragon Fruit & Mango Cooler
Watermelon Iced Tea
Peach Iced Tea
Fruity, flirty, and just £4.50 – perfect for sunny days, shady spots, and sipping like you mean it.
#CoolerThanYourEx #SummerDrinks #HorshamEats #SophieServes #BeerGardenVibes #IcedTeaDreams #DrinkHappy #VisitHorsham #SussexSummer
3. Implementation & rollout
The full refresh, from tone and design through to launch, was completed within 2 weeks.
We introduced the new identity across all platforms through seasonal campaigns, audience focused, storytelling, and refreshed visual content that showcased Sophie’s catering expertise.
The results
The results over the first six months post-refresh (31 March to 30 September 2025) compared to the previous six months were significant, proving that strategic creativity can deliver measurable business outcomes, not just aesthetic improvement.
For Sophie, this meant a visible return of energy around her brand and a clear uplift in catering bookings attributed from social media.
For professional clients, it demonstrates that audience alignment, not advertising volume, is what drives consistent lead flow.
When your brand speaks with clarity, confidence, and authenticity, people do more than notice. They enquire.
