BBC One’s ratings hit show The Great British Bake Off is back on our screens.

The Mary Berry fronted series returned last week with 13 new budding bakers all hoping to take the title of winner. The show proved a ratings hit yet again, with it becoming 2016’s most popular show so far, beating Britain’s Got Talent – having pulled in 13.6 million viewers.

The fun wasn’t just had on television either, with second screen viewing and social media activity meaning #GBBO was trending from early on Wednesday over on Twitter, and buzz was cooking, with brands left right and center getting a slice of the action!

bake offThe Great British Bake Off lends potential for brands and businesses to harness moment-marketing, as well as indulge themselves in conversations surrounding the show.

According to retail agency Summit, last yearโ€™s season of The Great British Bake Off sparked a 214% rise in baking-product sales, and of course it also gets people discussing cakes, bread and other baking tasks they complete on the show.

Marketers particularly in the retail sector want in, but this series has shown even more and more brands getting involved.

GBBO-EP-2-MENTIONS-1Supermarket giant Waitrose has revealed that the eleven weeks of The Great British Bake Off are the third most important event of the year, just behind Christmas and Easter revealing grocery sales can see an increase of up to 392% during the period alone.

As with any campaign, you have to think about your target audience, and the content being shared. Whilst hijacking a trend may seem simple, it can often put potential customers off if it feels fake, and does not align with your brand’s usual content sharing pattern.

22bake offHow can your brand get involved?

It’s important to look at the tone of Bake Off, constant innuendos, cake puns and lots of Mary Berry GIFs. Funny and tactical messages can give brands the opportunity to soar engagement, generate conversations, boost relevant product sales and even offer the potential to go viral.

Who’s doing it right?

We’re only two weeks into the show, and already there’s been some clear winners and losers on social. Here’s some of our highlights…

Tesco sell ready made cakes, and baking ingredients, as well as cooking utensils and much more. It’s a perfect team up.

They’ve created bespoke blog content as well as promoting their food blog during the series, with their own hashtag #BakeOn.

ShortList Magazine is an example of a brand who previously would of never aligned with the show, but with technology, and the comedy aspect of the baking show, ShortList has got involved in the live tweeting using relevant GIF’s, and sharing cool tech stories surrounding baking and kitchen-wear.

By keeping the content simplistic and personal it feels like a real person is behind the brand.

Innocent Drinks are another new brand to the Bake Off Twitter party this year.

Sharing funny quotes and moments from the show allow them to gain mass RT’s and engagement, in turn showing the brands personality and tone of voice.

ASOS sell clothes. Instead of trying to plug a line of t-shirts or baking-styled hoodies, they’re sticking to their quirky, youth led tone of voice sharing GIFs from Bake Off with emojis and lots of cheekiness.

The brand looks like the way a friend might tweet if they were watching, and this makes the brand seem personable. If you’re a follower you feel they like the same things you do, and if you’re not you may spot the RT and follow the brand.

Whilst many brands have jumped to promote themselves, the London Fire Brigade used the show trending to promote the importance of kitchen safety, in a dramatic way.

Using directly uploaded video content, and a blog post they used key language show-watchers would know, including names of the bakers, and discussing topics the show had.

Printed.com sent out curated content to share during the Great British Bake Off.

Sharing customers own designs and content allows not only their existing base to feel acknowledged but also highlight to potential customers their focus on promoting you, and that they care about the end product.

It’s a great way to sell without selling. Their blog shows off their great quality services, without really plugging them.

gbbo22Get involved!

In 2015, Tweets about #GBBO passed 1.1 million, and this series looks to be even bigger with a TV final looking to pass over 15 million viewers.

The popularity of The Great British Bake Off online gives brands and customers the chance to immerse themselves in the conversations with both given the opportunity to gain an audience they may not normally reach.

Selling indirectly and providing customers with an insight into your tone of voice is key to a successful social media campaign.

How is your brand getting involved in the Bake Off mania? Pop us a tweet @CreativeNerdsUK and let us know, or comment below!