Duchess Media, Author at Bristol Creative Industries

Brands built entire strategies around this methodical customer journey. They strategised, they planned, and they executed with a certain level of predictable control. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but that level of control is now an illusion. It’s the wild wild west out there now, so grab your best Stetson hat, ask Alexa to play Cowboy Carter on Spotify and saddle up.

In its place is the chaotic and lightning-fast world of TikTok, a platform that has not just reshaped the marketing funnel but blasted it so far into space it may as well be a pop star hoping to cling on to their relevancy. For Gen Z, the path to purchase is no longer a straight line; it’s a constant feedback loop of discovery, desire, and social proof all powered by 15-second videos and trending audio. For hospitality, understanding this new ecosystem isn’t just an option, it’s imperative for survival.

The fundamental flaw in applying the traditional funnel to this new landscape is its assumption of a passive audience waiting to be told where to go. I hate to say anything negative about Millenials (no I don’t, your generation is responsible for some of the worst crimes against culture; geek chic, side partings and the use of the word ‘adulting’ – these are just a few, my list is comprehensive and can be published upon request) but with the digital landscape booming at key moments in your adolescence, brands acted as cultural lighthouses telling you what to wear and where to go. Gen Z, however, are not passive consumers; they are active and curate their own digital and real-world experiences. I know how w*nky that sounds but hear me out for a sec; we aren’t looking for glossy ads and food styling, we want authenticity and we’ll search high and low to find it.

Navigating this requires a radical shift in mindset, moving from broadcasting a controlled message to facilitating moments of discovery.

The power has shifted from brands to individuals. The pull of a partnership with a huge travel influencer is hard to resist but I would strongly encourage you to start looking at micro-influencers. With a following typically between 10,000 and 100,000, the power of these creators comes from their highly-engaged audiences, often built around a specific niche or aesthetic. Their audiences would view their endorsement as more of a genuine recommendation from a trusted friend, than a paid ad. The key to this partnership is to hand creative freedom over to them to capture – they know their audience, you want their audience so let them be your wingman.

When a user sees a TikTok and thinks, ‘I have to go there now’ the window of opportunity is minuscule. Any friction in the booking process will shatter the impulse. Is your booking engine mobile-first and seamless? Can a user click from a creator’s ‘link in bio’ and book a stay in under two minutes? Consider creating specific, time-sensitive offers for TikTok users to capitalise on viral moments. The goal is to make acting on an impulse as effortless as the scroll that sparked it.

The most successful brands on TikTok ditch the strict brand guidelines and let loose, becoming more like active participants in the culture. This means staying up to date with trending sounds, video formats and challenges but finding clever, on-brand ways to join in. It’s not about a forced dance challenge; it’s about using a trending audio clip to showcase your bartender mixing a signature cocktail or using a popular format to give a mini-tour of your most unique suite. It signals that you are not just aware of the culture; you are a part of it.

Ultimately, the goal is not just to get the booking; it is to deliver on the promise that the TikTok clip made. As we’ve explored before, offline is the new luxury. The digitally-driven desire that you’ve created must culminate in a tangible, unforgettable real-world experience.

TikTok may be the new storefront, travel agent and word-of-mouth, all rolled into one but the magic it sells must be waiting for the guest when they put down their phone and walk through your door. The brands that will thrive in this new era are those that understand how to master this paradox: using the most fleeting of digital moments to sell the most enduring of real-world memories.

Top tips for influencer marketing in hospitality, from an agency that’s been doing it for 11 years…

I want to begin this blog post by saying I don’t consider myself a philosopher, to any standard. The other day I came across a TikTok video where a woman referred to a Diet Coke as a ‘refrigerated cigarette’ – that’s philosophy.

I do, however, consider myself to be a ponderer, and today I’m pondering a topic so complex I feel I’m going to need a refrigerated cigarette to get through it; if a customer has a great experience at your venue, but no content is created, did it even happen?

For the modern restaurant, bar, and cafe owner or manager, the answer is a resounding (and perhaps unsettling), ‘no’. An experience that is not documented, shared, and amplified online holds just a fraction of its potential value. This is the reality of the creator landscape, a picturesque and somewhat confusing labyrinth where social influence has superseded traditional advertising – and where your next customer’s decision on where to eat or drink is being shaped. Not by a magazine review alone, but by a 15-second video they saw from a digital creator they trust.

Influencer marketing has come a long way on its journey, from a tiny, weird-looking caterpillar being rejected by corporate marketing departments and traditional press into a, well, still weird-looking yet more accepted butterfly that should be a central pillar of any serious marketing strategy. As the field has emerged from its cocoon, its complexities have deepened. Navigating it successfully requires more than a complimentary meal; it demands strategy, respect, and a nuanced understanding of a new set of rules. Here are some do’s and don’ts for hospitality influencer marketing in 2025.

The Do’s: Building strategic partnerships…

Do: Prioritise long-term partnerships over one-off posts. The most impactful collaborations are born from genuine advocacy. A single, transactional post may generate a temporary spike in visibility, perhaps some new followers, but it does little to build enduring brand trust. In 2025, your focus must be on identifying creators who genuinely align with your brand’s ethos and cultivating relationships with them with the view of positioning them as long-term ambassadors. An ongoing partnership allows for a deeper, more authentic narrative to unfold, transforming a creator from a hired megaphone into a trusted voice for your brand.

Do: Champion creative freedom. You are not commissioning a food photographer, you are collaborating with a storyteller. The primary value of an influencer lies in the unique perspective and authentic connection they have with their audience. Handing over a rigid, overly prescriptive brief is the fastest way to strip the content of the authenticity that all invested parties want. Instead, provide a clear outline of the focal point, perhaps a new menu item or a weekend event, and arm them with all the knowledge they may need but trust the creator to translate them into their native language.

Do: Look beyond the follower count. Follower counts may just be the fool’s gold of influencer marketing. A seven-figure follower count means little if the audience is unengaged or entirely misaligned with your target demographic. Instead, look at the metrics that matter. Focus your magnifying glass on engagement rates, audience demographics and the quality of the conversation happening in the comments. A local micro-influencer with 5,000 highly-engaged foodies in Bristol is infinitely more valuable than a macro-influencer with a few hundred-thousand passive observers globally.

: https://www.instagram.com/bristolian_foodie/ — https://www.instagram.com/bristolian_foodie/

The Don’ts: Avoiding common pitfalls…

Don’t: Mistake a creator for a production house. While many creators are multi-talented, their core skill is building and engaging a unique community, not necessarily producing campaign-level creative assets. If your goal is to acquire high-resolution images of your dishes for your own menu or website, I would suggest looking into food photographers.

Don’t: Offer ‘exposure’ as sole compensation. Would you allow a customer to pay for a meal with the promise of telling everyone in the office how good it was? No? So you agree exposure isn’t a viable form of payment. Content creation is a skilled labour that involves significant time, effort and investment in equipment and software. While a complimentary experience is a valuable part of the package, professional creators rightly expect to be compensated for their work. Offering fair payment shows respect for their craft and positions your brand as a serious, professional partner.

Don’t: Let the performance data disappear. A campaign does not end when the content goes live. To understand the true return on investment, you must track performance with rigour. Go beyond likes and comments. Use unique promotional codes for a discount, trackable links to your reservations platform and ask customers how they heard about you. Analyse the long-tail impact on brand awareness and footfall over the following weeks and months.

In 2025, influencer marketing is no longer a simple transaction; it is a collaboration between two storytellers. Success requires a strategic shift away from venues having complete creative control and towards partnership, transparency and mutual respect. Because in the end, content is not just the proof that an experience happened, it is an integral part of the experience itself, the digital memory that sparks desire and inspires the next customer to walk through your door.

Sorry for yelling at you, we just really need your attention. Now that we have it… we want more from you. We want your opinion

Tell us what’s hot, what’s not, what’s missing and what’s next in Bristol’s hospitality scene by filling out our survey – click on the link here:

Oh, and did we mention? Complete it and you’ll be entered to win a £100 voucher to dine at the stunning Bianchis!

Now that we’ve started another year, we’re looking ahead and considering what the New Year might have in store. While we can’t predict the future, we have spent a long time huddled around our crystal balls (our phone screens, we’re all chronically online) and here’s our menu of what we think will be trending for social media in 2025.

I can honestly say that seeing a group of influencers on a stunning island or enjoying a delicious three course meal with gorgeous table decor and generally, having a lovely, if not heavily facetuned, time has never convinced me to purchase a product.

I could talk about influencer marketing until the Rhode lipgloss cases sell out and I am in no way advising anyone to skip influencer marketing. I am, however, pleading with you to stop thinking that the only option is that influencer with millions of followers, charging eye watering amounts to read a script and pretend to care about your product or open the PR package, that you’ve spent ages planning, making, scrapping and repeating, in one video alongside other packages they’ve received to get lost in a pile of beige boxes slightly off screen. Apologies if that comes across harsh or oddly pointed but we are begging you to instead look at your comments section, at the audience already flying your flag and get them involved. Send them the PR package, invite them in to try your new menu and watch them SHINE.

This year Currys gave social media a masterclass akin to an action movie character lighting a match, throwing it behind them causing a massive explosion as they walk off in a leather jacket and pair of sunglasses accompanied by a Hans Zimmer soundtrack. If, somehow, you aren’t on the same wavelength as me I am, of course, talking about THIS video. It’s genius. It’s magic. It’s their team that makes it.

This is your year of working with your team to create content – whether that’s participating in trends, vox pop interviews with them or full on acted skits. Your team is crucial to your business, in hospitality especially, they can make or break a customer’s experience and the same is true on social media, they humanise a businesses socials which resonates with audiences.

If you’re a founder and thought getting your team in front of the camera sounds like a great idea and, as you’re reading this, you’re mentally planning the amazon basket of equipment to arm yourself, ready to stick your phone in their faces whilst they do the apple dance. Firstly don’t forget to thank us for the inspiration, we appreciate the compliments. Secondly, what made you think you were safe? Turn that phone camera around! Unless one day you woke up and accidentally opened a business that you now want to attract people to, there’s a driving force behind you, dare I say a passion and people want to hear it.

*if you’re looking for more genius content as inspiration our queen of content Nay has created some oscar worthy levels of skits please see here, here and here.

TikTok replacing Google. Instagram removing the ability to follow hashtags. The picture is clear as day. Hashtags are out and SEO is in! Hashtags have served us well but, whilst they’re still a helpful tool, it’s time to down your hashtags and up your SEO game. Optimising your social media captions for keywords will be a necessity in 2025, it will be (read; already is) imperative to include keywords in your captions that are likely to get your content to show up when users search for content on their favourite social channels.

TikTok is widely becoming adopted as the search engine by all age groups. Why? Consumers are becoming more and more impatient and want fast results for their queries and they want something they can trust, enter content coming directly from creators highlighting authentic reviews and recommendations.

What does this mean for you; Research what your target audience is searching for, what keywords your competitors are using and implement them into your captions. It’s important to remember that views and likes AREN’T a ranking factor for TikTok search, the better the SEO the more likely we’ll be recommended in searches.

Many people post content on the platform, and they expect to get quality results instantly. One of the major benefits of TikTok is how keywords can work to generate views in the millions by ranking in search. In this context, SEO would aim to optimise your TikTok content for views, so they can connect you to more people who want to watch your content.

Over the past few years, the way we interact with social media and what we’ve come to expect from content has changed and, as a result, content aimed at trend-chasing has steam rolled its way over original storytelling. We’re not here to blame anyone for this cough TikTok but we think social media consumers are craving more accounts.

Whether you’re logging onto TikTok or scrolling through Reels, we guarantee you’ll see companies from all different sectors trying to claim their space on whatever is trending. We completely understand that a lot, if not all, of the intent is to appease algorithms and tries to boost visibility, it could be doing more harm to keeping viewers.

Our prediction (and hope) for 2025 is that organisations will return to focusing on their long-term strategies and original storytelling and stop being distracted by quick-hit trends. Think of your content like fishing. You cast the net by adopting trends but once you’ve caught the fish you need a tank to keep them in, this is the rest of your content. Maybe this is time to get your team camera ready with EGC, the heritage and influences of your brand, stylised videos of your products or other series you come up with.

Strike a balance between leveraging trends to attract attention and creating original, long-form content to retain your audience. Build a cohesive narrative that resonates with your brand’s mission and values.

It’s hard to believe but it’s true, 2025 could be the year we see an end to link in bio or at least, the beginning of the end.

Before we dive into brie and chutney, I need to tell you that zero click strategies don’t really exist for most businesses – sorry but that’s off the menu for you. Instead, you can have a healthy serving of minimal-click strategies. Minimal-click content strategies involve delivering all your valuable information in, you guessed it, the minimal amount of clicks. If you’re a brick and mortar venue this is tricky but not impossible. However, because you’re keeping users in the app if you master minimal click strategies the algorithm will worship the ground you work on.

If you’re a hospitality business, an example of a minimal-click strategy you could implement is posting regular content of the food and the atmosphere of your venue whilst using the one and only third-party app Instagram has approved, Manychat. You’ve probably already seen ManyChat in action — usually a creator or business will say drop a ‘

’ below, and I’ll DM you a quick demo!

What does this mean for you; For you this could be comment the word ‘Menu’ in the comments and we’ll DM the menu. ManyChat enables you to automate this process and, if that wasn’t enough, you can add a further step in the process and send a timed follow-up message with a link to your booking portal. That’s only really a one click journey to take the customer from browsing your page to booking a table. Modern day marketing magic!

As your feast of our 2025 social media trends forecast comes to close, remember this: the digital landscape is constantly evolving, but at its core, social media is about connection. Whether you’re spotlighting your community, crafting authentic stories, or fine-tuning your SEO, the key to success lies in understanding and adapting to your audience’s needs. So, grab yourself some food that isn’t metaphorical, take these insights, and step into the year ahead with creativity, strategy, and your audience at the forefront of your mind. Here’s to making 2025 your most engaging year yet!

Duchess Media was born from our love of Bristol’s incredible hospitality scene, and over the last decade we’ve not only worked with many of the city’s best indie bars, restaurants and venues, but we’ve also become the go-to marketing and PR agency when it comes to helping nationwide restaurant groups integrate seamlessly into Bristol’s scene.

With such a vibrant community and celebrated food scene, Bristol is a city that prides itself on championing independent businesses, with locals who are passionate about supporting small, homegrown brands. For larger groups entering the city, it’s essential to respect this ethos by building genuine connections with local suppliers, charities, influencers, and brands to genuinely become part of the fabric of the community. That’s where we come in.

WHAT WE DID…
Bristol welcomes newcomers who bring genuine passion to the city’s food scene – but it’s easy to get it wrong. With over a decade in the industry we’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly from brands trying to make it in Bristol, and we’ll always be brutally honest on what works, and what really hasn’t – e.g. avoid the word ‘Brizzle’ at all costs!!

That’s why we work as consultants, guiding clients every step of the way to ensure they fit right in. From connecting brands to the right people to creating and delivering impactful PR activations, we handle it all.

By helping our clients navigate the unique dynamics of Bristol, we’ve been able to position them as welcomed additions to the city. Whether it’s building strong relationships with local influencers or establishing meaningful partnerships with suppliers and charities, we’ve helped our clients gain the trust and support of the Bristol community.

The key with Bristol is to really want to be part of what our incredible hospitality industry has worked so hard to create – rather than just wanting a slice of it. The businesses who thrive here are those who get amongst it, get involved in local initiatives and most importantly, get to know their neighbours, because after all – it’s all about community!

If you’re looking for an expert PR, events and marketing agency, which specialises in hospitality and lifestyle, to handle your restaurant or venue launch in Bristol, the South West or beyond, give us a shout as your go-to experts!

With over a decade of connections across the city and experience in countless brand partnerships, we know exactly how to facilitate these relationships and ensure a smooth, authentic transition into Bristol life. We’ve done this successfully for brands like Wingstop, Rosa’s Thai, Treetop Golf, and Six by Nico, tailoring our approach for each client.

Every client has their own unique requirements, but the core of what we offer remains the same: connecting them with the right people to help them establish a meaningful presence in the city. From engaging with key press, influencers, and tastemakers to creating opportunities for collaboration, we craft strategies that fit each brand’s needs.

For most launches, we take the reins on event planning, from building an invite list of the perfect guests to managing logistics on the day. We know that local lifestyle and foodie influencers are instrumental in creating buzz, and we’ve spent years cultivating relationships with the biggest names in Bristol’s Instagram and TikTok scenes.

We also make introductions to local suppliers and charities, helping brands show their commitment to supporting the community and its economy. These partnerships demonstrate a willingness to integrate authentically, which Bristol locals appreciate.

Two of Bristol’s creative agencies and a host of some of the biggest names in illustration, graffiti and design have joined forces to launch a brand new arts community, raising money for the NHS and Mind charities amidst the current Covid-19 crisis.

‘Life on Hold’, launched by Duchess Media and Hey! What?, is a fundraising project which encourages designers, illustrators and artists, both professional and amateur to get involved, creating pieces of art based around the new slower pace of life, which has come about as a result of the current lockdown rules.

Life on Hold has already amassed a range of well-known and up and coming artists from Bristol and beyond to create a selection of original pieces around this theme, including world-famous graffiti artists such as Inkie, Mr Jago, and Feek and illustrators and artists such as Miss Led, Holy Moly and many more. Other creatives will then be able to register to ‘remix’ these original pieces, taking elements from the original creations to produce their own pieces of work. Their creations can then be passed on to other creatives, generating a chain of ever-evolving ‘remixed’ art.

The project will culminate in an online exhibition including the original pieces of work alongside all of the remixed prints, all of which will be available for purchase with all profits raised going to mental health charity Mind as well as selected local NHS trusts, including Bristol based NHS charity Above & Beyond, who work to support city centre hospitals.

“We’re so excited by the list of key artists we have assembled for Life On Hold and the work that they have submitted is incredible. We hope that the campaign not only raises important funds for the NHS and Mind but also serves as a way of using creativity as a form of therapy during what is a difficult and uneasy time for many of us.”

Life On Hold has already amassed over 350 applications since launching at the end of March, and all 30 of the original pieces of art, created by the key artists, are now available for download to ‘remix’ on the website. Anyone wanting to participate will be able to make a charitable donation to support the amazing work being done by the NHS and Mind. The 30 original key artists pieces will be auctioned at the end of the project, and prints will also be available to buy, with all profits going directly to charity.

Two of Bristol’s creative agencies have joined forces to launch a brand new arts community to raise money for the NHS and Mind charities amidst the current Covid-19 crisis.

Duchess Media and Hey! What? have come together to launch ‘Life on Hold’, a campaign designed to generate a new creative community, producing designs, illustrations, animations and music inspired by the current change in pace of life for a lot of other agencies, freelancers and creatives in digital, music and arts, who have suddenly found themselves out of work.

Working with a range of well-known and up and coming artists from Bristol and beyond including Inkie, Mr Jago, Feek and many more, Life on Hold will launch online with a selection of curated pieces of art and music, all based around the theme of ‘Life on Hold.’ The produced works will then be made available to participants for download through the Life On Hold website for the creative community to remix.

Participating artists will then take elements from the original creations to produce their own pieces of work. Their creations can then be passed on to other creatives, generating a chain of ever-evolving ‘remixed’ art, graphic design and music.

The project will culminate in an online exhibition including the original pieces of work alongside all of the remixed prints and music tracks, all of which will be available for purchase with all profits raised going to Bristol based NHS charity Above & Beyond, who work to support city centre hospitals.

“The NHS and charities like Mind are so vital to our society at times like this. Using our connections within the creative community to show them some gratitude and support for what they are doing is the least we can do. It’s also a great way for creatives to produce works that connect with what will be remembered as a seminal moment in our generations history. Doing good is the best we can do right now.”

Life On Hold will launch with the original pieces available for applications on Friday 27th March, with original artworks available for ‘remixing’ on Friday 3rd April, and anyone wanting to participate will be able to make a charitable donation to support the amazing work being done by the NHS in Bristol’s hospital during this crisis and all the time. The remixed pieces will then be showcased and be available for purchase at a later date.

The Do’s: Building strategic partnerships…

Firstly, what’s actually happening?

How does this affect the hospitality industry?

1. You can still post HFSS content organically

Final word