CHALLENGE
As a first-year event with no existing digital audience, SMOKED needed to establish instant credibility and excitement in a crowded Toronto food festival landscape. The challenge was to balance clarity (event logistics, ticketing, schedule) with emotional storytelling that would capture the multisensory energy of barbecue, chef collaboration, and SMOKED’s core giving-back ethos. This had to be accomplished on a tight lead-up timeline—all while building audience momentum from zero.
Approach
Serotina Media developed an integrated social media roadmap and production campaign — combining strategic planning, platform-specific storytelling, and hands-on content creation to bring SMOKED to life online. The engagement moved from foundation to execution, ensuring every piece of content served a strategic purpose in the event’s awareness funnel.
STRATEGIC FOUNDATION
Serotina began with a Social Media Playbook to define content pillars, audience engagement tactics, and editorial messaging across social media channels..
TIKTOK
CONTENT PRODUCTION CAMPAIGN
Following the strategic foundation, Serotina led a full creative production phase – concepting, scripting, and producing 20 original short-form videos built from a mix of raw assets, UGC, and chef footage.
- Sourced local UGC creators and collaborated with SMOKED’s lineup of participating chefs to produce authentic, personality-driven content.
- Directed video concepts and scripts to align with platform best practices and the event’s storytelling pillars.
- Produced and delivered 20 key short-form videos designed to build anticipation, drive ticket awareness, and create an engaging digital lead-up to the event.
The majority of these videos were rolled out during the pre-event phase, fueling audience excitement and establishing SMOKED’s digital identity before gates opened.
CONTENT CALENDAR SYSTEM
Serotina supported production on a 2.5-month content calendar spanning pre and post-event phases, aligning content production with key milestones:
- Pre-event: Anticipation through chef reveals, countdowns, and vendor introductions.
- Post-event: Recaps and storytelling around SMOKED’s success and charitable impact.
Each piece of content was mapped to support clear objectives — awareness, engagement, and ticket conversion — across the campaign timeline.
RESULTS
Serotina’s strategy and content production drove strong visibility, authentic audience engagement, and measurable impact for SMOKED’s launch, including 3,686 meals donated through its charitable partners.
Total views
1.2M
Reach Rate
1,400%
REEL VIEWS
132,900+
Some of Our Videos
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