Case Study - Charcuterie
Tricky Foods is a delightfully playful charcuterie, cheese-styling, and event space business nestled in Madison, WI. Founded in spring 2020 by Therese Merkel—a 23-year-old creative with a passion for food styling—Tricky Foods brings people together through “fun, exciting” culinary experiences that go beyond the expected .
From its early origins as an Instagram hobby during the pandemic, the brand quickly gained traction, curating beautifully styled charcuterie boards, grazing tables, and hosting hands-on workshops.
1. The Challenge
Following the launch of its new Event Space, Tricky Foods sought to establish a clear marketing strategy to drive bookings and build awareness of this unique offering. While the business had built a strong following among direct-to-consumer customers through charcuterie boards, workshops, and private gatherings, expanding into the event space market required a different approach.
The priority was twofold: attract new B2B clients — such as companies, organizations, and event planners — while positioning the space as a premier destination for hosting creative, memorable gatherings in Dane County. In a crowded local events market, the challenge was to differentiate Tricky Foods’ venue and capture the attention of decision-makers planning corporate and community events.
2. The Strategy
To set a clear direction for growth, we collaborated closely with the Tricky Foods team to define their ideal customer personas. This process provided critical insight into who their target audience was, what motivated them, and how they made event-planning decisions. Building on this foundation, we conducted in-depth market research to identify local businesses and organizations that aligned with these profiles, while also analyzing competitors to benchmark pricing, positioning, and service offerings in the Dane County event space market.
With these insights in hand, we developed a customer journey roadmap that outlined how prospects would discover, evaluate, and book the Tricky Foods Event Space. This roadmap incorporated keyword research to improve visibility, refreshed creative assets for a targeted email drip campaign, and both short-term and long-term marketing recommendations designed to build brand awareness and drive consistent B2B leads.
3. The Results
The updated marketing strategy gave Tricky Foods a clear roadmap for prioritizing their outreach and allocating resources effectively. Our research uncovered a pool of high-value local businesses and organizations, along with the best channels to reach them through intent-based advertising and targeted messaging. As a result, Tricky Foods gained a stronger pipeline of B2B opportunities, improved clarity on how to nurture leads throughout their buyer journey, and a foundation for expanding brand awareness of their new event space service
