A controversial and saucy TV advert has sparked a massive sales boom for a Stoke-on-Trent-based online takeaway ordering business.
The Foodhub ad, which has been viewed millions of times across social media and TV, has led to a 10 per cent positive upswing in orders since its first airing in December 2023.
The company headquartered in Fenton, which employs 850 people – and was set up by former Co-op Academy Stoke-on-Trent students Ardian Mula and Mohammed Shakil in 2017 – wanted a bold and daring promotion.
So they invested £35,000 in production costs and a further £165,000-a-month for three months to have the advert broadcast on Sky.
And the risqué risk paid off with the company, which positions itself as a rival to the likes of Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats, revealing a significant return on investment.
Combining the nation’s favourite takeaway dishes with raunchy shots, the advert portrays actors making cheeky innuendos relating to fast food favourites, while giving the audience a taste of Foodhub’s takeaway offerings.
Not everyone was happy – the advert attracted 53 complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority since airing on Sky channels, which have all been overturned.
However, CEO Ardian, said Foodhub didn’t set out to offend and was confident viewers would appreciate the humour and play on words.
Ardian said: “We’re thrilled with the success of the advert, and despite being unsure at the beginning, the combined team effort that has gone into the creation of our risqué advert has led to fantastic results, and a boost to the team spirit.
“Once the advert was first broadcast, the morale boost at our Stoke-on-Trent headquarters was clear to see. The team were ecstatic to see Foodhub on television, and this has allowed us to claim the sought after tag of ‘as seen on TV’.
“As a business, we’re not afraid to take risks, we want to be bold and daring in our goal of a takeaway company from Stoke-on-Trent taking on the big fish of the industry, so that’s what we did! Ultimately, the advert has delivered exceptional results for the business, so we’re already looking at what comes next.”
Foodhub, which worked with JMS-Group to produce the advert, now has more than 25,000 takeaway and restaurant partners featuring on its online marketplace.
Headquartered in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, it employs 850 people. Its core market is the UK and Ireland and it also has operations in the US, Australia and New Zealand.
