Feelo
Dining Discovery & Deals Platform
Feelo is a dining discovery and deals platform built for experience-first consumers primarily Gen Z and young millennials who decide where to eat based on peer recommendations, cultural relevance, and the thrill of finding a deal that feels exclusive.
The challenge
Competing for attention in a market saturated with discount-led food apps, where standard promotional mechanics had become invisible to the target audience. Feelo needed an acquisition approach that felt native to Gen Z behavior not like an ad.
The solution
Was a three-pronged phygital campaign: hidden newsletter promo codes that rewarded the curious, nano-creator partnerships that embedded Feelo into authentic conversations, and on-ground venue activations that made the first redemption experience frictionless and shareable.
The Strategic Framework: Make Them Feel Like Insiders
Three distinct acquisition mechanics worked in concert, each designed for a different touchpoint in the Gen Z attention landscape:
Mechanic 01 — Hidden Newsletter Codes
Promo codes were embedded as Easter eggs inside newsletter content — not displayed prominently, but buried in paragraph copy, footnotes, and image alt text for readers who were genuinely engaged. This mechanic rewarded attention and created a sense of discovery that drove organic sharing: ‘Did you find the code in this week’s Feelo email?’
Mechanic 02 — Nano-Creator Partnerships
Rather than investing in macro-influencers with broad but disengaged audiences, Feelo partnered with 50+ nano-creators — food content creators with 1,000–15,000 followers whose audiences trusted them as genuine peers, not paid promoters. The logic was deliberate: one creator with 500,000 followers produces a single point of exposure, while 50 creators with 10,000 followers each produce 50 simultaneous, independent conversations happening across different communities at the same time. Brand visibility spreads like a virus — not from one loud source, but from dozens of trusted voices igniting their own circles simultaneously.
Mechanic 03 — On-Ground Venue Activation
Physical presence at dining venues — table cards, QR code tent cards, staff briefings — reduced the friction of the first-time redemption. The in-venue prompt met users at the exact moment of intent: when they were already seated, already deciding to spend money on food.
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Gen Z Sign-Up Growth (Peak Campaign Window) | 320% increase |
| First-Time Feelo Redemptions (In-Venue Uplift) | 140% uplift |
| New Users via Hidden Codes + Nano-Creator Links | 1,000+ users acquired |
| Newsletter Code Discovery & Forward Rate | Measurably above baseline open-to-share ratio |
| Creator Attribution Accuracy | 100% — per-creator tracked promo links |
| In-Venue QR Conversion | Highest single-channel FTR uplift at 140% |
Why It Worked: The Gen Z Acquisition Principles
1. Discovery > Promotion
The hidden code mechanic turned a standard promo into a participation experience. Users who found the code felt clever — and shared that feeling with their network, driving earned acquisition at zero additional cost.
2. Peer Trust > Brand Authority
Nano-creators with 2,000 engaged followers outperformed macro-influencers with 200,000 passive ones. The authenticity of the recommendation — paired with a trackable unique code — delivered measurable conversion, not just impressions. More critically, activating 50+ nano-creators simultaneously meant the brand appeared organically across dozens of unconnected communities at once — creating the sensation of viral momentum without paid amplification. This is the distributed model: many small fires burn longer and wider than one large flame.
3. Meet the Moment of Intent
In-venue activation intercepted users at the highest-intent moment in the food journey — already seated, already spending. The 140% uplift in first-time redemptions validates the power of physical presence at the decision point over passive digital retargeting.
4. Data-Driven Creator Selection
Every creator partnership was tracked to signup and redemption level — not just reach or impressions. This enabled continuous optimisation: doubling down on high-converting creators and eliminating spend on low-performing partnerships within weeks, not quarters.