Dumpling Cheers
Project Background
In 2013, Dumpling Cheers launched their business at Ramsgate Markets with a dream to warm the hearts and stomachs of Sydney with their Northern Chinese style dumplings.
Over the next 12 years Dumpling Cheers would become a crowd favourite serving-up dumplings weekly across Sydney's markets, and becoming a mainstay of Glebe, Bondi and Kiribilli markets just to name a few.
Client Brief
After a decade of perfecting their products and developing a loyal customer following, Dumpling Cheers was ready to take the next step. By launching a take-home frozen range of their products, crafted with the same care, recipes, and flavour that made them a local favourite.
Dumpling Cheers owner Jason had some ideas about how he would like to launch the products, but was lacking clear direction on how everything would come together. This is where we stepped in, starting with a full audit of the Dumpling Cheers brand and its marketing, to help establish a brief and identify a plan to get the frozen packs to market.
Working with Jason we identified the brand's position as authentic, fun, and premium, balancing its warm, family tone with a fresh, bold look that could stand out in-store and online.
We then established a plan to put together an integrated campaign that brought together creative, media, and retail experience, ensuring every element (from video storytelling to sampling) worked toward a single message: “From Sydney markets to your freezer.”
Process
Over three months, we guided Dumpling Cheers through a multi-phase launch plan designed to move from strategy to awareness, trial, and optimisation. But in order for any of this to work it was important to ensure Dumpling Cheers had their online channels in order to ensure customers could find and purchase their products online. So a website audit and SEO keyword research was a necessary first step.
Pre-campaign
We began with the website, when we started Dumpling Cheers had an existing Shopify site but it wasn’t currently live. We took this chance to give the Shopify site a full audit and identify where improvements could be made in 3 key areas; SEO, Site Performance and User Experience. Post audit we implemented recommendations prior to go-live.
- Full website audit - SEO, Site Performance and User Experience
- Report + Implementation plan
- Installation and setup of plugins (Google, Reviews, and Forms)
- SEO Strategy
- Keyword research
- Implementation of report findings
Month 1 – Strategy & Creative Foundation
Now that the website was up and running we began work on the campaign, starting with a deep dive into the brand, its audience, and category landscape. Once we had a good idea of who Dumpling Cheers was we got underway with the creative, presenting the client with 2 creative territories to choose from. Family & Tradition was ultimately chosen as a campaign direction and we got started on the campaign.
- Developed two creative territories:
1. Family & Tradition - warm, cheeky, and heartfelt.
2. Quality & Health - premium ingredients and care. - Built campaign moodboards, visual language, and messaging hierarchy.
- Developed brand identity further
- Defined the media mix and budget allocation for Meta and Google Ads.
- Developed a product display, upgraded market signage and created sampling materials for use in-store and at market.
- Developed a Sales Document for pitching to Stockists.
Month 2 – Content Creation & Launch
In month 2 we moved onto the execution of content for the launch, setup of ads and content publishing.
- Filmed and edited a series of vertical videos for Instagram and Facebook using relatable, everyday scenarios to bring the brand personality to life.
- Designed static posts, graphics, and motion pieces for use on Social Media.
- Developed campaign copywriting for Google and Meta campaigns.
- Setup Meta and Google Ad campaigns.
- Scheduled paid and organic social media posts.
- Worked with suppliers to print/build product display, signage and sampling materials.
Month 3 – Optimisation & Growth
In the third month we monitored campaign performance and made any necessary adjustments as the campaign run.
- Analysed ad results across Reels, In-Stream, and Audience Network placements.
- Introduced boosted posts to amplify high-performing organic content.
- Reinvested budget toward the best-performing ads to maximise efficiency.
- Optimised Google ad performance; making any necessary adjustments to keywords, budgets, campaign copywriting and bid strategies.
Post-campaign
Finally once the campaign has run its course we developed a full report outlining campaign performance and recommended next steps.
Results
Through a mix of creativity, performance insight, and rapid content delivery, the campaign successfully brought Dumpling Cheers from the markets to homes across Sydney. Jason has also managed to get his dumplings ranged with 6 stockists with the help of the sales deck.
Highlights:
- Over 4000 website visits in the first month!
- Over 65,000 unique video views and 3,700+ link clicks through Meta Ads, that's 75% of all web traffic!
- Average Cost Per Click (Meta): A$0.14 - significantly below industry average.
- Click Through Rate: Consistently strong across Reels and In-Stream placements.
- Consistent organic engagement through trend-based content and boosted posts.
- Improvements in website performance means Dumpling Cheers website is ranking in Google.
- Google search activity boosted by brand and category keywords, strengthening visibility around “best dumplings Sydney” and “handmade dumplings.”
What We Delivered
- Brand and Marketing Strategy
- Visual campaign development (moodboards, concepts, client workshops)
- Video content production & edits
- Copywriting
- Motion design
- Graphic assets and social templates
- Logo refresh and visual identity refinement
- Website optimisation audit and implementation
- Meta and Google Ads setup & management
- Design of sampling displays, market stands and signage
- Consultancy and performance reporting
Outcome
The Dumpling Cheers campaign transformed a beloved market brand into a premium retail-ready product while preserving its family roots, warmth and authenticity.
By balancing creative storytelling, data-led advertising, and hands-on retail presence, Pink Dog Studio helped Dumpling Cheers bridge the gap between market stalls and supermarket shelves, turning real human connection into measurable brand growth.
