Client: Yutaka
What if children designed a sushi cookbook to make them more adventurous with food?
9.93m
broadcast reach across TV, radio and podcast
12.5%
increase in branded search against grocery competitors
200%
uplift in Share of Voice across online media and social mentions
Most children's cookbooks are written by adults.
We wondered what would happen if we flipped the idea on its head.
Instead of asking chefs what children might like to eat, we asked children what sushi could become.
The result was Seaweed Sid & The Sushi Squad – a family sushi recipe book inspired entirely by imagination, where every recipe began life as a doodle before being transformed into something families could actually make together.
The Challenge
Japanese food has become a staple in British supermarkets, but making sushi at home can still feel intimidating, especially for families with young children.
Yutaka wanted to show that sushi doesn't need to be perfect to be enjoyable. In fact, the messier, more imaginative and more hands-on the experience, the better.
The challenge wasn't simply to publish another recipe book. It was to make homemade sushi feel creative, accessible and genuinely ‘child’s play’.
Making sushi doesn't have to be perfect
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It just has to be fun
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Making sushi doesn't have to be perfect * It just has to be fun *
The idea
Rather than asking professional illustrators or food stylists to create beautiful sushi, we handed creative control to children.
Working alongside singer and mum Alexandra Burke, children were invited to invent completely original sushi characters during a series of creative workshops.
No rules. Just imagination.
The children dreamed up everything from unicorns and axolotls to sushi pizzas, pandas, lions and the campaign's feline hero, Seaweed Sid. Each character came with its own personality, name and backstory.
The challenge then fell to renowned Japanese chef Yuki Gomi, who transformed every drawing into a genuine sushi recipe that families could recreate at home.
Bringing the campaign to life
The campaign began with a series of creative workshops, where children were encouraged to let their imaginations run wild.
Joined by singer and mum Alexandra Burke, they sketched weird, wonderful and completely original sushi characters, giving each one a name, personality and backstory. Alexandra didn't just make an appearance; she got stuck in alongside the children, creating her own sushi character and helping bring the playful spirit of the campaign to life.
From there, Japanese chef Yuki Gomi took on the challenge of turning every child's drawing into a genuine sushi recipe that families could recreate at home.
The finished recipe book became more than a collection of recipes. Alongside simple sushi-making techniques and family-friendly tips, readers could create characters including Unicone, Samie the Salmon Dinner-saur, Tom the Turtle, Sushi-zza and, of course, Seaweed Sid himself, with every recipe crediting its young creator.
Campaign highlights and results:
Broadcast
- 8 broadcast appearances across TV, radio and podcasts
- 9.93 million broadcast reach – more than 3× the KPI
- 100% of interviews included Yutaka and the campaign’s key message
Earned PR
- 1.5 million coverage views
- 109 brand mentions
- 64% of coverage featured prominent brand placement
- 75% included the key campaign message
- 75% featured Yutaka-branded imagery
- 18 earned backlinks
Social
- 3.18 million paid and organic impressions
- 805,000 influencer and UGC impressions
- CookingWithCarter: 750,000 impressions and 41,000 engagements
- Alexandra Burke’s launch post: 54,000 impressions
Business impact
- 200% increase in Yutaka’s online Share of Voice, from 4% to 12%
- 625% increase in online media Share of Voice, from 4% to 29%
- Became the second most-mentioned brand in the category during the campaign
- 12.5% growth in branded search, while every major competitor declined
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