Monday Morning Cooking Club
DIGITAL MARKETING AND SOCIAL MEDIA CASE STUDY
Background
Monday Morning Cooking Club (MMCC)
is a Sydney-based not-for-profit that celebrates the power of food, culture and community. What began in 2006 as a passion project between friends has grown into a nationally recognised organisation, preserving the rich culinary heritage of the global Jewish community.
MMCC is best known for its award-winning charity cookbooks, which combine cherished family recipes with deeply personal stories. These books are more than recipe collections—they’re living archives of Jewish culture told through food. Since publishing its first title in 2011, MMCC has sold tens of thousands of copies and raised over $400,000 for Australian charities, including ACCESS Inc., Children’s Medical Research Institute, and the Cancer Council’s Biggest Morning Tea.
Their four published titles—The Food, The Stories, The Sisterhood; The Feast Goes On; It’s Always About the Food; and Now for Something Sweet—feature a rich variety of recipes, from traditional favourites passed down through generations to fresh, modern takes on Jewish cuisine. Each dish reflects the warmth, diversity and heritage of Jewish kitchens across Australia and worldwide.
In 2020, with in-person events on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MMCC partnered with AD Media for digital marketing support. The aim was to build brand awareness, strengthen community engagement, and ensure their mission continued flourishing in an increasingly online world.
The Challenge
MMCC already had a loyal and engaged following on Facebook, Instagram, and email. However, they faced several challenges:
- Boosting book sales and increasing online revenue
- Expanding their digital footprint in Australia and internationally
- Promoting Jewish culture and tradition through food
- Positioning themselves as a trusted voice in Jewish cuisine among influencers, media and food specialists
- Digital activity lacked cohesion, with ad-hoc content posting, minimal data-driven decision-making, and inconsistent paid advertising efforts. MMCC also didn’t leverage its not-for-profit status for greater exposure or support.
COVID-related lockdowns further disrupted their in-person cooking demonstrations and halted potential collaboration opportunities.
Solution
AD Media conducted a full audit of MMCC’s website and digital platforms. Key areas of improvement were identified across user experience, social media content strategy, email marketing, and paid media.
Our key activities included:
Social Media Strategy:
We analysed audience insights, content performance, and competitor benchmarks. We developed a detailed content marketing plan with clear social media verticals, seasonal campaigns, and suggested partnership ideas. We also recommended and supported the execution of an Instagram Live cooking series with co-founder Lisa, allowing MMCC to engage in real-time with their audience.
- Paid Campaigns:
After reviewing 196 existing Facebook campaigns that yielded zero conversions, we implemented a new paid strategy with clear objectives. Our Christmas campaign achieved standout results—selling out MMCC’s books and apron stock while running a successful competition to drive engagement.
- Advertising Support:
We helped MMCC secure a Google Ads Grant, giving them access to $10K per month in free advertising. While MMCC chose not to pursue a full-paid Google Ads account (limiting retargeting options), we launched targeted campaigns to drive awareness and website traffic.
- Sales & E-commerce Integration:
Facebook and Instagram Shops were established to allow for direct social commerce and broaden MMCC’s revenue streams.
- Email Marketing:
We revamped their newsletter with a new template and implemented a regular campaign strategy to support promotions, events and content.
- Brand & Influencer Outreach:
We developed a media kit for potential brand and influencer collaborations and managed community engagement and content moderation across platforms.
Results
Our digital marketing and content strategy delivered strong results:
- Website traffic increased by 230%, from 6,000 to 30,000+ monthly visitors
- Instagram followers grew by 30%
- Social media reach rose by 103%, with engagement up 113%
We also collaborated with MMCC on The Dunera Project—an online initiative to inform and entertain isolated and vulnerable people during lockdown. AD Media developed the website, hosted over 100 online events, and built a community database of 4,000+ subscribers—all on a zero-dollar budget. Read more about The Dunera Project here.
See Our Work
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