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Success story: New World Trading Company

See how New World Trading Company (NWTC) and The Botanist turned a hero cocktail, Acteol CRM, and their hit TV partnership with Channel 4’s First Dates into a high‑performing guest acquisition campaign.

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The challenge:

Convert First Dates viewers into The Botanist guests
Create a compelling campaign hook that would engage new audiences
Deliver a high-impact digital menu launch on a lean paid-media budget

The approach:

Welcome new audiences – Grow interest and bring new people into The Botanist community by driving competition entries and new sign‑ups
Deepen guest engagement – Reconnect with current subscribers through targeted campaigns that build excitement around the new menu
Drive memorable visits – Convert guest interest into bookings, visits and in‑venue spend

The impact:

30,000 new customer sign‑ups in four weeks (3× original target)
£300,000 revenue generated from two campaign emails in 14 days
2,500 bookings driven directly from CRM activity

Discover how NWTC blended storytelling, cocktail theatre and CRM to spark huge guest engagement and new customer acquisition. Watch the full case study:

A cocktail built for storytelling

More than a menu item, the Flower Power 75 became the storytelling anchor of an entire campaign.

Meet the Flower Power 75

Created to represent NWTC’s botanical identity and the romantic spirit of First Dates, the Flower Power 75 is a floral twist on a French 75 - designed for approachability, flavour and visual appeal.

Peter Holland, Head of Drinks, explained:

“It needed to be approachable… something light on the eyes, floral, flowery flavours. You’ve got jasmine, lychee, Beefeater gin, pink prosecco, viola flowers – and that final jasmine vodka mist sets the tone straight away.”

Group Sales & Marketing Director, Kate Lister-Clancy, added:

“We developed this drink because we thought it looked visually really appealing – really beautiful for Instagram content – but also was delicious.”

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Campaign strategy & execution

1. Story-led digital campaign

The campaign launched a nationwide competition: a romantic First Dates‑inspired weekend in Bath, including dinner and Beefeater tasting at The Botanist Bath. This prize connected the menu launch directly to the TV partnership in a way that felt human, romantic, and accessible.

2. Targeted paid media using Acteol data

Acteol’s Single Customer View gave NWTC a powerful foundation for precise audience targeting across Meta and Google. Using SCV, the team built a 1% lookalike audience modelled on their most engaged guests – including past bookers, Wi‑Fi users and social media engagers.

This allowed NWTC to reach people who closely resembled their ideal guest profile, while also refining targeting based on interests such as First Dates, reality TV and romance content. The paid activity was built to work hand‑in‑hand with the competition mechanic, using creative centred around the Flower Power 75, the Bath First Dates setting, and the date‑night prize.

Because the paid activity was fuelled by real behavioural data – not assumptions – NWTC were able to run a highly efficient campaign that maximised a lean media budget.

3. High-performing organic social

Organic social played a key role in amplifying the campaign story across TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. NWTC leaned into themes of romance, nostalgia and the First Dates connection, sharing playful and romantic content that tapped into what audiences already loved about the show.

The Botanist Bath location – the filming site for First Dates – also became a focal point for storytelling, with behind‑the‑scenes style content resonating strongly with viewers who recognised the setting.

This organic activity helped broaden reach and deepen engagement without relying solely on paid spend.

4. Full-funnel CRM activation with Acteol

To deliver a smooth and personalised journey for guests from first click to first visit, NWTC relied on Acteol’s connected CRM tools:

SCV: Segmented active customers & built precise lookalike audiences

Survey Module: Collected 30k competition entries

Campaign Builder: Created and delivered targeted menu‑launch emails

Automated Campaigns: Triggered instant welcome emails post‑signup

Voucher Module: Distributed Flower Power 75 cocktail vouchers

“The role Acteol played in this campaign was really pivotal.” - Kate Lister-Clancy

The role Acteol played in this campaign was really pivotal. Kate Lister

The impact on the guests and the business

Results of NWTC's Flower Power 75 campaign

Customer acquisition & database growth

“We smashed our target… hitting 30,000 signups in four weeks.” - Kate Lister-Clancy

30,000 sign‑ups vs. 10,000 target

19,500 remained opted‑in after 5 months; 31% actively engaging

Automated welcome journeys sent instantly via Acteol

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We smashed our target… hitting 30,000 signups in four weeks

CRM revenue & engagement

83% Email Quality Score

35.5% open rate

5,000 visits in the first 14 days

£300,000 revenue generated

2,500 bookings attributed directly to campaign emails

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Paid & organic media impact

Meta: 358k reach, 996k impressions, £0.12 CPC

Organic: 286k Instagram & Facebook reach, 40k TikTok reach

Increased Google search interest for ‘First Dates restaurant’ and ‘First Dates Bath’

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Cultural & product impact

"The Flower Power 75 is our second best‑selling signature cocktail… really, really impressive.” - Peter Holland

16,000 Flower Power 75 cocktails sold – second best‑selling signature
The Botanist Bath became a top three most‑visited page during the campaign

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The Flower Power 75 is our second best‑selling signature cocktail… really, really impressive.

A visually striking hero product crafted for romance and shareability

A culturally resonant TV partnership with a perfect audience crossover

A compelling competition that brought the story to life

Acteol’s integrated CRM ecosystem, enabling full‑funnel segmentation, automation, and measurement

Cross‑channel execution spanning organic social, paid media, email, vouchers, and surveys

Long-term strategic impact

“We actually secured genuine customers who came into our venues and hopefully had a great time.” - Kate Lister-Clancy

The campaign accelerated NWTC’s move toward deeper personalisation and more effective automation.

And as Kate mentions, with the introduction of Acteol Evo, “It’s something for 2026 we’re really excited about… being able to see at a glance where we should focus our efforts.”

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Summary

The Flower Power 75 campaign became one of NWTC’s most successful digital initiatives - balancing creativity, cross‑channel execution, and CRM excellence.

It delivered extraordinary results across acquisition, engagement, revenue, and cultural impact, all while reinforcing The Botanist’s position as a beloved UK destination for date nights and memorable hospitality experiences. The campaign’s success was also recognised by the industry, earning a shortlist nomination for Best Digital Engagement at the RMI Awards.

See NWTC's success for yourself

Discover how the Flower Power 75 digital engagement campaign achieved 30,000 new email signups, with 2,500 bookings generated and 16,000 cocktails sold. Watch the full case study:

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