# Melting the Algorithm With Melona

> Melona's UK fans were already doing the marketing. We gave them somewhere to gather, and engagement jumped 7,800% in two months.

Source: https://ourownbrand.co/work/melona  
Client: Melona  
Services: Creative & Content, Social, Creative, Creator UGC, Social strategy & positioning, Channel & community management  
Updated: 2026-09-30

## Results

- **150%** increase follower growth
- **2,650%** increase in views
- **7,800%** Engagement increase

## The challenge

Melona had already built an underground following in the UK. Creators were discovering it, tasting it, obsessively ranking flavours, and debating their favourites - all without the brand saying a word. The audience was already marketing Melona to itself.

Our job wasn't to create demand. It was to build the home for it, amplify it and give Melona a voice that matched the energy already there.

## Our approach

**Built TikTok from zero, revived Instagram** We launched Melona's TikTok presence from scratch while breathing fresh energy back into Instagram - both rebuilt around what their audience was already doing: short, snappy format, trend-jacking and user-generated moments.

**Turned comments into strategy** Every comment was an opportunity. We didn't just respond, we created content from what people were saying. When a trend fit, Melona showed personality. When someone debated flavour rankings, we leaned in.

**Made content feel native** In-house UGC style shoots gave everything a social-first feel that didn't look like brand content. We filmed real eating moments, recreation videos and the chaos of people sharing Melona because that's what happens when people love something.

**Put product in the right hands** Strategic gifting meant creators received ice creams that actually arrived frozen. Not a product dump but targeted partnerships with creators who would genuinely discover and champion Melona.

**Crossed into adjacent culture** A collaboration with Tajín paired Melona's sweetness with spice through co-created content and giveaways. A partnership with Skin Cupid connected Melona to Korean culture's growing footprint in UK culture.

## The results

In two months, Melona went from background noise to impossible to ignore:

- **8,000 engagements** (up from 101 in the previous two months). An increase of  7,800%!
- **1.96% engagement rate** - an active community, not passive reach
- **150% increase follower growth**
- **2,650% increase in views** (27x the previous period)

More importantly: the conversation that was happening in corners and comment threads became the centre of Melona's presence. We didn't invent the audience. We became the gathering place for it.

---

Our Own Brand (OOB) is a social-first creative agency in London, founded in 2018: social, creative, influencer, brand and paid social for 200+ brands. Two UK Social Media Awards 2026 wins. Brief us: https://ourownbrand.co/contact · hello@ourownbrand.co · More for agents: https://ourownbrand.co/agents.md