If you have visited The Rocks area in Sydney, you would have undoubtedly been transfixed by the craftsmanship of the crew behind the glass at confectionery company Sticky.
For more than 20 years, Sticky master candy maker and CEO David King and the team have been providing theatre as well as delicious treats to customers.
When Covid struck, this tourism precinct on the edge of Sydney harbour was struck hard. But instead of turning to jelly, the team turned to social media, with staggering results.
With a blend of live-streaming and short-form video content, Sticky now has:
- 6.9 million followers on TikTok;
- 2.7 million subscribers on YouTube; and
- 1.5 million followers on Facebook.
Kings says, “It’s pretty crazy. At the end of 2022, we were consistently the most viewed food and beverage brand on Facebook in the world and the fourth most viewed brand page in all categories, just behind RedBull and TikTok.
“For a silly little lolly shop hidden away in Sydney, that’s pretty cool.”
King thinks the reason Sticky stuck and achieved such engagement was because they turned the normal approach to social media on its head.
“Most brands do the ‘media’ bit well, beautifully even. But we went the other way and did the ‘social’. We shared not only our product and process, we shared ourselves, our family, our staff, and our personalities. It’s that combination of personality and process that really seems to resonate.
“Most folks are looking for community and connection, for the human, with all its flaws, and we gave them that,” he said.
Sticky manages its social media almost entirely in-house as a co-operative effort between the family and staff.
King said, “I’d be lost without them and in a way, that’s the key. Family and staff are massive assets when trying to engage with social media. Trust them, encourage them, and the sky is the limit.”
