Work
Selected work across retail, dining and experience brands in physical locations.
Cookie Monster Café Melbourne
Launching a global brand into Australia with zero paid media.
Client PRE (in partnership with Sesame Workshop and Haven)
Locations Melbourne Central and Highpoint
Timing November 2025 to January 2026
Work delivered Launch strategy, PR and earned media, creator strategy, shopping centre amplification, reporting and earned media valuation
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Cookie Monster Café launched in Australia for the first time with no owned social channels and a limited trading window. The goal was immediate awareness, foot traffic, and must visit positioning during peak trading and school holiday periods, without relying on paid media.
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With no café owned channels and a short trading window, the challenge was scale. How do you launch a globally loved brand locally, generate sustained buzz, and reach families, tourists and fans across Melbourne using earned and partner led channels alone.
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A partnership led launch strategy designed for visibility, cultural relevance and shareability, built across four pillars.
High impact launch moments designed to be visual and socially shareable
PR and earned media to establish credibility and national awareness
Influencer and creator amplification to act as the café’s voice without owned channels
Shopping centre amplification across social, email, web and in centre digital placements to sustain momentum
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Launch strategy and planning
PR and earned media strategy
Influencer and creator strategy
Shopping centre and partner amplification plan
Campaign reporting and earned media valuation
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Two launch events featured Cookie Monster appearances and giveaways for the first 100 customers, creating queues, energy and strong visual content. A curated mix of family, foodie, lifestyle and nostalgia creators produced Reels and TikToks capturing first bites, queue moments and the novelty of the space. Tourism and city platforms amplified the launch through listings, editorial and newsletters. With no paid media, the campaign relied on creators, publisher credibility and shopping centre partners to replace café owned channels.
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$155k earned media value
5.6M plus estimated reach
6.1M plus impressions
47 reportable placements across PR, shopping centres and influencers
$0 paid media investment
Shopping centre amplification proved critical, layering exposure across social, EDMs, websites and in centre screens. Video delivered the strongest performance signals, and micro creators helped the brand feel everywhere during peak trading.
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The launch positioned Cookie Monster Café Melbourne as a must visit destination for families, fans and tourists, and proved how a global brand can achieve local scale through earned first thinking and smart partnerships. The results now support future site launches and leasing discussions by demonstrating the pull power of the Sesame Street brand.
“Darling Bloom helped us generate genuine buzz, strong partner support and meaningful visibility for Cookie Monster Café, without relying on paid media. Coreena played a critical role in the success of the Melbourne launch. Her calm leadership, strong relationships and clear thinking helped us achieve real scale and visibility, while navigating the complexities of licensed partnerships with warmth and competence.”
- George Milevski, General Manager - PRE
