THE PROJECT
Scaling one of London’s most culturally complex destinations.
Seven years leading strategy, content and growth for Brixton Village — transforming a fragmented market of 140+ independent traders into one of London’s most recognisable social-first destinations.
One Agency.
Seven years.
No in-house team.
—
Every aspect of Brixton Village’s digital presence is led entirely by HAS — from strategy and content creation to paid social, community management, website management and campaign execution. A full creative and strategic partner, embedded in the market from day one.
A live brand that never stands still.
Managing social media for a live market environment with 140+ independent traders required far more than content production alone. Each trader has their own personality, audience and commercial priorities, while the wider brand needs to remain cohesive, culturally relevant and commercially effective. The challenge was not simply growth — it was creating a content strategy capable of making hundreds of independent voices feel part of one living brand.
ENVIRONMENT
OUR APPROACH
STRATEGY & CREATIVE DIRECTION
Trader-first storytelling
Personality over polish. Every piece of content started with a trader — their story, their craft, their voice. First-person storytelling consistently outperformed branded creative, driving stronger saves, shares and follows.
Platform-native content
No cross-platform repurposing. Each platform got content built for how its audience actually behaves — short-form discovery on TikTok, community-led storytelling on Instagram, local traffic-driving on Facebook.
Weekly on-site shoots
Every single week, HAS was physically present in the market — building genuine trader relationships, capturing content in the moment, and responding to the always-evolving culture of Brixton Village in real time.
Community-led growth
Growth came from genuine community engagement, not paid amplification alone. Consistent daily management, micro-influencer activation and authentic comment culture built an audience that actively converts.
SCOPE OF WORK
The full picture.
HAS acted as Brixton Village’s full external social and content team — handling every channel, every platform and every campaign without a single in-house social hire.
THE NUMBERS
PLATFORM PERFORMANCE.
Instagram
The primary brand platform. Strongest for trader storytelling, community depth and long-term audience growth. 2025 was the account’s strongest year to date.
TikTok
Launched from zero in 2023. Now the fastest-growing discovery channel — with an engagement rate more than five times the platform average.
Facebook
The highest-reach platform for local discovery — driving measurable footfall, significant link clicks and consistent traffic from an older, hyperlocal audience.
WHY IT WORKED.
01. Trader-led storytelling consistently outperformed polished brand creative.
Content built around individual traders — their personalities, their origins, their craft — drove the highest engagement, saves and shares on every platform. Polish doesn’t build community. Authenticity does.
02. Community-first content drove stronger saves and shares than promotional messaging.
Posts designed to make the audience feel part of something — not sold to — consistently outperformed campaign-led content. This is how social media builds destinations, not just awareness.
03. Weekly on-site presence was critical for cultural relevance and trader trust.
Being physically in the market every week meant HAS could respond to Brixton Village’s constantly evolving culture in real time. That proximity built the genuine trader relationships that made the storytelling possible.
0.4 Platform-native creative outperformed cross-platform repurposing every time.
TikTok content built for TikTok. Instagram content built for Instagram. Facebook content built for a local, older discovery audience. Each platform was treated as its own editorial channel — with distinct tone, format and strategy.
COMMERCIAL IMPACT
BEYOND ENGAGEMENT
Strong social metrics matter. What matters more is what they translate to — for traders, for the destination, and for the people who make the decision to visit, lease and return.
01
Trader discoverability
Social content directly drove new customers to individual traders — often for the first time. Consistent comment threads show audiences visiting specifically because of a post. For independent businesses with no marketing budget, this is material.
02
Cultural destination positioning
Seven years of consistent content established Brixton Village as more than a market — as a cultural landmark. The social presence became part of the reason the destination carries the identity it does today, not just a reflection of it.
03
Event awareness & footfall
Event content consistently drove measurable footfall. Facebook alone delivered 8,800 link clicks in 2025 — representing real visitors directed from feed to destination. Every campaign had a footfall objective, not just an awareness one.
04
Leasing attractiveness
A destination with a credible, active social presence is a more attractive proposition for prospective traders. The HAS strategy helped position Brixton Village as a place where independent businesses can genuinely grow their audience — not just occupy a unit.
IN THEIR WORDS
There was a noticeable difference in our social media aesthetic, engagement and following from the moment HAS took over.
Holst Andrews embraced the complexity of Brixton Village gracefully, while continuing to build genuine rapport with tenants and showcase the market in its always-on nature. Their ability to represent 140+ independent voices while keeping the brand cohesive is what sets them apart.
Lara Cunningham & Diana Nabagereka — Brixton Village
