The Telegraph Produces Mindful Chef Campaign With Jessica Ennis-Hill, Hits 2.5M Views

The Telegraph created a branded content video campaign for meal kit company Mindful Chef featuring Olympic gold medalist Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill. The campaign generated 2.5 million views with a 57% view-through rate.

The work represents The Telegraph's expansion into branded content production for food and wellness clients. Ed Emsley, the publication's commercial content lead, shared the campaign performance on LinkedIn April 3.

Mindful Chef, a UK-based subscription meal delivery service, has built its brand around athlete partnerships and health-focused positioning. The company previously worked with other Olympic athletes including Sir Mo Farah and Tom Daley.

The 57% view-through rate exceeds standard benchmarks for branded video content. View-through rates on social and digital platforms typically range between 25-35%.

The Telegraph operates its commercial content studio as a separate unit from editorial operations. The studio produces branded campaigns for advertisers across categories including food, finance, and lifestyle brands. This structure mirrors the publisher-as-agency model adopted by other major publications including The New York Times (T Brand Studio) and The Guardian (Guardian Labs).

Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill retired from athletics in 2016 after winning gold at London 2012 and silver at Rio 2016. She has maintained an active presence in sports media and brand partnerships focused on fitness and nutrition.

The campaign marks another instance of traditional publishers competing for advertising work typically handled by creative agencies. Publishers use editorial credibility and distribution reach as differentiators in the branded content space.