How Our Personal Brand Agency Fully Booked an Event
See how our personal brand agency in Malta grew a celebrity chef’s Instagram by 52x, sold out events, and turned limited time into real online impact.
Case Study
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Jan 14, 2026
This case study breaks down the personal brand and organic social media marketing strategy OKAYVIRAL uses to drive Instagram growth and demand for chefs and restaurant owners.
Overview
Marvin Gauci, a nationally recognized Maltese fine dining chef and restaurateur, the ambassador of local culinary culture, built his reputation through multiple successful restaurants and public-facing roles. While his influence offline was well established, his personal social presence did not reflect that status. Content was largely repurposed from restaurant accounts, average views remained around 2,000 per post, and the platform functioned more as a static portfolio than a growth channel centered around him as a persona.
As major moments approached, including a wine pairing event and a television appearance on Battle of the Beasts, the need for visibility became urgent. Partnering with OKAYVIRAL for the first time, he implemented a growth-first strategy focused on personal storytelling, kitchen culture, and chef-led humor rather than polished promotion. Within two months, the account experienced over 52x growth and the wine pairing event sold out, demonstrating how culture-led content and intentional narrative can rapidly transform digital presence when aligned with real-world influence.
The Challenge
Low digital visibility despite strong offline reputation
The chef’s personal social media reached only a few thousand views per post and functioned more as a static portfolio than a growth channel.Limited availability and cautious execution
The chef had minimal time, and growth-focused content was unfamiliar to his team, slowing experimentation and decision-making.No clear content or distribution strategy
Posts were inconsistent, often reused from restaurant pages, and lacked narrative, hooks, or platform-native execution.Event demand risk
An upcoming wine pairing event at his fine dining restaurant needed to be filled quickly, without relying on traditional advertising.
Services
Strategy
Results
Within weeks, the chef’s social presence shifted from low engagement to high-impact visibility.
Business Impact
⇢ The wine pairing event sold out, validating social media as a direct revenue and demand channel.
Audience & Visibility Growth
⇢ Views scaled rapidly from 12,156 to 635,953
⇢ Over 52x growth in Instagram views
⇢ Interactions increased from single digits to over 17,000
⇢ Audience quality highly aligned around food, dining, and culinary culture.
Market Position
What began as a low-visibility personal profile became a culturally relevant, high-engagement platform. The chef’s online presence now matches his real-world reputation, positioning him as one of the most visible culinary figures in Malta and proving that even with limited time, strategic execution can drive outsized results.
Performance Visualized
Total monthly Instagram Reel views before the campaign
Total monthly Instagram Reel views two months into the campaign
Total monthly Instagram interactions before the campaign
Total monthly Instagram interactions two months into the campaign