Aldi has once again taken aim at M&S’ Colin the Caterpillar Cake, using a King Charles III coronation advertisement to poke fun at the retailer.
In April 2021, M&S filed a lawsuit against Aldi with claims that the discounter’s Cuthbert was a carbon copy of its popular Colin the Caterpillar cake. Last summer, however, the pair settled a lengthy legal battle which saw Cuthbert ultimately crawl back into Aldi stores.
The German supermarket’s latest ad sees the brand promote its discounted products ahead of King Charles III’s coronation on 6 May, with a group of friends gathering for a caterpillar-themed party. The cake-fuelled joy and jubilance soon come to an end, however, when Colin crosses paths with Cuthbert and a scrap ensues.
The tongue-in-cheek ad ends with the line: “Aldi. Like M&S. Only cheaper.*”
“*On cakes that look like caterpillars.”
Comparing M&S’ price of £8.50 to Aldi’s £4.99, the video also contains terms and conditions text that reads: “Comparisons of products shown only. M&S may sell other products at different prices. Prices checked 25/04/23.”
The ad does not mark the first time Aldi has poked fun at M&S for the caterpillar cake legal fiasco. In June last year, the discounter placed out-of-home (OOH) van ads outside M&S stores across London, Birmingham, Newcastle, Manchester and Liverpool in a bid to highlight the cake’s return to stores nationwide. Aldi’s giant posters appeared to troll M&S and inform the nation of Cuthbert’s return with messages reading, “Aisle be back” and “Made by bakers. Approved by lawyers”.
Discussing Aldi’s latest jab at M&S, the chain’s marketing director, Jemma Townsend, told Retail Gazette: “What better way to show shoppers’ support of Cuthbert than by having him as the star in the returning ‘Like Brands, Only Cheaper’ series?
“Aldi exclusive brands are just as good as the brands people know and love and these adverts are set to remind people of that at a time where cost of living is increasingly important.”
Industry expert and BigSmall partner Matt Edwards has hailed the ad as a “masterclass in tactical marketing”. He added: “It’s not only grabbing attention and getting talked about, it’s also building on Aldi’s long-term strategy of beating the major supermarkets on price. It’s the perfect way to plant in people’s minds that doing the ‘Coronation big shop’ with Aldi – instead of their usual supermarket — will save them a lot of money. And the icing on the caterpillar cake is the casting – I particularly enjoyed the grudging delivery of “Alright Cuthbert”!
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The ‘Aldi Like Brands Cakes’ TV spot has also been praised online, with one Twitter user (@JM90x) writing: “Honestly whoever is running Aldi’s marketing team needs to be on an absolute outstanding wage.”
Another member of the public (@MoFromStreamr) asked: “Aldi just released the best ad in the world?”
Aldi just released the best ad in the world? pic.twitter.com/HKlOTPF7El
— Mo (@MoFromStreamr) April 28, 2023
