Co-op unleashes member prices in playful Lucky Generals campaign

Co-op is focusing on members’ prices in a playful Lucky Generals campaign designed to support its  latest loyalty initiative and promote the introduction of lower member prices.

Launching across TV, print, digital out-of-home (DOOH) and in stores, the multichannel campaign sees the Co-op take a distinctly different direction as it focuses on the money-saving benefits of being a member.

Pitched as a ‘disruptive and playful approach to a busy and competitive advertising environment’, the creative features a regular Co-op shopper; a ‘Proper Donut’ who loves a bargain and can’t stop letting other customers know how to “save a few quid”. The advert closes with the tagline ‘even a proper donut knows members save more’.

The donut character plays a key part in the campaign and will feature across the entire media mix of print, digital out-of-home and social adverts.

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“At a time when the cost-of-living crisis is increasingly prevalent, it’s clear that member prices are now one of the most tangible reasons to join our Co-op,” said chief membership and customer officer, Kenyatte Nelson.

Nelson, who led the campaign, added: “Along with our creative agency, Lucky Generals, we’ve created a disruptive, fun and memorable approach to this campaign designed to grab the attention of consumers, communicating the simple message that members save more to drive new acquisition.”

The new campaign – which was developed across Co-op’s agency partners, including MullenLowe Group, Dentsu and ITG – marks a fresh new direction for the British grocery chain, which introduced member prices and this membership benefits in April this year – a move that aligned the chain with other retailer’s loyalty programmes.

Announced as one of the Co-op’s top communication priorities for 2023, the convenience retailer has committed 65% of its annual marketing budget to promote the initiative, including a new visual identity, significant media spend behind the ‘Members Save More’ campaign and the introduction of innovative channels.