Supermarket plastic pledges show united consumers can drive change
In previous years, the gap between what consumers reported they wanted to happen vs their actual shopping habits was fairly contradictory and therefore a blocker for supermarkets to make a change. However, in more recent reports, research has shown that consumers actively want to change their behaviour to be more sustainable and helpful to the environment – over 65% of consumers to be more specific!
These figures have provided a huge initiative for supermarkets to make that all-important change. The Grocer shares some of the changes that have already happened/are on their way in; “Unilever has pledged to halve its use of plastic packaging and Waitrose is encouraging people to bring their own reusable containers to buy and refill produce.”
One notable omission from the conversation around these initiatives is the volume at which retailers advertise the changes they have made or are planning to make. As more and more customers look for these environmental initiatives all supermarkets (local or large) need to make much more noise in explicitly advertising if they are making sustainable changes. This could soon become a deciding factor for consumers and for retailers be a major opportunity for bringing in business.
There is a huge opportunity here for both brands and retailers who are willing and able to be agile and meet the expectations of consumers. The challenge is in how agile you can be. In many cases it won’t be an easy task but if you’re willing to invest the rewards could be huge.
Read more from Harry Walker on The Grocer.
How to get the most out of your Instagram Stories:
This week Instagram released a list of playful tips and tricks that’ve been proven to grab consumer interest.
The top 5 ways to improve your stories are as follows:
- Show unfiltered moments of your day
- Share customer testimonials
- Tell your business story
- Feature your products and services
- Share tutorials
But, why do these work? Let’s have a quick look…
Showing unfiltered moments shows your audience your personal side. We’re not always dressed up to nines on the way to a ball, so why should your product be? It gives consumers an inside look of the unpolished, behind the scenes, ‘lazing on the sofa’ you. In a study commissioned by Facebook, people across Brazil, Indonesia, the UK and the US were more likely to say they visit stories to see live, unfiltered content.
Share customer testimonials because they’re the most important people in the world. You’re showing your audience you care what your customers think, whilst showing new visitors what you’re made of. Reaching out and sharing personal stories creates a good foundation for a solid community.
Tell your business story – revealing your origin story gives personality to the business. The more the audience know (within reason) the better. Showing challenges and how you’ve overcome them can build trust with your audience, whilst confirming authenticity.
Feature your products and services by taking advantage of the Instagram Story real estate. Tell a story, exhibit your product and sell your service! Facebook commissioned a study that found nearly half the respondents looked for the product/where to buy it after seeing it on a story.
Share tutorials and show off! We live in an age of social media that’s always trying to enlighten us, whether it’s teaching us recipes, workouts, hacks or shortcuts. Use stories to show how you can use the product in a bigger picture.
Stories are great for reactive, fun and engaging content, whilst reaching out to new audiences. Interesting stuff to keep in mind going forward.
Link to the full article on Social Media Today, HERE!
Christmas ads – so far so Christmassy
It’s that time of year (early November) that signifies the time in the calendar when we’re reminded from all sides that a certain holiday doth approach at speed. It’s Christmas advert season, people, not that you needed reminding.
All the major retailers have been planning their 2019 Christmas comms for most of the year, so it’s always fun to see how well they capture the public’s collective imagination, or, how far they miss the mark. The favourite every year is the hotly anticipated John Lewis ad, which is yet to air. Meaning the rest of the pack sit more firmly in the underdog bracket.
So, what do we think so far?
Some ads seem to be bucking the trend of pumping the public with over-zealous, fairytale Christmas magic by taking a much more modern approach.
M&S launched its ‘Go Jumpers For Christmas’ advert today which is one long dance number (choreographed by Beyoncé’s choreographer) that portrays the party vibe at Christmas, with a few token cutaways to an expressive dog – not bad.
Argos has absolutely smashed it with a super fun Christmas morning drum fest that sees a father-daughter drum duet to the tune of the Simple Minds banger ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’. It’s a strong contender in our book.
The least impressive is hands down Asda’s submission. This spot follows a confusing and over-egged story where a young girl named ‘Tilly’ steals(?) the spirit of Christmas… then proceeds to zap people into festive stuff. It’s way too much, annoyingly hard to piece together and so derivative it hurts. But after reading through the #BoycottAsda trend on Twitter, the failure of the Christmas ad is perhaps the least of Asda’s worries*…
Iceland has presumably spent a fortune on a Frozen 2 partnership that is admittedly fun and to the point, it may very well reap dividends with their target consumer but won’t be winning the top accolades from us.
Walkers has definitely forked out top dollar for Mariah Carey to feature in its festive effort. Short, to the point and in line with their ongoing celeb-focused campaign, this one’s a safe bet. The highlight comes in the crucial moment where Mariah does her level best to nibble the little, disc-shaped fried potato whilst suppressing her instinct to wince, convulse in horror and presumably propel the foul-tasting snack back from whence it came. The moment goes to show just how much of a consummate professional the diva queen is.
All that remains now, is to sit back, watch the rest of the retailers battle it out, and wait for the only ad we really care about…
Yeah… Coca Cola. Polar Bears or lorry either’s fine.
This, as we all know, marks the true beginning of Christmas.
See a more detailed breakdown of the Christmas ads at Campaign Live.
*If you missed it, they’ve been naughty – go check it out on Twitter.