For me and you and all cases
Coop's retail advertising campaign underwent a radical change a year ago. The implementation of the Effkomm+ project brought three format brands together under a single brand umbrella.
Retail Coop's advertising presence underwent a radical change a year ago. The implementation of the Effkomm+ project brought together three format brands under a common brand umbrella. A look back at the change in strategy.
In 2002, when even the retail trade was struggling with declining sales and stagnation, the Swiss top five retailers began to prepare for even tougher times. The strong foreign hard discounters were targeting their market shares and had already extended their feelers far into the Swiss market, with entry plans being hatched. For Coop, the number two in the sector, not only the change in the competitive environment but also the change among consumers became noticeable, albeit late. In the food sector in particular, consumers began to focus more and more on prices rather than additional emotional benefits. However, because the ecological and social competence brands became real image and growth drivers for Coop and the new business structure created in 2001 (Coop Forte) achieved substantial efficiency gains, the launch of the permanent low price line Prix Garantie was not a pressing issue. It did not take place until 2005.
The change of course in terms of price image had also long been apparent at Coop - the growing avalanche of price promotions had long since hit all distributors. However, the temporary and permanent price reductions were mostly perceived as hesitant by the media and consumers. The image messages suffered from the overemphasis on promotional communication. A fact that gave the country's second-largest advertiser by far pause for thought.
BBDO Consulting was therefore brought in for the Effkomm+ project, which aimed to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of communication across the board. Today, it is not only Heino Peier, Head of Advertising at Coop, and Sandro C. Principe, Managing Partner at BBDO, who rate the implementation of the project as textbook-worthy.
The project members examined four central topics: the efficiency of the advertising budget, the effectiveness of advertising content, organization and processes as well as transparency and brand controlling. The project goal was modest: Communication efficiency was to be increased by at least 15 percent. The team of experts was made up of representatives from all key communication-relevant areas at Coop in order to tackle the core tasks in an integrated manner.
The interdisciplinary Coop team included top management from all formats with their data and expertise. BBDO Consulting provided the methods and tools. This integrative approach created awareness and commitment at the highest management level. To ensure success, no more than four months were to elapse between the initial quick audit and the implementation of the derived content strategy, advertising concept, communication objectives and the various pitches (advertising and media agency) and consumer tests.
As part of the Quick Audit, which examined six central areas of action for their communication efficiency and effectiveness, the experts identified the strengths of Coop communication in 2004: the very high brand awareness and strength of the umbrella brand, the very well-positioned competence brands, the rapid implementation of a uniform brand image, the wide-reaching and image-defining Coop press, a high level of marketing expertise in all directorates. This was offset in part by poorly integrated communication measures, the poorly differentiated perception of the format brands and brand and communication controlling that was not holistic.
For Markom, this meant above all reducing the large number of messages, the dominant campaign communication and TV formats with their low target group affinity and improving the price image across all areas of activity. At the same time, the new media strategy was intended to optimize inter- and intra-media selection and thus switching conditions, i.e. contact prices, and make cost structures more transparent in planning. The focus was therefore on the content strategy and the advertising concept on the one hand and the media strategy, planning and controlling on the other.
Project measures Based on Coop's sales market strategy, cross-format communication objectives were identified: the positioning of the format brands - Coop Retail, Coop City (department stores) and Coop Bau + Hobby - as well as the competence, product range and target group brands such as Lifestyle, Öcoplan and Betti Bossy. In addition to these two levels, the shopping experience was to be enhanced and the promotions publicized. The term "diversity" was superimposed on the four levels as an all-encompassing positioning theme. It represents the content-related communicative bracket with a high degree of relevance and differentiation for Coop and for all dimensions of its strategic thrust (offer, price and service).
In the multi-stage pitch among eight well-known agencies with a total of 13 creative concepts presented to the pitch committee, the young Zurich agency KSBSJ emerged as the clear winner after the consumer tests. Their creative platform - "Coop - For me and you" - was launched around a year ago. After just six months, during which the type and cadence of the advertising media at each level, the responsibilities of the lead agency and the operational managers and decision-makers at Coop were defined, the advertising concept was expanded, the adaptations and finalization as well as an internal roadshow were carried out, the campaign was launched in the mass media.
The launch concept envisaged a staggered introduction: While the old communication was gradually dismantled from summer to winter 2005 and the TV format Telescoop was shut down, Coop started with strategic advertisements that made the new direction recognizable and at the same time welcomed the German discounter chain to Switzerland with a wink.
The discontinuation of the traditional TV format "Coop Studio" followed a few days after the big bang launch of the "For me and you" campaign with two-minute TV New Year's Eve spots.
KSBSJ's highly integrated campaign introduced the concise "For me and you" concept with its friendly humor into all format levels, from their image, label and promotional communication right down to the POS - on carrier bags, till receipts or shopping carts. The media were and are as diverse and entertaining as the implementations, which address the central theme of diversity with the wide-open bracket.
The changes to the media strategy aimed at increasing advertising recall were no less drastic. Image communication was to be intensified at the expense of promotional advertising, and magazine formats were to be replaced by new TV commercials in the basic medium of television. Initiative emerged as the winner of the pitch among three media agencies. As it was soon involved in the planning process for the new campaign, it quickly gained an understanding of the overall strategy and creative concept and was able to carry out the detailed campaign and flight planning on the basis of media-specific expertise. At the same time, a control tool was provided that enabled the communication budget to be more closely linked to the advertising impact.
Results of the Effkom+ projectAnd what has the change in strategy achieved? Quite a lot: thanks to the integrated communication concept, the cost/impact performance values were significantly increased. The new positioning theme of "diversity" is perceived by consumers and is already well established, according to Coop. The initial campaign results, which were particularly good in terms of likeability, perception and recall, also confirmed this.
Looking back, Heimo Peier and Sandro C. Principe highlight four organizational and procedural factors in particular that contributed significantly to the success. The first of these is the integration of top management and the involvement of all relevant business areas and functions. This was the only way to achieve attention and commitment from the highest management level to the business units involved. Peier explains that this had a huge impact on the assertiveness.
The combination of corporate knowledge and expertise with methodological know-how and the early involvement of advertising and media agencies contributed to the success of the project. In terms of the project process, the professional management and the quick audit on a broad analytical basis were just as crucial as the creation of an objective basis for decision-making and the integrated optimization of the overall process.
Straight out of the textbookWhat has the Effkom+ project
Coop brought? Measurable improvements were achieved in five areas in particular: Significant improvement in cost/impact performance values
Increase in perceived advertising pressure through integrated communicationPositioning theme of "diversity" is perceived by consumersProfessionalization of budgeting and controlling toolsGood initial campaign values in terms of likeability and recall Luca Aloisi
In 2002, when even the retail trade was struggling with declining sales and stagnation, the Swiss top five retailers began to prepare for even tougher times. The strong foreign hard discounters were targeting their market shares and had already extended their feelers far into the Swiss market, with entry plans being hatched. For Coop, the number two in the sector, not only the change in the competitive environment but also the change among consumers became noticeable, albeit late. In the food sector in particular, consumers began to focus more and more on prices rather than additional emotional benefits. However, because the ecological and social competence brands became real image and growth drivers for Coop and the new business structure created in 2001 (Coop Forte) achieved substantial efficiency gains, the launch of the permanent low price line Prix Garantie was not a pressing issue. It did not take place until 2005.
The change of course in terms of price image had also long been apparent at Coop - the growing avalanche of price promotions had long since hit all distributors. However, the temporary and permanent price reductions were mostly perceived as hesitant by the media and consumers. The image messages suffered from the overemphasis on promotional communication. A fact that gave the country's second-largest advertiser by far pause for thought.
BBDO Consulting was therefore brought in for the Effkomm+ project, which aimed to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of communication across the board. Today, it is not only Heino Peier, Head of Advertising at Coop, and Sandro C. Principe, Managing Partner at BBDO, who rate the implementation of the project as textbook-worthy.
The project members examined four central topics: the efficiency of the advertising budget, the effectiveness of advertising content, organization and processes as well as transparency and brand controlling. The project goal was modest: Communication efficiency was to be increased by at least 15 percent. The team of experts was made up of representatives from all key communication-relevant areas at Coop in order to tackle the core tasks in an integrated manner.
The interdisciplinary Coop team included top management from all formats with their data and expertise. BBDO Consulting provided the methods and tools. This integrative approach created awareness and commitment at the highest management level. To ensure success, no more than four months were to elapse between the initial quick audit and the implementation of the derived content strategy, advertising concept, communication objectives and the various pitches (advertising and media agency) and consumer tests.
As part of the Quick Audit, which examined six central areas of action for their communication efficiency and effectiveness, the experts identified the strengths of Coop communication in 2004: the very high brand awareness and strength of the umbrella brand, the very well-positioned competence brands, the rapid implementation of a uniform brand image, the wide-reaching and image-defining Coop press, a high level of marketing expertise in all directorates. This was offset in part by poorly integrated communication measures, the poorly differentiated perception of the format brands and brand and communication controlling that was not holistic.
For Markom, this meant above all reducing the large number of messages, the dominant campaign communication and TV formats with their low target group affinity and improving the price image across all areas of activity. At the same time, the new media strategy was intended to optimize inter- and intra-media selection and thus switching conditions, i.e. contact prices, and make cost structures more transparent in planning. The focus was therefore on the content strategy and the advertising concept on the one hand and the media strategy, planning and controlling on the other.
Project measures Based on Coop's sales market strategy, cross-format communication objectives were identified: the positioning of the format brands - Coop Retail, Coop City (department stores) and Coop Bau + Hobby - as well as the competence, product range and target group brands such as Lifestyle, Öcoplan and Betti Bossy. In addition to these two levels, the shopping experience was to be enhanced and the promotions publicized. The term "diversity" was superimposed on the four levels as an all-encompassing positioning theme. It represents the content-related communicative bracket with a high degree of relevance and differentiation for Coop and for all dimensions of its strategic thrust (offer, price and service).
In the multi-stage pitch among eight well-known agencies with a total of 13 creative concepts presented to the pitch committee, the young Zurich agency KSBSJ emerged as the clear winner after the consumer tests. Their creative platform - "Coop - For me and you" - was launched around a year ago. After just six months, during which the type and cadence of the advertising media at each level, the responsibilities of the lead agency and the operational managers and decision-makers at Coop were defined, the advertising concept was expanded, the adaptations and finalization as well as an internal roadshow were carried out, the campaign was launched in the mass media.
The launch concept envisaged a staggered introduction: While the old communication was gradually dismantled from summer to winter 2005 and the TV format Telescoop was shut down, Coop started with strategic advertisements that made the new direction recognizable and at the same time welcomed the German discounter chain to Switzerland with a wink.
The discontinuation of the traditional TV format "Coop Studio" followed a few days after the big bang launch of the "For me and you" campaign with two-minute TV New Year's Eve spots.
KSBSJ's highly integrated campaign introduced the concise "For me and you" concept with its friendly humor into all format levels, from their image, label and promotional communication right down to the POS - on carrier bags, till receipts or shopping carts. The media were and are as diverse and entertaining as the implementations, which address the central theme of diversity with the wide-open bracket.
The changes to the media strategy aimed at increasing advertising recall were no less drastic. Image communication was to be intensified at the expense of promotional advertising, and magazine formats were to be replaced by new TV commercials in the basic medium of television. Initiative emerged as the winner of the pitch among three media agencies. As it was soon involved in the planning process for the new campaign, it quickly gained an understanding of the overall strategy and creative concept and was able to carry out the detailed campaign and flight planning on the basis of media-specific expertise. At the same time, a control tool was provided that enabled the communication budget to be more closely linked to the advertising impact.
Results of the Effkom+ projectAnd what has the change in strategy achieved? Quite a lot: thanks to the integrated communication concept, the cost/impact performance values were significantly increased. The new positioning theme of "diversity" is perceived by consumers and is already well established, according to Coop. The initial campaign results, which were particularly good in terms of likeability, perception and recall, also confirmed this.
Looking back, Heimo Peier and Sandro C. Principe highlight four organizational and procedural factors in particular that contributed significantly to the success. The first of these is the integration of top management and the involvement of all relevant business areas and functions. This was the only way to achieve attention and commitment from the highest management level to the business units involved. Peier explains that this had a huge impact on the assertiveness.
The combination of corporate knowledge and expertise with methodological know-how and the early involvement of advertising and media agencies contributed to the success of the project. In terms of the project process, the professional management and the quick audit on a broad analytical basis were just as crucial as the creation of an objective basis for decision-making and the integrated optimization of the overall process.
Straight out of the textbookWhat has the Effkom+ project
Coop brought? Measurable improvements were achieved in five areas in particular: Significant improvement in cost/impact performance values
Increase in perceived advertising pressure through integrated communicationPositioning theme of "diversity" is perceived by consumersProfessionalization of budgeting and controlling toolsGood initial campaign values in terms of likeability and recall Luca Aloisi
