By the way… Creativity is no guarantee of clarity

Denner stole the show in its latest campaign in *20 Minuten* (m&k reported) – both symbolically and literally. Denner took over the front page—entirely in Denner red—and features an image from a staged surveillance video showing the red heart being stolen from the Lidl logo and brought to Denner. «The Swiss heart is now back where it belongs,» reads the message. A clever idea that made headlines and thrilled the creative scene. But how is it actually being received by the public?

Using the "Advertising Test" tool on management tools' market research platform deeptrue.com, we examined the impact of the campaign on two groups: Gen Z and people over 30. The results show an interesting tension between attention and understanding.

The story was well received by Gen Z - the heart, the theft, Switzerland - but without the prominent red front page of 20 Minuten, it remains unclear who is "actually" advertising here - the sender is often understood to be Lidl. Others found the idea "funny, but pointless". Nonetheless, Gen Z likes the campaign more than the target group over 30 and the uniqueness is perceived more often:

The response from the older target group was also mixed. The plot was correctly identified more often than among Gen Z («The heart was stolen and taken to Denner»), yet the «wow» factor was largely absent. Some found the ad appealing, while others felt it was over-the-top or irrelevant. On the positive side, many generally liked the “Swiss Heart” motif—though they didn’t make a clear connection to the Denner brand.

Attention—but no categorization

In summary, the campaign achieved what every brand wants: attention. But it failed to achieve what brands need: recognition. When people don’t fully understand who the message is coming from, creative provocation can quickly turn into a loss of connection with the audience.

That doesn’t mean the idea was wrong. On the contrary: a playful take on a powerful symbol like the heart has great potential. But it needs more context and less staging. Brands can and should certainly be provocative—but they shouldn’t lose sight of themselves in the process.

We need content

Perhaps that is precisely where Denner’s opportunity lies: not just to “steal” the heart, but also to fill it with substance—for example, through real stories about Swiss producers, employees, and origins—in other words, the very things that actually make this heart beat.

By the way … sometimes it’s not enough just to have a heart—you also have to know what makes it beat.

Laura Colledani and Klaus Ammon have more than 40 years of combined experience in consumer research and marketing research. Over the years, they have developed a keen sense of what moves people - even beyond the numbers. Both authors advocate a communication culture that listens before it broadcasts. With the new approach of consumer listening management tools, they want to support marketing managers in not only questioning consumers in the traditional way, but also entering into a genuine relationship with them.