Through our digital world, people’s ability to connect is unparalleled. We can now come together from across the world to unite in sharing what we love. Market segmentation, consequently, is finer-tuned than ever before. Market trust, however, is tanking. We’re bombarded by ads anywhere we go, and even if we are willing to give our attention, we are guarded with our trust.

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How do we leverage community niches to expand our reach and effectiveness? How do we harness and hold attention when it’s begging to jump away? How do we create trust in new ways when conventional advertising doesn’t cut it? These are some of the key challenges facing the advertising industry moving forward. Here’s how the Co-op is tackling it.

Delivering hundreds of campaign executions at the local level

When I attended talks held at ad:tech London 2019, one particular panel session caught my eye: “Data, Collaboration & Community – how Co-op unearthed the human story behind the numbers,” hosted by Co-op, the Dentsu Aegis Network and Lucky Generals. Co-op wanted to reinvigorate their brand through its “It’s what we do” campaign, and they did so through three key steps:

  1. Asking customers what they thought of the brand, and discovering what knowledge shifted their perspective – for the Co-op, this was their significant local community impact.
  2. Turning to a spreadsheet detailing the Co-op’s local community contributions, and considering how to qualitatively leverage their figures.
  3. Delivering 475 unique executions by combining hard data with social impact at the level of individual, local communities across the UK.  

The Co-op is distinct among major food retail businesses: since its founding in 1844, its key mission has been to help their local communities prosper. Through hundreds of distinct campaign executions, the “It’s what we do” campaign is able to deliver the Co-op’s flagship message nationally, yet at a community-focused – perhaps “bite-sized” – level.

Credibility is invaluable for any brand. For the Co-op, being able to highlight just how directly they may be affecting your local neighbourhood, district or borough is immensely more powerful than simply championing a more general message about social good that is more likely to be seen as simply a platitude in an increasingly distrustful, jaded and cynical market. In an ever-interconnected world, there is a place for “hyper-localised” advertising to directly reach and influence the thoughts and perceptions of everyday consumers.

Beyond demographics: how can you leverage the power of community?

In a world where the digital and physical domains are more closely connected than ever, our communities no longer purely defined by our geography, our socio-economic status, nor our occupation. From a close-knit English town community to an active global community of Harry Potter fans, participation in communities is more open and unrestricted and more active and lively than even a decade ago.

In a landscape where people expect to be blanketed and oversaturated by advertising, marketing or even just other people’s thoughts, breaking through the noise takes building a connection with people, not just catching their attention. This takes being vocal about we are touching “you” – not just “a bunch of people”. Likewise, it’s not just about providing products or services, but by shining a light on how we can affect their experience of life – or, in the case of the Co-op, how they were without customers even knowing.

What’s the key question to think about?

How can we tap into and empower communities by either promoting or playing a part in creating experiences that people want to be a part of?

Let me know your thoughts.