Magnet #25

Welcome to another week of magnet.

Enjoy.

Sustainability Campaigns:

With the UN Climate Change Conference (Cop26), attention in the marketing world has turned to the sustainability agenda.

Several brands went live with campaigns and eco messages. Reusable bottle and container brand Chilly’s launched ‘Reusable way of living’, its biggest ad campaign to date, which imagines a world where UK consumers  stop using disposable packs in favour of a more sustainable life.

Glaswegian brewer Tennent’s talking up its use of 100% renewable energy and local barley, to the WWF using stop motion to highlight the devastating effect of global warming on the Arctic.

Mars, EY and Nomad Foods became the latest brands to sign up to the World Federation of Advertisers’ Planet Pledge, a global commitment to make their marketing teams a force for positive change both internally and for consumers.

Ad Net Zero, the climate crisis initiative led by the Advertising Association ISBA and IPA, launched a 10-hour online training course offering marketers techniques to measure and reduce the carbon emissions related to their advertising, to instigate consumer behaviour change and avoid claims of ‘greenwashing’.

The commitments made and action taken by brands recently is wonderful,  and step in the right direction for saving the planet.

Shopping Habits:

Supermarkets:

British shopping habits appear to be settling into a normal routine after the behavioural upheaval created by the pandemic, with bigger and less frequent trips to the supermarket set to stay.

Households visited the supermarket 15.7 times in the past month on average, a slight increase on the 15.3 trips seen at this time in 2020, according to the latest figures from Kantar. But consumers are still making 40 million fewer trips per month than they were in 2019.

Shoppers are also demonstrating early demand for festive products this year, with 4.7 million households having bought mince pies already. Some 1.6 million households bought their Christmas pudding this month as well, up 400,000 on last year.

Compared with the equivalent period in 2019, all retailers boosted their sales in the latest 12 weeks.

Compared with the equivalent period in 2019, all retailers boosted their sales in the latest 12 weeks.

Retail in October half term:

Footprints for all UK retailers were up 11.1% from the week before half term, and over the past two weeks, the increase was even greater, at 15.5% .

Footprints have increased in all types of town centres, but the opportunity for consumers to travel further during half term breaks is more appealing to them than visiting local high streets. Footfall in coastal and historic towns also increased by 18.9%, and 12.6% in the central region.

London footfall increased by plus 19.4% and 16.1% in local cities- this all goes to show that retail is back, and people are confident enough to travel further to shop- meaning retail and shopping centres, and high streets are experiencing a boost in sales and footfall.

Campaigns:

Coffee shop chain Costa Coffee has launched its first exclusive partnership with Channel 4 on a new campaign named, ‘Overheard at Costa’.

The campaign has a number of Channel 4 stars for a series of 30 second ads, including Sandi Toksvig, Omari Douglas from It’s a Sin, and Joe Thomas from The Inbetweeners.

The creatives eavesdrop on the stars catching up over a Costa coffee, offering viewers a sneak peek into what the broadcaster’s top names talk about when they’re not working.

Costa Coffee’s senior brand and strategy manager for the UK and Ireland, Matt Flint, says: “We love the thought that the secret ingredient that powers the Channel 4 machine is regular catch-ups over a cup of Costa coffee. We are delighted to share this content with viewers and show the joy that can come from taking a little time out of your busy day to enjoy chatting to a friend over a great cup of perfectly crafted coffee.”

The idea was developed through 4Sales creative arm PL4Y, with the partnership brokered together with media agency MediaCom UK.