Co-op flags up 180 years of history for new era of retail

Co-op Group is returning to its roots for a new brand platform and integrated campaign to remind the British public of its origins and values; stressing that the organisation is now 180 years old and was the world’s first successful consumer co-operative.

The “Owned by You. Right By You” strategy has been devised by VCCP London and coincides with a new report that reveals that 50% of consumers admit they don’t understand what it means when a business is a co-operative or a mutual, while two fifths (42%) admit they don’t understand what constitutes a co-operative, or how being part of one could benefit themselves and their communities.

The new brand proposition is designed to highlight Co-op’s membership model as its unique value. By reminding people that as the Co-op is owned by its members, the public, it can do right by people – this is central to the ‘Owned By You. Right By You’ brand platform which will extend across all channels.

The resulting branding is designed to be deployed in a channel agnostic manner, choosing from a huge range of messages which emphasise how Co-op’s constitution and structure enables it to do good in all communities and for all its members and customers.

The campaign is spearheaded by a 60” film which has been created using stop motion with printed till receipts, and poses the question of how to create the perfect business.

The voiceover by Michael Socha begins by stating: “If you were inventing a business today, you’d do right by people… all people”, before highlighting Co-op’s economic value – lowering prices on the things people actually buy – and its social value, investing in communities, schools and neighbourhoods.

Co-op was founded in the 19th century by the Rochdale Pioneers Society, based on the notion of ethical trading and belief that the profits of the business should be shared among members according to their purchases.

Today, Co-op operates almost 2,400 food stores, over 800 funeral homes and provides products to over 6,000 other stores, including those run by independent co-operative societies and through its wholesale business, Nisa Retail.

The new Government has acknowledged the huge contribution cooperatives can make to the economy and has pledged to double the size of the UK’s co-operative and mutuals sector in its manifesto as part of its support for diverse business models which bring innovation and new products to the business sector.

Research from Co-op indicates a growing public demand for more diverse models as over half of consumers (55%) are keen to see more co-operatives in business and would give them more backing.

Co-op is owned by over 5 million members and has seen the highest influx of member-owners in seven years. It is committed to delivering value for its members and earlier this year announced its ambition to substantially grow the number of member-owners to 8 million by 2030.

Co-op Group chief membership and customer officer Kenyatte Nelson said: “At Co-op, we have been proudly delivering a different way of doing business for 180 years. Now is the time to champion the co-operative model and demonstrate how it provides a solution to many of the challenges we face today. That is why we are on a mission to re-introduce Co-op’s core values and principles to the UK.

“Through our ‘Owned By You. Right By You’ campaign we will remind the nation that by simply shopping at Co-op as a member-owner, you get a say in how the business is run, lower prices on the products and services you need, and the opportunity to create better societal outcomes in the communities where you live.”

The new campaign will run from today until the end of the summer, with media planning and buying by Carat UK.

As well as TV, it will also run across other platforms including D/OOH, press, radio, social and digital and is delivered in partnership with MullenLowe for owned social, web and app, ITG for retail and POS and Halpern for PR. The new brand identity featured across the campaign was developed over the past six months by SomeOne as part of their wider four year relationship with Co-op.

Alongside the ITV partnership, the campaign will air within a range of high-profile programming across the full TV slate, including ITV, C4 and Sky. It will be supported across BVOD, YouTube and premium cinema spots in key summer releases to maximise attention and reach light TV viewers.

Meanwhile, a hand painted mural in Manchester’s Northern Quarter has been specially created, alongside a rich out of home plan that will also feature on the London Underground.

Across press, it is also launching a Metro cover wrap. And to support linear audio, the use of smart speakers will integrate a call to action to drive audiences to sign up via the Co-op membership page.