The Co-operative Group has carried out a membership website ‘takeover’ to promote its November share of the profits payment (www.co-operative.coop/membership).
The online marketing campaign has been devised by agency TDA, which created The Co-operative’s membership website earlier this year. The push has been designed to thank existing members for their continued loyalty and to promote the share of the profits payment to them, and also includes some festive elements designed to enhance membership engagement.
Some members choose to have their share of the profits paid straight into their bank account or in Co-operative vouchers, but many choose to donate it to The Co-operative Membership Community Fund. A significant part of the campaign will, therefore, promote the benefits of this.
A regional map with video clips from eight different parts of the UK has been created, detailing how a cross section of community groups – from Riding for the Disabled in Angus, to a toddler group in Newport – have benefited from donations given by the Fund
The festive element takes the form of a ‘Cook With Us’ event, helping members to make the perfect Christmas meal. The Co-operative Membership will promote the recipes in advance of the event, and use in-store offers for the ingredients. A ‘live’ video of a Co-operative Community Chef preparing five different festive courses will then be launched online for members to view at a time to suit them. There will also be an online countdown to Christmas, providing a series of daily ‘gifts’ such as exclusive in-store offers or competitions.
Co-operative membership direct marketing manager Anne Byrom said: “This campaign meets our objectives of informing, educating and engaging with members. Directing people to the website provides the perfect platform for interaction and also allows us to promote our different businesses. The payout is a great reward, but membership is more than just points, and that’s what we communicate through the site.”
TDA account director Emmeline Kite commented: “As members will be actively encouraged to visit the membership website for information about the payout, online traffic will be at its heaviest. This is a huge opportunity, and our job is therefore to make this experience as engaging as possible. We want people to be fully informed about the rewards of membership, but we also want to create a true community feel and we think that our creative content will achieve this.”
The website ‘takeover’ launches this week, with the ‘Cook With Us’ videos are available from December 7.
