Execution

5 Jan 2018 - Agency briefed to create a campaign that promotes re-use of plastic bags 20 Jan 2018 - Agency presents 5 solutions - Voucher Bag concept is selected 2 Feb 2018 - Revised designs presented, barcode now integrated into marine animals. An existing bag template is selected for speed of production 18 Feb 2018 - Further improved design and concepts approved by Tesco Board, trial date set. 22 April - 3 designs of bag are launched in 11 Stores, Agency designs a suite of POSM, in-store posters and apron designs to support launch 1 June - Bags so successful, now launched Nationwide across all 56 Stores 1 July - Initial run of 500,000 bags sold out. 15th July - Tesco Board decides to apply the Unforgettable Bag design to ALL formats of re-usable bag across all stores, meaning over 15 new bag formats to carry design.

The Campaign

We make plastic bag “Unforgettable” by turning something the world sees as rubbish into something worth keeping, creating a new life-saving habit for shoppers. This is about creating behavioral change on a mass scale. Instead of trying to change behavior by making shoppers feel guilty for forgetting their bags, we worked within the set of established ‘deal hunting’ behaviors of Malaysian shoppers, their love of rewards. And since the routine of using plastic bags rooted deeply in every Malaysian and it's still the most viable and friendly option compared to paper bag and cotton tote bag, we used plastic bag itself as our very key vehicle to drive a behavioral shift. We re-designed the existing Tesco reusable bag by adding a simple change, a barcode, we transform the bag into an ongoing discount, an incentive that ALL shoppers will chase after. Creating a rewards that actively changes behavior.

Creative Execution

Sold for 50 cents, the bag has an unlimited rebate of 20 cents. So users only have to re-use three times to be actually making a profit from their positive behaviour. The bags are made of recyclable material, replaced for free when worn out and recycled into new bags. Central to the design is a voucher barcode that is integrated into an animal shape - those most at risk from plastics in the ocean, forming an attractive and very distinctive pattern. The Fish, Turtle and Whale - were extended as campaign characters throughout the store on multiple POS materials - Posters, Aprons, Checkout Banners, scanner wraps. At launch, an animated film, in our distinctive design style, helped launch the concept worldwide. Rapidly deployed Nationwide, the initial run of 500,000 bags sold out in record time. A new batch has been ordered and the design will be used across all re-usable bag formats from Q4 2018.

The average percentage of Tesco customers who re-use bags prior to the campaign was at 5%. Percentage of customers who re-use unforgettable bag within a month of purchase is 68% Making the bag 14x more effective in reducing single use of bags. (Source: Tesco Internal Data) The campaign was rapidly adopted nationwide to all 56 stores. At the current rate of redemption (reuse rate), across all 56 Tesco stores the unforgettable bag is estimated to saved over 5 million bags by the end of 2018. PR coverage for the launch spread instantly to over 70 countries, with over 500 articles and features, helping Tesco’s sustainability reputation worldwide. Internally the creative idea has been presented at Global board level – with UK, Thailand and India specifically requesting design and implementation plans to launch the bag in 2019.

The real enemy is single use bags - perfectly good bags that are just used once and then thrown away. The problem is people either don't care enough, or they simply forget to bring the bags back. The real innovation here is a simple change to the print design that can transform any bag into a voucher - an ongoing reward that incentivises a new life-saving behaviour for every shopper. Using existing bags, existing barcode tech used by every supermarket, this innovation has huge impact at zero cost to the retailer.