Summary of the work

The supermarket category in Australia is dominated by local brands Coles and Woolworths. German discounter ALDI entered the market in 2001 and has grown steadily since but remains a distant third to Colesworth (Coles and Woolworths). Christmas is critical for any retailer but the odds are stacked against ALDI. Shoppers want top-quality, but our low prices, mean shoppers question if we’re good enough for Christmas. And our German heritage makes Aussies wonder if we understand festivities down under. 2018 was a strong year for ALDI, with our highest ever market share, but prior to Christmas cracks started appearing. Our most valuable customers were beginning to spend less with us and more with Colesworth due to their aggressive promotions. Additionally, perceptions around our range and quality (crucial drivers for Christmas consideration) were falling and the gap with competitors was increasing. We needed to reclaim our base, convincing them that ALDI was an ideal Christmas destination, not a compromise. Our research showed that generosity is key to Aussie Christmases. Rather than material gifts, Aussies prefer to invest in a special experience for guests on the day. But this doesn’t come cheap, with Aussie shoppers blowing their budget at Christmas… a merry time but lots of pressure. That’s where ALDI could help. Our amazing festive range is available at unbeatable prices, putting us in the best position to spoil our guests, providing a more generous, merrier Christmas, without compromising on quality. Whilst competitors had a stereotypical Aussie Christmas (tanned, blonde families, beachy, lens flaring from Aussie sun), we decided to go deeper to the heart of an Aussie Christmas. Research indicated that Christmas, for most households, was disorganised with extras showing up last-minute. Stressful as that is, we welcome them with open arms - it’d be un-Australian not to, and for us, generosity is making everyone feel welcome.. it's at the heart of Aussie’s identity - mateship. Our idea showed how, with ALDI, Aussies can make the most unexpected of guests welcome at Christmas. The campaign featured Santa crash-landing in the outback, a fish out of water taken under the arm of an indigenous local and welcomed into the remote community where he is embraced and included at their table - which overflows with delicious ALDI grub. By using Santa as code for generosity and selecting an iconic Aussie setting, ALDI championed an Aussie take on generosity at Christmas. The Aussie outback created a distinctive backdrop (red earth bright, almost harsh sun, cattle herding) for all our festive communication. That generosity lives where drought and harsh climates wreak havoc on communities. This added depth, making our competitors seem a little superficial. The results were unprecedented. We doubled previous Christmas sales records, scored category-beating value growth and increased our trade share. YOY increases across key products smashed targets, and our record-breaking ROI signalled this Christmas campaign was ALDI’s most effective yet. Finally, perceptions on our range and quality noted record uplifts- overcoming ingrained misconceptions that an ALDI Christmas isn’t the best money can buy.