McCann picks up brand business for Co-op retail

McCann Erickson has won a pitch to handle a multi-million pound over-arching branding task for the Co-operative movement’s consumer businesses.

MediaCom and Naked have also been appointed to work on media strategy and planning for the account, which takes in the food retailing, funerals, banking, travel and pharmacy businesses of the society’s members, including the Co-operative Group. The Co-op Group spent £17.5m on advertising last year (Nielsen Media Research). MediaCom is the Co-operative Group’s media buying agency.

The agency pitch was conducted through the AAR, resulting in a final pitch between McCann and Euro RSCG, which remains the agency on the Co-operative Group’s food retailing business.

McCann won a pitch to advertise a membership programme for the Co-operative Group earlier this year (MW September 23). The Co-op is planning to bring back its “divi” – a dividend that is paid out to members depending on how much they spend with the organisation – in a bid to compete with other retailers.

The Co-operative Group’s director of marketing Zoe Morgan is overseeing both the membership programme and branding exercise. It is thought that the dividend could be reintroduced across the whole Co-op movement and used as part of a marketing and branding initiative (MW September 16).