Facebook, Sainsbury’s and Tesco: 5 things that mattered this week

From festive excitement surrounding the latest Christmas ads to Facebook admitting more measurement errors, here are five marketing stories that mattered this week.

Lidl and Sainsbury’s launch two very different Christmas campaigns


Two of this year’s most anticipated Christmas campaigns launched this week, with Lidl and Sainsbury’s revealing two very different ads.

The discounter has opted for a continuation of its Lidl Surprises campaign, with the TV ad showcasing the care its free range turkeys receive in a bid to convince anti-advocates they are not kept in cages.

While this may not sound like the most festive concept, Lidl UK’s marketing director Claire Farrant is confident: “We didn’t want to do just another Christmas character but to tell a human story instead. That’s what will give us the edge this Christmas.”

In comparison, Sainsbury’s has opted for a big budget animation. With a song sung by James Corden, ‘The Greatest Gift’ campaign sees the supermarket brand take on a “West End” musical style and it has been created using stop-frame animation techniques. The TV ad will help raise funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.

Does seeing live turkeys gross you out? Are you totally over James Corden? As usual, let us know in the comments section below.

Facebook admits more measurement errors

Facebook

This week Facebook admitted it had discovered a number of errors in the way it measures audiences across a range of its products. In response it has unveiled updates aimed at improving how it measures its audiences as it looks to offer advertisers “clarity and confidence”.

Facebook found that its system had been overstating time spent with Instant Articles, how many users watch 100% of a video, overstating app referrals and a bug in its Page Insights, which overestimated organic reach.

READ MORE: Advertisers must become ‘militant’ over digital metrics

“Our goal going forward is to communicate more regularly about our metrics, so that our partners can focus on doing what they do best — serving their customers — with the best insights possible,” explained Facebook in a blog post.

The first fix involves increased third-party verification. It will also work on forming a measurement council, a group of business and measurement executives that it hopes will help shape its approach to measurement. Facebook also promised a new internal review process that will offer more regular and “clearer” communications about its metrics.

Tesco will not recruit from within to fill top marketing role

tescoforstory

This week Tesco gave more clarity on who will fill its vacant chief customer office role.

The supermarket giant is “close to announcing a replacement” for Robin Terrell, who quit in August, according to CEO Dave Lewis. Whoever takes on the role will be Tesco’s fourth marketing boss in just as many years.

However, Tesco will not be promoting global brand director Michelle McEttrick to the role. She told Marketing Week: “I don’t think so. I want to finish the job I was recruited for as there’s still such a long way to go. Maybe ask me again in four years.”

She also gave some insight into Tesco’s Christmas strategy. According to McEttrick, Tesco made a conscious decision to avoid the John Lewis “tugging on the heartstrings” approach to its Christmas marketing.

She said there was now a “wind tunnel of emotional Christmas campaigns” and that Tesco had to do something different to standout.

Lipton on why it is thinking ‘outside TV’

Lipton has launched a mobile-first campaign, ‘#BeaMaker’,  in a bid to reposition the brand for a younger audience and highlight its ethical credentials.

The short-form content looks to tell the stories behind the brand’s young tea farmers in Kenya. There are five stories in total, which the brand has divided up into 80 pieces of content such as three-second gifs and 15-second in-stream videos. The content will be hosted on numerous online platforms, including Facebook and YouTube.

The Unilever-owned brand decided to go mobile first as it believes that is how its consumers now access content, with the majority of consumers’ time spent on Facebook, YouTube and messaging apps.

The campaign was also a push by the brand to refresh its digital strategy and to make sure that its mobile content would not annoy consumers.

Pret and Alzheimer’s Research UK’s ‘alternative’ Christmas ads

The christmas ads keep on coming, and this week Pret and Alzheimer’s Research UK offered ‘alternative’ Christmas stories as they sought to raise awareness for charitable causes.

Pret A Manger told the story of its apprenticeship scheme, which provides training and real jobs for the homeless.

The campaign, called ‘Opening doors’, is the first time the high street food chain has invited a filmmaker to document the scheme. Director Matthew Barton was given access to the programme for a year to document the stories of some of its participants.

The five minute video will appear on Pret’s Facebook page and website. Pret is also promoting the scheme in its stores through tent cards, ceiling hangs, windows posters and its paper bags, which will show a festive reef decoration made from herbs, vegetables and berries alongside the message: ‘Helping the homeless to help themselves’.

And Alzheimer’s Research UK has opted to tell the tale of Santa forgetting Christmas as he is suffering from Dementia. The story is told through the perspective of a young girl called Freya who is confident that more can be done.

The ad aims to raise brand awareness and to teach  the public about the disease. It is voiced by Stephen Fry and will be pushed out through TV, on-demand and social. Have your handkerchiefs at the ready y’all.

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