How Lidl will use Mumsnet partnership to build trust in its brand
Lidl hopes its new yearly partnership with Mumsnet will help build trust in the brand as it looks to boost its quality credentials and be seen as a destination supermarket, not just a discounter .
![Lidl surprises ad](https://marketingweek.imgix.net/content/uploads/2014/10/Lidl_suprises.jpg?auto=compress,format&q=60&w=736&h=451)
The six-figure deal kicks off with a homepage takeover. Lidl branding will also feature across Mumsnet Food’s content pages, forums and newsletters.
Arnd Pickhardt, Lidl UK’s advertising and marketing director, told Marketing Week that the brand will want to use the partnership to understand what parents expect from Lidl, as well as convince young families that its range of products can meet their needs.
“Using the reach of Mumsnet will allow us to start building trust in Lidl as a brand,” he said.
“We can do this by listening and responding to its members and ensuring we remain relevant to them.”
Lidl wants to be seen as more than a discount retailer with recent marketing focused on quality and talking up its broad product range. In March it launched its first ever celebrity chef partnership while the ongoing ‘Lidl Surprises’ campaign has seen it take over gourmet food locations such as gastro pubs and street food markets.
The shift seems to be working as the latest Kantar Worldpanel figures show that Lidl’s sales have risen 12.8% in the last 12 weeks, taking its market share to a new high of 4.1%.
“Perhaps the image of Lidl in previous years has been that we are the best for price, or we sell quirky products like lobster,” Pickhardt said.
“However we are confident that with our ongoing Lidl Surprises campaign we are changing perception and becoming increasingly credible when it comes to quality across our own label brands and fresh produce.”
Lidl is also eager to make waves on social by creating shareable content, alongside bespoke videos from Mumsnet vloggers – a first for the bargain retailer.
“Since the launch of our Lidl Surprises campaign we try to let our customers and their testimonials speak for us. Using vloggers is a logical continuation of that,” he said.
The wider content will focus on all aspects of food that is relevant for young families, while the vlogger clips will see various Mumsnet users take on the challenge of buying their entire family food shop for a week from the store.