Nectar to push loyalty scheme as Gov’t reveals budget

The campaign is planned to coincide with George Osborne’s first budget as Chancellor in which he is expected to increase VAT to 20%.

It seeks to remind consumers that collecting and redeeming Nectar points can help families stretch their finances.

The print advertising camapaign breaks in the Eventing Standard tomorrow (22 June) and uses the strapline: “Keep Calm and Carry One,” referring to carrying a Nectar card.

It takes its lead from wartime posters that used the strapline: ’Keep Calm and Carry On’ replacing the Sovereign Crown with an image of a Nectar card

Nectar says the campaign has been created to tap into the climate of austerity that Britain felt during wartime and is likely to now feel in response to the Emergency Budget.

It was created by integrated marketing agency G2UK. Mediavest handled media planning and buying.

Nectar is also launching a PR campaign to draw parallels between the £1.5bn Nectar claims it has given back to shoppers and the World Cup where £1.5bn would buy enough vuvuzelas for the whole populations of England, the USA, Algeria and Slovenia.

James Frost, Nectar marketing director, says: “Our ’Keep Calm’ campaign has been launched to highlight how loyalty schemes like Nectar can give a little back to consumers in difficult times. We are here to advise the nation that if you’re savvy about where money is spent – it can really make a difference.”

Tim Hipperson, CEO of G2 UK, adds: “Politicians and the public alike can be in no doubt that there is a period of great economic hardship ahead. We came up with a clever tactical campaign that plays on the idea of making your finances stretch further even during the current fiscal uncertainty, as a reminder that Nectar is the consumer’s friend and can be a beacon in the gloom.”