The runaway success of discounters may be causing headaches for other marketers in the retail sector but not for Arnd Pickhardt. “We have managed to attract the attention of an entire nation and have changed misconceptions about our brand. The challenge is to keep that momentum going,” he says. Pickhardt began his career as a trainee in sales and operations at Lidl. As advertising and marketing director he is now focused on creating campaigns with Michelin-starred chefs and forming communities to expand the supermarket’s reach, culminating with its latest #lidlsurprises activity. “When we finished the #lidlsurprises campaign I knew we were onto something big. I’ve never felt that level of excitement in my work before,” he says.