Co-op has released a new social campaign, using scripted shorts with an overdramatised style to capitalise on the growing popularity of the microdrama format.
The ‘Pop to Co-op’ campaign includes a collection of short ads following Jake (aka podcast host and TV producer Jake Bhardwaj), and his wife Freya, in a series of situations where they need to ‘pop to Co-op’ for essentials. Other characters are introduced in the later two episodes.
A spokesperson for agency Dentsu, which partnered on this campaign through its media network Carat UK, told MediaCat that ‘the sequential nature of the episodes, the highly overdramatised, comedic nature of the content,’ sets the series apart from other ad campaigns which followed characters from ad to ad like the classic BT television couple.
‘At a time when attention is the scarcest commodity, we knew we had to take a different approach. Rather than trying to outspend or outshout the competition, we focused on creating something our members and customers would actively choose to engage with,’ added Kameshia Lewis, head of media excellence and comms planning for Co-op. ‘It helps us cut through the noise, capture attention, drive engagement and keep Co-op top of mind during everyday convenience moments.’
The shorts are being promoted across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts through The Platform Amplification Network and will be accompanied by ‘Pop to Co-op’ messaging on AV,, influencer, OOH, radio, display, and other digital activity.
Carat’s head of strategy, Chris Davies, said that the campaign aims ‘to get “Pop to Co-op” into everyday conversation, making it something people say and something people do’. He added that the ‘rapidly growing’ microdrama format was an opportunity to create moments of culture and potentially influence the way people talk about the brand.
While the campaign is very short for a microdrama (four episodes where most microdramas sit in the 60 to 100 range), Co-op’s first foray into the format could be a crucial test of whether this new trend in the advertising world will sink or swim in the UK.