Coles says ‘yes’ to Thankyou range – Supermarket giant responds to consumer-driven campaign

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TY_Family_Mockup_MAY13_Update.jpgIn response to a consumer-driven marketing campaign lead by Australian social enterprise Thankyou, retail giant Coles has today announced its decision to stock the company’s range of “life-changing products”.

 

The two-week ‘Coles and Woolworths Campaign‘, called upon Australians to post on both retailers’ Facebook walls for Thankyou products to become available in all Coles and Woolworths stores around the country.

The meeting between Thankyou and Coles took place last Friday, with the supermarket giant delivering its decision only hours later.

Thankyou co-founder and MD Daniel Flynn said the team were astounded by the speed of the decision.

 

Says Flynn: “Veterans of the retail industry advised us that, even if we were able to convince Coles of the considerable benefits of stocking our products, we’d be lucky to get a product approved before Christmas.

 

“I think it’s safe to say we were surprised to receive a call only five hours after the meeting finished.

 

“It’s a surreal feeling. We’ve spent over a year developing the range and working on campaign strategy. This whole exercise was a massive risk for us, and it really could have gone either way.”

 

Flynn said that the success of campaign had exceeded expectations and that the social enterprise had been overwhelmed by the support of the public.

 

Says Flynn: “It’s been amazing to see thousands of Australians post on both Coles’ and Woolworths’ Facebook pages in support of the Thankyou range. We’ve been blown away by the level of support.

 

“We set a goal to reach 10,000 views of the campaign video by the end of the campaign and we hit that number within the first day. It’s now had over 70,000 views, which is just huge.

 

“With the campaign nearly over, we’ll be working very hard over the next few weeks to get ready for the product launch into Coles stores. It’s genuinely exciting – particularly when you think about the difference this is going to make to all the people these products support.

Says John Durkan, Coles chief operating officer: “We are delighted to be adding the Thankyou range to our offering for customers. Not only will it raise funds for essential projects in developing countries, but they are also great products. We’ve listened to our customers, who told us they would support the Thankyou range if Coles stocked it. Now they’ll have the chance to do just that and make a difference with every product they buy.”

 

Flynn also said that he and his team were looking forward to meeting with Woolworths this Tuesday.

 

Says Flynn: “We can’t wait to meet with the team at Woolworths and see what part they might play in helping change the world.”

tzYbbrb8d-UFwIS9C0jjP5V7F026h4uJwVTHS1pqmTQ,cyCf4WAxRFfDV_MeR353XuKIRM8Rf9OfGyWD0XaTRQY,tB22ACyEU2jTeWZX54DmZWFDVAs5FcNHljojIpxORdE-thumb-400x266-122123.jpgThe campaign, which concludes today, involved a stunt in which Thankyou flew two helicopters, each carrying a 10,000 square foot (30 by 30 metre) banner over both Coles’ Melbourne headquarters in Hawthorn and Woolworths’ Sydney headquarters in Bella Vista, with the messages asking both retailers to help change the world.

 

Throughout the two-week campaign, over 13 million people were reached through social media, online traffic and traditional media and thousands of posts, including many creative videos, were placed on both Coles’ and Woolworths’ Facebook walls from Thankyou fans.

 

The campaign has been supported by celebrities such as Jules Lund, Chrissie Swan, Andrew Gaze, Rebecca Morse, Peter Helliar, Nicole Livingstone, Tim Costello, Dean Geyer and Dylan Lewis.