Co-op Retail Stores: How animals worked magic for the Co-op

This paper disproves the theory that, in the retail sector, promotion-led campaigns are more effective in generating incremental revenue than brand-led campaigns. The Co-op Creatures campaign created genuine warmth for a brand which, against the grocery retail giants, had the disadvantages of unmodernised stores and few newsworthy messages. This translated directly into revenue: between its launch in July 2000 and the end of 2003, on a spend of just £16m, the campaign added £166m directly to the Co-op's turnover, and helped turn the Co-op into the UK's No.1 convenience retailer