Analysis: Does Co-op's brand heritage matter to its customers?

Shown on Film4, it is a far cry from the big budget Christmas ads that are currently hitting screens; telling the story of 28 weavers and artisans as they battled poverty to create the first co-operative shop in Rochdale in 1844.

Commissioned and funded by The Co-op and produced by the Co-operative British Youth Film Academy, the project has been made to mark the United Nations International Year of Co-operatives and has been done in the true spirit of collaboration with the film’s directors Adam Lee and John Montegrande recruiting many of the cast and crew from the local community.

Content of this kind can be every bit as impactful as a full TV campaign and related media spend, according to Adrian Goldthorpe, managing partner at brand consultancy Lothar Bohm. “It is an interesting approach; particularly TV channels are increasingly looking for content that is supported by advertisers.”

He adds that the film is a great piece of marketing for the retailer as it help to remind people that there is more to the Co-operative. “There is a movement behind it, a reason to believe.”

Liana Gregorians, a consultant at branding agency The Value Engineers, says that the retailer’s involvement in the film offers the Co-op a higher level of differentiation among the vast swath of price-led advertising out there. “It doesn’t even have to say much as it is inextricably linked with the values of the film. It has to have a positive effect.”

But while it brings the heritage of the retailer to life, both Goldthorpe and Gregorians question whether it will truly help the Co-op create a deeper connection to its consumers.

“The focus on values, partnership and community is a really good fit,” says Gregorians, but she doubts that it will affect sales. “Convenience is such a massive factor for retailers.”

Goldthorpe points to the discord between the retail group’s ethical positioning, which tends to appeal to a higher social demographic of shopper, and the physical location of its stores, which he says are historically in poorer areas. “It needs to regain its connection with the local communities it is in, to show that money spent there benefits the area.”

While this film on its own will not gain the widespread recognition required to do that, it sits nicely with the brand’s new advertising strapline, Here for You For Life, says Goldthorpe, and serves as a timely reminder that its name is more than just a brand.