With its post-Ooshies Discovery Garden campaign, Woolworths may have outsmarted us all
Woolworths' Ooshies campaign was irresponsible. But in its launch of Discovery Garden, right after the Future Landfill campaign depicting Ooshies in landfill, Woolworths may have outsmarted us all, explains Underground Communications' Karen Porter.
The cynic in me has been piqued this past week.
Like most people, my online feed has been filled in recent months with posts about bits of plastic in the shape of lions. I’ve been, in equal measure, appalled (why, yet again, are we having to put up with corporate irresponsibility?) and flabbergasted (there are people out there for whom useless bits of plastic hold great value and excitement?)
Then, enter a new aspect to the conversation in the form of futurelandfill.org. If you haven’t come across this, it’s a superb campaign to urge people to sign a Change.org petition against Woolworths’ irresponsible Ooshies campaign, designed to encourage people to spend more money. Naturally, I signed it.
And then, to make this campaign even more powerful, there’s an alternative solution as to what Woolworths could have done instead, involving compostable, collectable, shareable lion cards infused with seeds that kids can plant.
So, why the cynic? When I first saw this campaign, I jokingly mentioned that I almost believed it was initiated by Woolworths. Then, lo and behold, within a week, Woolworths announced its new collectibles campaign, Discovery Garden: plants to help kids learn about growing their own food. They are the “Fresh Food People” after all.
Now, while it’s totally credible that this beautifully-crafted and expertly-executed Future Landfill campaign (which I absolutely love) was independently created as a protest by two adland guys with a conscience, there are a couple of reasons I think otherwise.
Firstly, the Future Landfill campaign focuses only on the Woolworths Ooshies and completely ignores Coles’ Little Shop campaign that is surely creating an equal amount of despicable plastic landfill. True, the aesthetics of the Future Landfill campaign really only work with the Lion King theme, but stick with me here.
Knowing how long it takes to pull a campaign together, Woolworths announcing a brand new initiative that will launch in a few weeks in direct response to Future Landfill seems unlikely.
Now, I could be way off the mark here, but it seems to have panned out far too smoothly in my mind. Whether this was lucky timing or a genuinely fast response to consumer sentiment, kudos for owning a new, more responsible business direction.
I suspect that the Ooshies campaign was locked in place with Disney long before the consumer backlash began against the original Coles Little Shop campaign. So, responding to outcry against a super-slick counter-campaign you can’t back out of with a new, perfectly-aligned campaign is a great approach.
If Woolies had simply announced its new plant giveaway without the Future Landfill campaign preceding it, it wouldn’t have resonated as deeply. The impact and interest in the new campaign is much greater when it looks like Woolworths is listening to the will of the people, even though it doesn’t reference Future Landfill at all.
It’s clear that Woolworths is intent on differentiating itself from its main competitor, Coles. When you operate in a duopoly, rather than trying to target the same customers based on price, you’re going to be much more effective at establishing loyalty if you can clearly define your values and resonate with a particular audience.
Woolies has definitely been displaying a focus on more sustainable business practices, having recently appointed a consultant to manage its circular economy programs, and gradually implementing more sustainability initiatives such as its recent announcement to divert 100% of unused food from landfill, suggesting a real desire to connect with a growing consumer base that makes purchasing decisions based on social and environmental impact.
All of this leads to the conclusion that Woolworths has cleverly leveraged a negative situation into something positive that generates awareness, captures attention and educates consumers.
In its new campaign, Woolworths is stepping away from the Ooshies, and becoming an agent of change. It’s the circle of life.
Karen Porter is the founder and creative director of social impact-led communications agency, Underground Communications
still going to have plastic containers for the plants, they are still doing Ooshies, the packaging on their items is still excessive. this is nothing but greenwashing.
User ID not verified.
The plastic waste from Ooshies and Little Shop is minimal compared to all the unnecessary plastic packaging on some of the fruit and veg in supermarkets. The ‘outrage’ from some people seems a bit over the top.
User ID not verified.
Greenwashing
User ID not verified.
Clearly the author does not have young kids! If she did, she wouldn’t be so ‘flabbergasted’ why people love these little bits of plastic. maybe take a trip to other shops and see how much plastic is used in kids’ toys – you would keel over in shock! Really, our kids have loved these campaigns!
User ID not verified.
Future Landfill references Coles Little Shop twice on its home page. It calls on people to let “Australia’s supermarkets” know they disapprove. It isn’t just Woolies focused, they just used the Ooshies as they lent themselves to the creative idea.
User ID not verified.
Agree with @greenies
Back in the 1970s, there were plastic spaceships and animals in cereal packets.
They were hugely popular.
And now ooshies are hugely popular for the same reason. Kids have fun playing with them, collecting them and trading them.
Certainly Lion King trading cards would have been an alternative, but I don’t see why anyone would be flabbergasted by the success of the ooshies.
Personally, I would have been flabbergasted if they had not been a success.
User ID not verified.
The pots are biodegradable, do your research.
User ID not verified.
My negative comment on Ooshies promotion is that Woolworths did not have enough collector CASES to cover demand. Very disappointing.
User ID not verified.
They’ve used the intrinsic idea of the Lion Kings Circle of life – that’s the purpose of being single minded on Ooshies.
It’s a metaphor.
There is no alliance with Woolworths- this article is another example of cynicism blocking positive behavior change.
User ID not verified.
I am rather surprised nobody has pointed out where the Future Landfill campaign came from in the first place. It’s certainly not from Woolworths.
https://twitter.com/natalietran/status/1153595274050146304?s=19
User ID not verified.
Yet another perpetually outraged woman crying about a kid’s toy. Walk down the cosmetics aisle of any supermarket and see how “flabbergasted” you become when you notice how many non recyclable items are made of plastic! Shampoo bottles, shower gel bottles, moisturiser bottles, sunscreen bottles, lip balm tubes, tooth brushes, toothpaste tubes… The list goes on. Tell me, why is no one getting “outraged” over this??? Or are we more intent on denying kids a bit of fun with some toys? Perhaps some grumpy adults might derive some enjoyment out of said toys…
User ID not verified.
I’d be a lot more impressed with woollies if they really were the fresh food people. Coles beats it hands down for freshness. And if their specials actually rang up at the register as the special price not the regular price. Check your dockets everyone. If they’re looking to be environmentally friendly, how about decomposable nappies to replace the millions of plastic ones currently filling up holes in the grounds for hundreds of years. Now that would really be impressive.
User ID not verified.
And if their specials actually rang up at the register as the special price not the regular price… winner, you now get the first item for free. I love when things don’t scan for the correct price, brings a little moment of joy to the otherwise dull weekly shop.
User ID not verified.
I think we are ‘flabbergasted’ because we don’t need any MORE non-recylcable pointless plastic items floating around. At least my shampoo bottle holds my shampoo.
User ID not verified.
Not at my Woolies Helen.The Dee Why store is incredible with produce as good as any market and prices that seem okay to me and believe me my partner is a stickler for checking prices.And this is really going to annoy you but my kids have over 50 bloody Ooshies!
User ID not verified.
consumerism – not great if our kids want want want- surely they grow up with a negative open minded and in internationally minded mindset. I encourage my kids they don’t need or want the plastic rubbish – just think of the long term impact they have on the environment
User ID not verified.
These collectables can be a use of ending up in the oceans and polluting our seas. But I do think that these things are great for kids to collect. Once collected, then that can play with them and share it when they enter school.
But Woolworths could have made cards because those can be reused to new papers or cards EVEN!
Please support our oceans and the Australian bushfires!
User ID not verified.
These collectables can be a use of ending up in the oceans and polluting our seas. But I do think that these things are great for kids to collect. Once collected, then that can play with them and share it when they enter school.
But Woolworths could have made cards because those can be reused to new papers or cards EVEN!
Please support our oceans and wildlife and not use plastic often!
User ID not verified.