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.
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.
The pots are biodegradable, do your research.
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.
Greenwashing
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!
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
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.
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.
My negative comment on Ooshies promotion is that Woolworths did not have enough collector CASES to cover demand. Very disappointing.
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.
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
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…
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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!