Woolies imports idea from New Zealand for new campaign
Woolworths has imported an idea from New Zealand for its latest ad campaign.
The new series of ads, which began with a family moving house and features a blundering husband, was based on a campaign created for Woolworths’ New Zealand brand Countdown, a Woolies spokesperson told Mumbrella.
The campaign follows shortly after the appointment of Elizabeth Ryley to the role of GM of marketing at Woolworths Supermarkets. Ryley was formerly head of marketing at Woolies’ New Zealand subsidiary, Progressive Enterprises.
The ads were shot in New Zealand by M&C Saatchi Sydney, an agency currently defending the Woolies creative business.
Would love to understand the strategy behind this. The ad is pleasant enough, but the link between new Kiwi neighbours and Woolies seems tenuous.
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Personally I love it. Great insight into how everyday Australian’s are living and relating to one another. It’s not pretentious, it’s real, that’s exactly what happens when you move house or end up covered in item from pantry. I can’t see this one annoying people as much as DOWN DOWN which may not be a good thing as it worked based on the annoyance factor. Either way, good work M&C Saatchi. A vote from me.
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I imagine they are setting the scene for a series of ads that are lighthearted and family-friendly and associate Woolworths with good times. Nothing wrong with that.
While the gags are about as funny as a cheap sitcom, it’s more enjoyable and subtle than the “down down, prices are down” Coles ads (as effective as they may be).
Alternately, as a kiwi, I can imagine the “down down” ads being a HUGE hit in NZ. . .
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It does nothing for me. I do not understand how that makes people want to shop at woolies?
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I love it when Woolworths focuses on the reality of Australian life. The ad with the Greek-Australians and their garden from a few years back. The “That’s My Woolies” ads from earlier this year were very multicultural and even featured a drag queen!
These are very anglo ads and not as Aussie edgy.
The ad with the flour all over the guy did make me laugh out loud. Not.
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Self indulgent. Uninspiring. Do they really think this is going to change my shopping behaviour? The agency must be near the end of its useful life. Coles are all over these guys
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As an ex-New Zealander I hate thus spot not just because it’s lame humour by today”s standards (see Modern Family) but also because every time my Aussie wife hears the line “remember that funny looking kiwi guy you used to go out with…oh you married him!” she cackles her face off. Every time.
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I actually prefer the Coles’ ads to these. The second ad is bearable, the first however makes me die a little every time it comes on tv.
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I don’t believe that the kid would refer to her pet (who is named in the first scene) as “the dog” in the last scene…
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I think they should stop wasting their money and stop shafting the local brands
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Diabolical tripe. makes me embarrassed to be australian if this is the only thing one of our biggest local advertisers can come up with. Watch a tesco campaign, look at the new john lewis christmas campaign – then hang your head in shame.
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Could`nt agree with zzzz more. As an ex advertising person I am ashamed by the rubbish currently defacing our screens. Can someone please win the WW business and do some work we can be proud of…
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Dear ZZZZZZZZZZZ,
One day, the Australian ad industry is going to wake up to the simple fact that we’re not the UK, not NZ, not the USA; we’re Australia and Australians respond well to diabolical tripe,even if the industry doesn’t.
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Yawn. Haven’t we had enough of the ‘blundering husband’ by now?
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I’m so sick of this ‘men are idiots’ trope in advertising. It must test well with women though because it will not go away.
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Down down is a far more effective campaign
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I’d like to see an ad where the woman is dumb. I imagine the reaction to be much, much louder!
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1. What do the ads have to do with grocery shopping?
2. The idea of telling a story through ‘linking commercials may have worked for Nescafe in the 80s but we’ve too much distraction in today’s world to follow it.
3. Shouldn’t the focus be on how Woolies can really add value to my shopping experience? At least the Coles ads tell me I’m going to save on price.
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It’s almost as if Woolies have a new head of marketing from New Zealand who has demanded they copy the Kiwi Campaign. But of course one middle management marketing person could never dictate a single minded campaign for a multi billion dollar company just because it worked on a few hundred locals in the land of the long white cloud … hang on.
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Yes everyone, turn the product over and see where its is made, you could be in for a shock. On the NZ fing, I assume Aussie voiceovers!!
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Ogilvy NZ have done a great job. In NZ ‘The Colemans’ has been huge with delivering the rebrand of Woolies to the Countdown brand.
Wait Aussie, there will be much more to this than the TVC’s alone if the NZ experience is going to be fully adopted. Watch out for the ‘Smart Shopper’ activity and tie in with Masterchef.
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+1 to the comments regarding ‘stupid males’ in ads.
Hasn’t the pendulum swung far enough now? yes women got the dumb badge for a long time, the men have their turn, now can both sexes be seen as smart sometimes and dumb other times like you know real people, oops real people in ads I meant market researched approximations of what real people perceive real people to be (in ads).
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@Wait – Sounds suspiciously like you’re in advertising Wait – Maybe Ogilvy … Forgive me if I don’t wait but I have better things to do, like stab myself in the eye with a blunt pencil.
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What a stupid ad, why don’t they do one of these ads set in Central Australia and show how the Aboriginal people have no choice but to do their shopping at a Woolworths store thank the the racist Australian Goverment’s Intervention Laws there? Oh no they can’t do that as that would upset the racist bogans in Australia!
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the angle/hint that this campaign was going to be pushed heavily (“my family”) was all over the opening at the annual woolworths conference (including the actual TVC actors playing their parts live)
Expect this to even reach cross-brand (To Big W and Masters) as was very strongly hinted. I think the ads are absolutely ridiculous especially when woolies are very much playing catch-up to coles in the market at the moment especially considering how much more CAPEX they’ve thrown into their now comparatively outdated supermarket design (as to what Coles is now doing in its refurbs).
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