PLUS manages to significantly boost social image through a look behind the scenes of engaged local residents

Flavourful PLUS content campaign proves recipe for success

For years, PLUS has been characterised by strong social responsibility and involvement in the neighbourhoods where they are located. A positioning PLUS is proud of, a course it is keen to pursue.

One of the local initiatives that PLUS supports is Stichting Thuisgekookt, an initiative in which local residents cook an extra portion for those in need in their neighbourhood. Stichting Thuisgekookt brings together supply and demand in this.
Given the shared mission (that good food should be available to everyone), this partnership is ideally suited to make it known to the world. Because Stichting Thuisgekookt could use some publicity, and PLUS can prove its commitment in this way.

The objectives were therefore:

• Knowledge: prove local commitment by publicising the partnership

• Attitude: local involvement should lead to a more positive feeling about PLUS

The challenge:

We saw 3 potential challenges in the journey:
1. Confusion: Stichting Thuisgekookt is a relatively unknown charity, which is also very similar in name to the commercial Uitgekookt.
2. Sharing attention: the campaign had to be run on behalf of both brands, but not at the expense of PLUS's goals.
3. Charities fight for attention: with more than 50,000 ANBI-registered institutions in the Netherlands, charging for your right to exist is crucial. Moreover, we know from research by the Attention Knowledge Centre* that attention for communication from Charities is very low.

*source: Aandacht kenniscentrum, Newcom 2015, N=1200

Nice and close

The recipe for success can be summed up in two words: nice and close. The approach is based on the following insights:

1. Local evidence

From research into what people find important in charities**, we see that personal commitment is key when it comes to supporting charities, and that people see/know that support is put to good use.

2. Catering to interests

If people pay relatively little attention to charities, we need to package our message in the form that DPG Media knows from reading behaviour that they do pay a lot of attention to.
So it is important to make evidence as local as possible, in media that is trusted. And conceptualised on topics people like to read about: personal stories and recipe inspiration***.

This led us to the idea of having TV chef Sharon de Miranda literally take a look in the kitchen of people who have registered as home cooks with Stichting Thuisgekookt. While cooking (obviously with groceries from PLUS), they talk about their motivations and what it means for the people for whom they regularly cook an extra portion. Sharon discusses this at the table with the meal takers as she delivers the Home-cooked meal to them.

These videos were produced in three cities, in the remaining focus cities of Thuisgekookt we interviewed and photographed a Home-cook. These interviews were distributed locally on Indebuurt.nl and in door-to-door magazines.

To give national publicity to the partnership as well, we kicked off with an interview with Sharon de Mirande on AD.nl, in which she explained her ambassadorship for Stichting Thuisgekookt and in which we wrote about the importance of the foundation and PLUS's involvement. Sharon also mentioned in this article that she visited three home cooks and that readers will soon see more of these on AD.nl and in the newspaper.

After this kick-off, we published a recipe from these three home cooks every week in the 'What to eat today' section, in the newspaper and on AD.nl.

All stories were also bundled on a landing page at PLUS, to which we sent traffic with teaser banners from DPG Media's network.
Finally, we also produced short versions of the three videos, which we distributed widely across DPG Media's network. Short spots that showed the social impact of the initiative with emotion, made possible by PLUS.

**source: Goede doelen, Panel Inzicht april 2022, N=500 (20-79 jaar)

***source: Beslisproces Boodschappen, Panel Inzicht oktober 2021, N=500 (20-70 jaar)

Increase in brand consideration and brand preference

An effect measurement ism DVJ shows that we achieved very strong effects among people reached by the campaign. For example, positive attitude towards PLUS grew by index 143, consideration by index 158 and preference by index 266.

PLUS's local and socially engaged image also grew significantly despite its already solid starting position. A selection of all significantly increased statements:

• PLUS is a socially committed supermarket: index 175

• PLUS supports the local community: index 177

• PLUS knows what is going on in the neighborhood: index 205

• PLUS makes good food affordable: index 160

Despite only 20 per cent of respondents knowing Stichting Thuisgekookt prior to this partnership, 51 per cent indicated that the PLUS campaign makes it clear that PLUS supports the foundation. The main message ('Everyone deserves good food and social contact, that's why PLUS supports Stichting Thuisgekookt') is clear to very clear to 64 per cent, scoring well above the benchmark of all measured campaigns. Finally, awareness of PLUS's support of Stichting Thuisgekookt makes for a more positive image people have of PLUS (increased by index 137).

All in all, this intensive but very pleasant partnership resulted in beautiful evidence that really influenced the knowledge and attitudes of our readers and visitors. This partnership tastes like more!