ABSTRACT

In the past, Coop Switzerland's concept of sustainability was always communicated through own-label product brands, the so-called competence brands. Although this has been effective and continues to work very well, Coop Switzerland wanted sustainability-related communication which enhanced the retail or umbrella brand Coop in addition to these product-related brands. A key reason for this was that the leading Swiss retailer needed to find a way to reach younger target audiences with sustainability messages for those who would not otherwise read about them and would not purchase competence brand products. Online communication focused on Coops own website rather than social media, as their own site is one of the highest-traffic sites in Switzerland. In parallel with the TV campaign, Coop Switzerland ran a print advertisement series in its own magazine, Coopzeitung, and in other print media: in the former, the adverts aimed to raise awareness about sustainability among the older target audience.