Aldi on copying the haute couture marketing playbook
Determined to cement its status as a “social media pirate”, Aldi borrowed from the high fashion playbook to ensure its fashion line sold out in four hours.
Poised to launch its latest clothing line, Aldi had a problem. Known for 39p bananas not stylish fashion, previous collections had not performed well.
The plan? Parody famous ad campaigns, editorial photoshoots and haute couture fashion shows to bring Aldi’s clothing line to life. The goal would be to grow the supermarket’s share of voice and brand mentions, engaging brand fans, new audiences and cementing Aldi as the “pirate of social media”.
Without the budget for blockbuster TV ads and A-list endorsements, the discounter joined forces with McCann Manchester on a social-first campaign designed to drive fame and sales.
The team added a twist to the Nike’s famous ‘Just Do It’ slogan, changing it to ‘Aldi’s just done it’. Ads launched on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, while the supermarket made its TikTok debut.
The team copied high fashion photoshoots, showing models posing next to groceries sporting the Aldi range, while the retailer even held a fashion show in the supermarket aisles, streamed on Facebook Live.
Unable to secure a tie-up with influencer and Pretty Little Thing creative director Molly-Mae Hague, the brand teamed up with her boyfriend Tommy Fury, who wowed his Instagram followers by pairing Aldi sliders with his Dior tracksuit.
The range sold out within four hours and the creative reached more than 27.6 million users across Aldi’s social media platforms. Video content generated more than 5 million views, while the overall campaign drove £500,000 worth of earned media through press coverage. This sell-out success helped Aldi scoop the Marketing Week Award for Social Media.
