To capitalise on this year's Easter buzz, VCCP have introduced a new mascot for supermarket brand Asda, in the shape of a (quite literally) 'funky chick' with a few rather audacious moves up his sleeves (or lack thereof). The latest iteration of the chain's on-going 'Beat Not Match' campaign builds on the success of the recent Snowman and Scarecrow spots, using cute Easter chicks to underline the brand's commitment to beating their rivals on price.
VCCP have introduced a new mascot for Asda, in the shape of a 'funky chick' with a few seriously audacious moves up his sleeves
The new 30 second ad (which is titled 'Something to Tweet About' and premiered during ITV's Emmerdale on Monday evening) opens with a wide shot of three chicks, casually sitting outside their respective birdhouses. The camera then focuses on the 4th 'Asda Chick', who emerges from outside his elegant green (as befits the company's branding) birdhouse to the pulsating strains of the Lipps Inc classic 'Funky Town' and pulls a few rather unbelievable moves. The ad reinforces the message of the brand's patented Asda Price Guarantee (an advertising staple for well over a decade), and that its customers will always be at least 10% better off than if they were to shop at one of the brand's closest competitors.
Stephen Smith, chief customer officer at Asda, believes that the cutesy ad hooks into the fact that “Easter has always been a time for celebration, with families all across the country getting together to share in the occasion.” He says that the ad captures a sense of fun and brings “A little of Asda's well-known personality” to their advertising. The 'Asda Chick' and three additional ads related to Easter will be championing Asda's 'Hero' items (which include such luxury products as grass-fed lamb and line-caught cod), supporting the brand's five year plan to redefine value by championing price alongside both quality and range. This is a plan the brand plans to invest £1.25 billion in by 2018, growing not only its physical store presence, price and overall quality, but its online operations too.
The ad captures a sense of fun and brings “A little of Asda's well-known personality” to their advertising
The ad will run alongside a heavily integrated social media campaign, which will invite fans to create their very own 'Asda Chick' and choreograph their chicks own dance moves, as well as selecting the backing track. Users of the site (which will launch later this week) can then share their creations via the #AsdaChick hashtag. This increased focus on social media activity follows the brand's popular Lindt Bunny hunt, which rewarded fans that correctly guessed the number of bunnies appearing in a bespoke Facebook video a £50 prize. The game drew 30,000 comments and 5,200 likes, proving that social media is a key player in the brand's future advertising strategies.
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer from the UK who has always shopped at Asda as their own brand fizzy drinks are surprisingly tasty and green is his favourite colour.
