AUGUST 2018

NEW MARKETING STRATEGY
IS WELL VERSED IN THE
CO-OP DIFFERENCE
By Miles Hadfield
A tried and tested way of marketing the co-op difference has been to
“tell the co-op story”.
Whether it’s celebrating the founding principles of the movement,
exploring its ethical role in the community, or demonstrating its flexibility
and resilience as a business model, a narrative offers a simple, engaging
and relatable way to put the message across. It’s also one which chimes
with the people-centric ideals of the co-op model.
So perhaps it is no surprise that, with the recent boom in performance
poetry and other forms of spoken word which tap into centuries-old oral
storytelling traditions, co-ops and mutuals have led the way in adopting
the artform to its marketing strategies.
Examples include the ad campaign for the Nationwide Building Society,
the annual poetry competition run by Divine Chocolate, and the Co-op
Group’s choice of poet Lemn Sissay as the ambassador for its member
pioneers scheme.
For the 2018 Co-operative Fortnight, Co-operatives UK commissioned
a short film to celebrate the movement from Blake House Filmmakers
Co-op, which featured Isaiah Hull, who emerged from Manchester poetry
collective Young Identity.
Simon Ball from Blake House says: “We chose to commission a poem
for this piece as we wanted to change the language used to describe
co-operatives from a jargon-based technical, business-centric approach
to one that captures the essence and spirit of the movement.
Below: Letterpress Collective, taken from Co-operate, the film commissioned by
Co-operatives UK and produced by Blake House Filmmakers Co-operative.
“We didn’t think
of the piece in
marketing terms
as we wanted
to celebrate
the diversity
and richness of
the movement
without even
thinking of a
‘co-op difference’”
“In our experience the co-op movement has
a branding issue in differentiating itself from
the Co-op Group and Bank because of their
use of the name and their prevalence in
society. We wanted to draw attention to
the diversity of co-ops to the wider world,
the great things they can achieve and
the values that they hold. A poem was
the perfect medium to present this in
combination with the other elements present
in the film.”
The spoken word scene is not just a good fit
with the diverse nature of the movement, it also
has a strong grassroots element, drawn from
small, self-organised events in libraries, pubs,
cafés and community centres – which again
mirrors the strong community base of the
co-op movement.
44 | AUGUST 2018