Tesco
Every Little Helps
The Golden Thread
Problem: Price is table stakes. The real opportunity is making shopping feel easier. Small improvements add up to a better experience.
Tension: Busy pragmatists want value but also want to feel looked after. They resent the stress of weekly shopping.
Position: For shoppers who want life to be a bit easier, Tesco sweats the small stuff so you do not have to.
Platform: Celebrate small acts of helpfulness. Accumulate goodwill through detail.
Definer
The Brief: Tesco was seen as cheap but not cheerful. The task: reposition from price-fighter to customer champion without losing value credentials.
Problem Reframe: Price is table stakes. The real opportunity is making shopping feel easier. Small improvements add up to a better experience.
Category Convention: Supermarket advertising shouts about price cuts, special offers and pile-it-high value.
Targeter
Audience: Busy Pragmatists
Tension: They want value but also want to feel looked after. They resent the stress of weekly shopping and want someone on their side.
Positioner
Position Statement: For shoppers who want life to be a bit easier, Tesco is the supermarket that sweats the small stuff so you do not have to.
We Are Not: Just cheap. Pile it high. Impersonal. Take it or leave it.
Strategist
Direction: Celebrate small acts of helpfulness. Show that Tesco notices the little things that make shopping less painful. Accumulate goodwill through detail.
Forge: Territory Exploration
Small Helps
Little improvements that make a difference. Basket depth, queue length, bag packing.
Feel: Helpful, human, observant
On Your Side
Staff as allies. Going the extra inch. Customer champions.
Feel: Warm, personal, caring
Value + Values
Good prices and good behaviour. Responsible retail.
Feel: Trustworthy, balanced, grown-up
What The Creatives Made
A platform that ran for decades, executed through hundreds of ads showing small acts of helpfulness: Dotty and her checkout observations, staff going extra miles, innovations that made shopping easier.
"Every little helps."
Why It Worked
- Turned operational improvements into brand storytelling
- Portable across every touchpoint from TV to till
- Exclusions prevented pure price focus, protecting brand warmth
- Accumulated meaning over decades through consistent application