After a social media campaign, Thankyou has made it onto shelves of both major retailers. But the business case is what mattered.
Thankyou, which helps fund access to clean water, food and hygiene solutions in developing nations, has been running a high-profile social media campaign rallying consumers to get its products into Coles and Woolworths.
Two days after Coles agreed to stock its products, Woolworths followed suit. It announced the news on its Facebook page today: "Hi everyone, we met with Thankyou yesterday afternoon and we agree they definitely deserve a chance to share their story with our customers.
"A range of Thankyou water, muesli bars, oats and muesli will be hitting our shelves within the next six weeks. Like all of the products on our shelves, it's our customers that decide what stays and what goes, so now it's up to you guys – pick up a Thankyou product next time you're in store!"
However, the social campaign was only part of the picture, according to Thankyou co-founder and managing director Daniel Flynn. "To be honest, the social media campaign was very effective at getting their attention, but the reality is we presented a great product and a great commercial case," he told AdNews.
"We're used to presenting to retailers. It's a win-win scenario for them, the fact that they can now be part of – I don't want to say changing the world – but making a big impact."
Despite its statement on Facebook, a Woolworths spokesperson would not comment on what effect the social media campaign had on its decision, saying only that as with all supplier negotiations, such details were commercial-in-confidence.
Asked whether he thought other brands could employ the same tactic, Flynn said: "I think there's a question mark over that one. There's so many factors involved – it's a tough one because if another brand did the exact same thing, it may not be as effective."
According to Thankyou, in the two weeks before it met with the supermarkets, over 15 million people were reached through social and traditional media. Thousands of people posted messages of support on Facebook, and the campaign was picked up by celebrities including Jules Lund, Chrissie Swan, Andrew Gaze, Rebecca Morse, Peter Hellier, Nicole Livingstone, Tim Costello, Dean Geyer and Dylan Lewis.
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