Aldi Christmas Advert 2015- Experiential Marketing

This Christmas Aldi have produced several marketing campaigns to show off their products.
 One that was great in catching attention was their 'favourite things' advert, where the brand displayed a variety of Christmas related items from their product portfolio.

The brand decided to pair up the the minute long clip with the song, 'My Favourite Things' from the Sound of Music, a 1965 classic. This was a good idea at it helped satisfy consumer needs by creating a feeling of belongingness towards the marketing strategy through a song that reminds consumers of the past. The song is able to create memories, which reflects upon Maslow's theory of the hierarchy of needs.

Aldi's Favourite Things advert

To choose belongingness as their main stage on the hierarchy of needs, is a very smart move from the brand. This is because it can create a valued feeling, which makes the individual watching feel like they are then accepted and can be part of the company and their advertisement. This is extremely useful for Aldi, as during Christmas, the supermarket industry is very competitive and all have their own marketing strategies; meaning that Aldi can use acceptance as a form of bringing in potential consumers through building loyalty, trust and a sense of attachment. Consumers are also emotionally charged, so the more they feel involved, the more likely that Aldi will be their chosen supermarket to purchase from this Christmas.

The foods shown on the advert, such as the reindeer and gingerbread house are also become a reality, which helps the audience follow the advert more closely, as they it gives the advert some uniqueness. This is great for the younger generations who may not be familiar with the Sound of Music, as they can also be drawn into the advert by spotting their 'favourite things' that appear through the clip.
Overall, it is quite simple to say that Aldi have been smart with their marketing, by connecting to the older and younger generation. The brand has managed to meet the basic needs of their audience by showing love through their products by connecting them to their actors, which then helps connect the audience by keeping them emotionally attached to the story and song.

The Decision Making Process - Aldi Christmas Advert 2015

For any consumer, the decision making process plays a key role in what products or services they decide to choose. This process is just as important to businesses in all competitive sectors, in order to gain the most market share and produce the highest amount of profit.

The decision making process consists of four different stages:
1) Problem recognition
2) Information Search
3) Evaluation of Alternatives
4) Product and Brand choice

As explained in a previous blog post John Lewis' 'Man on The Moon' Christmas advert was very popular among consumers of all ages, as it included a story line that was easy to follow and become a part of.

This is where the clever marketing comes in, as Aldi decided to replicate the well-known Christmas advert by also having a man on the moon who happens to have a telescope too. This means they have manged to skip the first part of the decision making process, as John Lewis has already met the needs of consumers in the problem recognition stage.
During problem recognition, there is an ideal state, which is what individuals want, and an actual state, which consists of what is actually available. Aldi manages to show individuals that what they want from what they have seen in John Lewis' advertisement can also be bought from their stores too. This means that the needs the individuals have in both ideal and actual states can be met.

Aldi's man on the moon with the cheaper telescope

Aldi were able to move straight on to the information search and evaluation of alternatives stage, by providing details about their brand and then showing they they are the alternative of John Lewis. This therefore suggests that instead of consumers searching for alternatives. Aldi have managed to provide them with the necessary details by showing consumers and potential buyers that they are the cheaper alternative. Aldi's advertisement also declares that you cannot tell the difference in quality between the two products, even though one is clearly more expensive and known to be higher in quality. This is where they reflect the final stage of the decision making process- product and brand choice, as consumers can then decide on which brand they would like to purchase from. However, as Aldi are trying to promote their own product, it is more likely that the individual watching would then choose their brand, due to the fact that it is established that they can offer similar products at a lower price. This is value for money, which is what consumers like to see.