A discount supermarket chain hires a rapper for a promotional video about leeks – and the clip goes viral on TikTok. What that reveals about the strategies of marketing professionals.
A leek for every like – that’s the promise of the musician Nina Chuba. On behalf of the discounter Aldi Süd, she presents the vegetables, which are also native to Germany, in a promotional video on TikTok. Leek is stylized here as a star. And if you like the quickly cut and provocatively shot clip, you should like the video – Aldi then wants to donate leeks.
The supermarket chain apparently suspected the viral potential. The mix: A vegetable that everyone knows, an influencer who is currently one of the hottest artists around, and TikTok. The video got 15.9 million views in just a few days and 160,000 likes. And it would probably be even more if Aldi Süd hadn’t limited the campaign to 48 hours. According to the company, it is now donating 250,000 euros to a children’s aid campaign – the sum was probably already known before publication.
“Power and Freedom”
“As of today, leek stands for three attributes,” announces Nina Chuba in the video, “power and freedom.” The fact that there were only two in the end is probably intentional. Chuba is self-deprecating anyway as she raps about leeks. “There’s still room for improvement,” she criticizes when looking at an imaginary leek clothing collection. The fact that leeks do not necessarily have the best reputation in everyday language is part of the calculations of the advertising strategists.
Self-ironic advertising for leeks: rapper and influencer Nina Chuba
“Leek was a swear word. Narrow, slim, tall, young man or girl, that’s called ‘you leek’. So it’s more insulted or insulted because of the figure,” explains Karsten Kilian, who works at the Technical University of Würzburg-Schweinfurt teaches brand management. Aldi ironically takes up exactly this topic and gives a neglected food, so to speak, a new image. “You make the leek, the marginal figure, the star.”
Basically a successful campaign for the experts – albeit perhaps a bit late. In 2018, leek was among the top ten youth words of the year. The term has been in circulation as a swear word for much longer. Aldi Süd itself writes in a press release that it has “set itself the goal of triggering a hype: about leeks.” E is an “underestimated vegetable”.
What the farmer says about it
It probably depends on who you ask. For Kai Reinheimer, for example, leeks have always been something of a star. Because Reinheimer is the boss of a vegetable farm, which also bears the family name and is located in Ginsheim-Gustavsburg in Hesse. Reinheimer has just harvested 180,000 leeks, which are now being washed and sorted. The large, strong sticks are sold under the Gemüsehof label in regional supermarkets and his farm shop, the rest ends up in soup greens.
“The leek is a vitamin C bomb. It has an aroma that is actually incomparable. There is nothing that tastes like leek,” says the farmer. The vegetables are diverse, and they are also grateful for cultivation. The farmer, who has no business relationship with the supermarket chain, has to laugh at the discounter video. In general, he likes the action. “I can get something out of the attributes. The next thing, of course, is that leeks are a staple food – not to be underestimated either, because: YouTubers also need something to eat.”
Are you more interested in the origin of the food?
Reinheimer believes that if the attention of younger people in particular is drawn to local cultivation and regional products, then everyone would benefit. He would like more interest in the origin of food and what grows on your own doorstep – and tastes good.
It has gotten so much warmer in his region in recent years that the farmer can now grow the vegetables all year round – despite the frost. “As long as the root below can draw water, the leek can always thaw.” The Reinheimer vegetable farm alone produces up to 1.5 million leeks per year, or around 40 tons.
More and more advertising budgets flow into social media
Aldi Süd’s TikTok campaign is likely to be one of the smaller ones for the discounter – with a total advertising budget of an estimated 408.5 million euros last year. According to marketing expert Kilian, companies could reach a young target group in this way. Otherwise, no long-term strategy can be identified behind it. “It probably won’t work the second time with broccoli.”
Nevertheless, it is proof that the large corporations in Germany are shifting their advertising budgets. Away from poster, newspaper or TV advertising towards social media. This year, spending in Germany on social media advertising will increase to an estimated 3.61 billion euros. The Chinese app TikTok is playing an increasingly important role. While desktop advertising is stagnating worldwide, the trend is towards mobile platforms.