Tesco has launched a new social media campaign using advanced AI technology to hyper-personalise content and engage customers in supporting local community projects for ‘Tesco Stronger Starts’.
The supermarket’s latest campaign allows its customers to create personalised video messages featuring British track and field athlete Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill as a spokesperson to promote their local initiatives.
Designed to encourage customers to vote in-store using blue tokens for ‘Tesco Stronger Starts’, which funds healthy food and activities for local community groups, this personalised video experience aims to enhance the personal connection to the causes.
The video experience platform, brought together for Tesco by the creative communications group DRPG, enables users to select from a list of local children’s groups who are part of the current ‘Tesco Stronger Starts’ voting round that they want to support, input their name, and choose the reasoning behind their cause.
Cutting-edge AI technology creates a custom video with a hyper-realistic avatar of Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill – who mentions the Tesco customer by name and tells us why their vote is going to their chosen good cause. The customer then uploads the video to their social channels to grow support for their cause.
Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill said, “I feel honoured to have such involvement in the ‘Tesco Stronger Starts’ campaign. It’s incredible how this initiative uses cutting-edge technology to make each of us feel personally connected to the causes we care about. By creating these tailored messages, we’re supporting local projects and making a real difference for children across the UK.”
James Nam, Head of Digital at DRPG, noted, “Engagement was paramount for Tesco in this campaign. From the fundamental need for the platform to enable users to explore and discover various community projects supported by Tesco, through to smaller details like the hurdle-style arcade game to entertain users while their custom videos are being generated. We’re proud to showcase how technology can be used ethically to enhance community engagement.”
‘Tesco Stronger Starts’ is supported by a full social strategy managed by BBH. The tool will be amplified to audiences with a social and email strategy, with influencers also involved by demonstrating how the tool works.
Murray Bisschop, UK Marketing Director at Tesco added, “We’re really excited about this campaign, and we hope it encourages even more customers to vote with their blue token and support the local causes that matter to them. Tesco Stronger Starts is all about giving children across the UK a stronger start in life, by helping fund healthy food and activities that can improve their physical health and mental wellbeing – from breakfast clubs to playground equipment, and football kits to gardening classes.”
Martin McKean, the Head of Creative for DRPG Film, added, “We’re entering a brave new world of hyper-personalisation in communications and advertising where a film is no longer something you just watch – your customers and employees can become part of the story. The possibilities are limitless.”