LIDL | BOSSE’S MILK | 2015
One Guy's Complaint, Answered on Every Milk Carton in the Country / LIDL "BOSSE'S MILK"
One grumpy guy's name ended up printed on milk cartons all over the country the very next month. Nobody expected a single post to get such a serious response.
The problem
In Sweden, there was a stubborn misconception that Lidl's milk was imported from Germany. In reality, it had been domestically produced since 2010, but that old image just wouldn't go away.
The insight
It all started with a complaint a man named Bosse posted on social media. He wrote something like, "Why do I have to buy German milk?" and Lidl noticed. Their idea: if they could clear up this one man's misunderstanding directly, they'd clear up the same misunderstanding for everyone else in the country who believed it too.
The idea
Lidl renamed their Swedish milk entirely "Bosse's Milk." The packaging featured an illustration of Bosse himself, his question, and Lidl's answer to it. They also rolled out TV commercials, newspaper ads, and billboards. The finishing touch: they flew a plane over Bosse's own house trailing a banner that read, "Bosse, it really is from Sweden."
What happened
More than 3.5 million milk cartons were redesigned and placed in stores across Sweden, turning Bosse into an overnight celebrity. Milk sales grew 8.2% year-over-year in a single month, and favorability toward Lidl rose 9%. The campaign won Gold in the Direct category at Cannes Lions 2015.
Afterthought
It's easy to say they just changed a name, but it was the full commitment, right down to flying a plane, that turned one person's doubt into a story that cleared up a whole country's misunderstanding. If you want to know the best way to answer a complaint, this is it.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 2015
