This ethical retailer tapped Lucky Generals on major campaign illustrating how it invests in communities

U.K. retailer the Co-op sets out to illustrate how its businesses all invest in communities in its first campaign via Lucky Generals, using situations in which real-life situations are suddenly merged with another scene entirely. 

It's the first effort from the company to bring its three businesses —supermarkets, insurance and funeral care—under one marketing strategy. In each of three new TV ads, directed by Nicolai Fuglsig of MJZ, we see how its businesses make an impact: for example, in one, as a garage worker eats a sandwich purchased at the Co-op, kids with disabilities ride ponies trotting around the workshop. 

In another execution, for its car insurance, a trip around a multi-story to look for a space turns into a drive through a forest where Co-op workers are holding a community event. The spot for funeral care illustrates a woman taking her husband, who is reading a funerals leaflet, a cup of tea and walking through a series of school scenes, illustrating that choosing a Co-op funeral can fund Co-op Academy schools. 

Each ad underlines that these are not just token gestures, but "what we do." The campaign comes as Co-op is trying to elucidate consumers for consumers what really goes into its reputation as an "ethical" company.

Lucky Generals founder Helen Calcraft says in a statement: “Co-op is an incredible organization, whose values are more relevant than ever. This is a big idea that can unite all its activities and capture what makes it so special."

The first commercial broke at the weekend during "Britain’s Got Talent" with three ads appearing in one ad break. There will also be 120 OOH executions with a messaging personalized specifically for the area it is located, while 222 local cinemas will serve ads with dynamic end-frames, again showing specific causes in that area.