Everything’s peachy as oOh! helps Countdown showcase suppliers

Kiwis have enjoyed fresh stone fruit on their daily commute, with bus stops in Auckland and Wellington transformed into peach orchards to help promote Countdown’s Summer Fresh campaign implemented by oOh!media.

Bus shelters on Commerce Street in Auckland and Oriental Parade in Wellington have been covered in a leaf canopy, and commuters were treated to some delicious nectarines and peaches. The shelters also feature oOh!’s brand new touch-activated scented posters, which release a fresh peach fragrance when touched. The company worked closely with media agency Stanley Street and creative agency M&C Saatchi to make the activation a hit with commuters.

Jo Rose, Countdown’s General Manager Marketing, said the bus stops were a great way to show and tell customers about our summer peaches and also tantalise their taste buds.

“Countdown has direct relationships with local growers right around the country, which means we can give our customers fantastic fresh fruit direct from the orchard. We wanted our customers to experience what our buyers do every day – the sights and smells of a peach orchard with delicious produce straight from the tree.”

Paul Hankinson, Executive Creative Director of M&C Greenhouse NZ says that 'Countdown is really proud of the direct relationships they've built with their growers. We wanted to dramatise that and at the same time, demonstrate the benefits of Grower Fresh in terms of freshness, taste, and quality.’

Georgia Woodbridge from M&C Saatchi said the activation helped show customers where the produce at the supermarket comes from and the faces behind the fruit.

“The team at Countdown is really open-minded about new ways to tell their story, and it’s also fantastic to work with the brilliant oOh!media, who successfully took our creative drawings and turned them into reality.”

Another great marketing campaign from Countdown is currently running across nine of oOh!’s fully interactive digital Excite panels around the country, with the screens turned into interactive colouring panels. To help celebrate Countdown’s summer campaign, Kiwi kids can select from a pre-set range of colours, then touch a portion of the picture to fill it in, building their mini pieces of art. Once ready, they can send the image to themselves via email or SMS for subsequent downloading or sharing on social media.

Head of Art M&C Greenhouse NZ, Gerhard Myburgh, said the billboards beautifully demonstrate the joy of a Kiwis summer.

“What is summer like in New Zealand? It is a special, happy time for most people but it is also different things to different people. We commissioned a Kiwi illustrator, to bring all the wonderful icons and moments to life in a beautiful piece of graphic art. A visual ode to the quintessential Kiwi summer. And every person that interacts with this digital colouring-in experience can make it unique to themselves,’ he says.

oOh!media’s Head of Sales, Ben Gibb, said the national campaign demonstrates how innovative approaches can be combined with oOh’s assets to deliver attention-grabbing executions that help bring clients’ marketing strategies to life.

“The early numbers reinforce this approach, with 5,103 unique interactions from the Excite panels during the first week, averaging 2.5 minutes per session,” he said.

Mr. Gibb added the challenge with the sampling activation was taking a great creative idea on paper and translating it into the real thing on the street. “We’re super proud of this project and the impact this has already had, and it's been amazing to capture the reactions of commuters,” he said.