Waitrose is arguably the most loved of all supermarkets. Food lovers admire its innovative produce and patrons love its fair practices. However, it was not without its problems. Waitrose were looking to improve their value perception and wanted to position themselves as an everyday shopping destination as it was seen as a place for the "special occasion" shop. Traditionally Waitrose advertised 3 or 4 times a year with seasonal bursts to drive footfall and improve awareness.

Increase shopper frequency and improve value perception

Using their two celebrity brand ambassadors - Britain's best loved cook Delia Smith and the charismatic owner of three Michelin starred The Fat Duck Heston Blumenthal, Waitrose embarked on a programme to capitalise on the country's appetite for improving their culinary skills. Bucking the market trend of deep discounting and "quick fix" meal solutions, Delia and Heston delivered a mini cookery show each week with a recipe, a tip, and an offer each week.

In 2010, Waitrose enjoyed their most successful year to date and are the UK's fastest growing supermarket. Sales increased 10% to cross £5bn mark for first time in company's history. The John Lewis Partnership were voted retailer of the year at the 2011 Retail Week Awards and Waitrose was awarded Which? Supermarket of the Year Award (June 2011) and also topped the Which? Magazine Supermarket Satisfaction Survey for second year running (Jan 2011). Consumers who saw the TV activity including the sponsorship were more likely to feel brand warmth.

"We are thrilled with the success of 2010 and our integrated approach to media was at the heart of this success. It enabled us to deliver efficiencies and ROIs on a scale never witnessed before, and crucially drove consumers through the doors." Jo Massey, Manager, Advertising - Waitrose