Aldi and Lidl are two of the biggest and well-respected supermarket chains globally. With both carrying the main objective of changing societies outdated norms regarding weekly grocery shopping, they have found a space in the market to connect and attract the average day consumer.
This has been achieved by creating a trend in which the consumer takes pride in low-cost shopping in comparison to other longer-standing supermarkets who have an outdated ideology regarding low cost reflecting the low standard of quality.
Having said this, the two supermarkets go head-to-head in an attempt to win the hearts of the nation for the most convenient shopping experience. Therefore, within this blog, we will look at which one is seen as the better option, particularly as a result of their social media strategies.
Social media following of Aldi vs Lidl
Both Aldi and Lidl perform well thought out marketing strategies to stay on top of the mind of consumers and create conversations. When looking at the following across all key social media platforms, it’s clear to see that Aldi maximise this area more so than Lidl (Refer to figure 1).
As we can see from the table above, both brands have a large following within the UK market, especially on Facebook. Most importantly, we can see that Aldi has considerably more than Lidl, particularly when looking at Facebook and Twitter.
Aldi’s social media marketing strategy
Free Cuthbert campaign
Aldi has recently taken part in the Free Cuthbert campaign which has gone down in Twitter history. The PR stunt of amusing tweets tickled the mood of the nation and got a lot of people talking which of course, drove impressions and engagement towards the brand. Although this is an unusual route to take for a legal issue it led to Aldi receiving 75K likes.
Having tweets that mirror how people interact with their friends, family and wider communities on social media, enable the brand to bring itself down to the level of the customer. In a world of uncertainty and anxiousness, the brands that will be remembered are the ones that offer a human and authentic approach to their marketing. In exchange, you’ll get a better understanding of your customer base, ultimately, helping you build a better product or service.
Aldi’s 30th Birthday Party campaign
Additionally, Aldi has been successful with is its willingness to engage with competitors daily. For example, for their Aldi30thBirthdayParty campaign, the business openly invited all supermarkets to celebrate with them in a light-hearted manner. This type of humour builds relationships and creates memorable experiences for their audiences. It also forced their competitor to use the hashtag which essentially got Aldi’s name trending on the Twitter list.
Lidl’s social media marketing strategy
Although Aldi seems to have killed the social strategy, with a clear understanding to social media trends, amongst all supermarkets, Lidl isn’t too far behind. Lidl also maintains a witty undertone on their socials which doesn’t go unmissed, however are more known for their successful campaigns.
Lidl’s Christmas campaign 2020
The supermarket touches many hearts every year when they launch their Christmas advert. Playing on a more emotional side rather than humorous. Lidl received 6.4 million views on their latest Christmas advert and 27 million impressions. Evidencing two contrasting campaigns having similar effects.
Lidl’s target audience
Lidl has recently developed its target audience from a slightly lower-class consumer to a more middle and upper class to compete within the market. By revamping its social strategy, Lidl plays on this idea of memorable experiences. For example, they have developed initiatives to offer vouchers to entertain families, suitability source fresh fish and remove artificial colours from a larger number of their label products. This emphasises the relationship the business is trying to have with its consumer by demonstrating their roles at a wider scale, rather than being just a supermarket.
Aldi vs Lidl
Although both brands occupy the same market, they have used different digital marketing strategies to differentiate themselves and their audience. Both have a huge online presence across all key social channels and use them in similar ways to connect and interact with those who follow.
As demonstrated, their social media strategies have brought great success to them both which has ultimately turned people into becoming loyal customers. Despite Lidl having less of a following across all channels, it is important to take away the fact that this doesn’t act as a disadvantage seeing as it may have taken Aldi’s place for the nation’s favourite. Therefore, with well-planned marketing strategies, you will be able to increase your reach and engagement rates and produce conversation organically.
Key takeaways
So, overall, what has stood out from these two businesses:
1. Take a humancentric approach to your marketing – by bringing yourself down to the level of the customer, you are simultaneously creating relationships by making your business more relatable.
2. Be socially aware of what’s going on around you – including what’s going on with your competitors. This can be turned into light-hearted content to be shared.
3. Use hashtags – hashtags are a great way to boost engagement for your business.
4.Go big and beyond your title – You don’t want to just provide your customers with a service but also a feeling.
Which brand do you think won this battle of the brands? Let us know what you think via our socials! We’d love to know.
