German retailer strips foreign goods from shelves to champion diversity in new ad
German grocer Edeka has seized headlines with a compelling marketing stunt that has seen it strip foreign goods from the shelves of its Hamburg outlet.
Edeka Stores looking bare
The activity was run to show how much other cultures – and especially immigrants –can bring to German shores, all shot for an upcoming ad campaign that hopes to make this message resonate further.
Only goods made in Germany were left in place, making a strong and visual point about the global nature of the food chain and the countries reliance on imports. The stunt gained significant leverage on social media as photos from the shoot were shared.
Edeka in Hamburger Hafencity macht Aktion gegen Rassismus. #saynotoracism pic.twitter.com/S3puFdn62g
— Sven (@opendev) August 19, 2017
A post shared by heinzinger (@heinzinger) on
A spokeswoman for the supermarket said: “Edeka stands for variety and diversity. In our stores we sell numerous foods which are produced in the various regions of Germany.
“But only together with products from other countries it is possible to create the unique variety, that our consumers value. We are pleased that our campaign caused so many positive reactions.”
The move shows the contextually relevant way retailers can insert themselves into national debates – although it takes a bold company to try and do so.