Lidl: Le Bon
Lidl in Sweden faced a significant challenge: consumers perceived its discount food as low quality. The client sought to dramatically shift this perception, proving Lidl's ingredients met the highest standards, ultimately aiming to increase sales and brand trust among Swedish consumers.
Creative Idea
Lidl recreated the Nobel Banquet using its own discount ingredients to prove quality.
Lidl hijacked Sweden's most exclusive Nobel Banquet by creating "Le Bon," a parallel, identical event using only Lidl ingredients, proving its discount food meets the highest standards and challenging public perception that good food must be expensive.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
Lidl possessed the capability to source and provide high-quality ingredients, despite its discount pricing model.
Category
Discount supermarkets typically compete on price, often leading to assumptions of lower quality food.
Customer
Swedish consumers doubted Lidl's food quality, believing discount stores couldn't offer premium ingredients.
Culture
The Nobel Banquet is a highly revered, exclusive, and culturally significant event in Sweden.
Company
Lidl possessed the capability to source and provide high-quality ingredients, despite its discount pricing model.
Category
Discount supermarkets typically compete on price, often leading to assumptions of lower quality food.
Strategy:
Subvert a prestigious cultural event to elevate a brand's perceived value.
Customer
Swedish consumers doubted Lidl's food quality, believing discount stores couldn't offer premium ingredients.
Culture
The Nobel Banquet is a highly revered, exclusive, and culturally significant event in Sweden.
Strategy:
Subvert a prestigious cultural event to elevate a brand's perceived value.
Results
Guests rated the Le Bon dinner 8.6 out of 10. Lidl achieved increased sales of 6.71% compared to the previous year. The campaign effectively proved that Lidl's low-price food lives up to the very highest of standards, changing public perception in Sweden. The campaign also created social media buzz with #lebon2015 trending on Twitter.
8.6 of 10
guest rating of dinner
+6.71%
increased sales
#lebon2015
trending on Twitter
Strategy Technique
Flip the Conventional Wisdom
Lidl directly confronted the widespread belief that its discount food lacked quality. By demonstrating its ingredients could create a Nobel-level meal, it flipped this negative perception.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Crash Someone Else's Party
Lidl directly mirrored the prestigious Nobel Banquet, creating a parallel event to challenge perceptions. This allowed them to leverage the Nobel's grandeur while showcasing their own product.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
This campaign's craft excels in its audacious strategic idea and the meticulous, large-scale execution of a live experiential event, demonstrating brand value through a direct, compelling comparison.
The meticulous 1:1 replica of the prestigious Nobel banquet hall, from the decor to the table settings and food presentation, was essential for the campaign's credibility and impact.
The flawless orchestration of a complex live event for 1300 guests, mirroring every detail of the Nobel dinner's service, atmosphere, and culinary standards, created a powerful immersive experience.
The campaign's success stems from the seamless synergy between the audacious, disruptive idea, its meticulous physical realization through production and experiential design, and the strategic media placement that maximized its confrontational impact.
