Penny - Price Packs
Penny, a German discount grocer, tasked Serviceplan with reinforcing its commitment to affordability and distinguishing itself from competitors like Aldi and Lidl. The objective was to build trust with shoppers seeking reliable, low-priced groceries amidst the cost of living crisis, ensuring Penny was perceived as a consistent source of value.
Creative Idea
Penny printed product prices directly onto packaging, making affordability undeniable.
Penny, a German discount grocer, printed product prices directly onto own-brand packaging for staple items like bread and chips, visually reinforcing its commitment to consistent affordability and building trust with shoppers amidst the cost of living crisis, distinguishing itself from competitors.
The Packaging That Defied Dynamic Pricing
A Physical Guarantee Against Inflation
The production of Price Packs relied on a strategic "irrevocable" promise. Because food packaging requires months of lead time for design, printing, and logistics, printing the price directly on the bag served as a physical guarantee that costs would remain frozen. This move directly countered the consumer frustration with dynamic pricing and AI-driven algorithms. By using "analog" fixed prices, Penny built radical trust, turning a negative economic reality into a minimalist aesthetic. The design utilized Penny’s signature Akko Black font for maximum legibility, while the color palette of yellow, blue, and red was chosen to align with category conventions - such as yellow for toast and blue for oats - rather than the brand's own corporate red.
Record Sales and Strategic Shelf Placement
The campaign’s impact was immediate, resulting in Penny’s best month of sales ever. Within the first four weeks, over 1.4 million Price Pack products were sold, with staples like toast and chips selling out in the first seven days. A key "sneaky" tactic involved placing these items directly next to expensive name-brand competitors. This created an instant visual price comparison without the need for additional copy. The initiative generated between 120 million and 190 million in earned media value and maintained a 94% positive customer feedback rating.
Turning Products into Media
Led by Till Diestel (CCO, Serviceplan Germany) and Dr. Jan Flemming (CMO, Penny), the project transformed the product itself into the primary advertising channel. The media strategy extended to dynamic OOH, where digital billboards were programmed to shift based on the time of day - promoting breakfast staples like oats in the morning and snacks like chips in the evening. This approach allowed Penny to promote both price and product simultaneously, a feat Diestel noted is often a binary choice in retail marketing.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
Penny, as a discount grocer, credibly offered consistently low prices on essential own-brand products.
Category
Grocery retailers typically display prices on shelves, avoiding direct packaging labels due to frequent price changes.
Customer
Shoppers desired reliable affordability and transparency from grocers, especially amidst economic uncertainty and rising living costs.
Culture
The ongoing cost of living crisis heightened consumer demand for clear value and trusted, affordable grocery options.
Company
Penny, as a discount grocer, credibly offered consistently low prices on essential own-brand products.
Category
Grocery retailers typically display prices on shelves, avoiding direct packaging labels due to frequent price changes.
Strategy:
Reaffirm value leadership by making pricing transparency an undeniable product feature.
Customer
Shoppers desired reliable affordability and transparency from grocers, especially amidst economic uncertainty and rising living costs.
Culture
The ongoing cost of living crisis heightened consumer demand for clear value and trusted, affordable grocery options.
Strategy:
Reaffirm value leadership by making pricing transparency an undeniable product feature.
Results
The campaign generated $120 Million in earned media. Penny saw a +2200% increase in association with price stability. The campaign led to Penny's best-selling month ever. Price Pack products are available in all 2,100 Penny stores across Germany. The price has not changed in 245 Days since the last price change.
$120 Million
earned media
+2200%
association with price stability
#1
best-selling month ever
Strategy Technique
Use Radical Simplicity
Penny stripped away all complexity by doing the simplest possible thing - printing the price directly on the packaging. No apps, no loyalty cards, no promotions. Just the price, right there on the product, as a radical act of transparency and trust during a cost-of-living crisis.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Label
The campaign directly printed product prices onto packaging. This bold labeling strategy visually communicated Penny's commitment to affordability, making price a core part of the product's identity.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
This campaign's craft is exceptional in its groundbreaking design, which boldly transforms a strategic promise into a tangible product design, reinforced by meticulous visual execution.
The specific execution of integrating large, bold, clear price numbers directly into the product packaging design, making them the brand identity, is visually striking, functional, and highly effective.
The overall visual strategy, ensuring the 'Price Pack' aesthetic is consistent and impactful across product packaging and subsequent outdoor advertising, powerfully reinforces the campaign's core message of stability.
The brilliance stems from the seamless synergy where the core idea of price stability is directly embodied through innovative product design, making the price itself the undeniable brand identity.
