Lidl

How do you surprise people about a brand they think they already know?

Lidl set out to challenge a persistent perception problem: widely seen as cheap, but not always recognised for the quality, range, and thinking behind the brand — particularly during Christmas, when shoppers often trade up to more premium supermarkets. A series of integrated, social-first campaigns focused on surprising people into reappraisal, allowing experience, participation, and behaviour to change perception.

Mussel Beach brought provenance and quality to life through a playful, immersive exhibition that transported elements of the Isle of Mull to London, encouraging discovery, sharing, and cultural conversation. The event sold out on YPlan two days in advance, with around 1,000 people visiting the space, and the content generated around six million impressions.

Alongside this, a social content refresh re-energised #LidlSurprises, while a social-led Christmas campaign, Lidl Social Price Drop, handed pricing power directly to shoppers — using live social conversation to dynamically reduce the price of key festive products in real time. The campaign generated over 25 million impressions and 1 million engagements, surpassed Lidl’s closest competitor in total social conversation for the first time, and was credited by The Guardian as contributing to a 10% year-on-year increase in Christmas sales.

Together, these campaigns helped shift perception, steal market share, and prove that value and quality are not opposites.