By Jamie White – Head of Communications

Discount supermarket chain Lidl has announced it is stopping its door-to-door promotional leaflet drops in favour of a £20 million TV and social media campaign.

The retailer plans to invest the sum over the next six months on the campaign, which will aim to get shoppers spreading the word about their love of the German discounter via social media under the #Lidlsurprises banner.

Lidl hopes images of happy shoppers picking up high-end items such as champagne, steak and cheese will be beamed into people’s homes.

Lidl’s UK Managing Director, Ronny Gottschlich, said: “We’ve been really German in the way we are dropping leaflets through letter boxes saying ‘you have to read this and see our prices and come and shop’ … We needed to change to become more of a British retailer not just by what we offer and our quality and price perception but how we engage with our customers.”

Starting in cinemas before spreading to ITV 1 from September 4th, the campaign will dovetail with a series of online adverts.

Lidl’s use of TV and social media brings it in line with many of its UK competitors, which also use TV and online advertising, rather than house-to-house leafleting.

Mystery shopping and performance improvement company, Douglas Stafford, provides a range of bespoke Telephone Mystery Shopping, Email Mystery Shopping, Report-Based Mystery Shopping and Video Mystery Shopping programmes to clients in a variety of industries, including retail.