Bricks
Woolworths Bricks: Redefining Sustainability in Loyalty Programs
Retailer
Woolworths
Country
Australia
Year
2021
For Woolworths, UNGA went the extra mile to create a sustainable way to play with collectible bricks. Australian families loved their own mini replica of Woolworth’s green supermarket, made out of at least 80% recycled materials.
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Your Woolworths Bricks adventure is about to start!
Building thousands of Woolworths Bricks stores in Australia ?
Woolworths’ Bricks: Redefining Sustainability in Loyalty Programs
With 80% of plastic from Australian households going unrecycled each year, Woolworths has embarked on a quest to tackle the million-dollar question: “How can we reduce plastic waste and promote sustainable living with families and kids?”.
To help Woolworths on their commitment to growing towards a greener future together with families, UNGA experts took on the challenge and designed a collectible campaign to reward Woolworth’s loyal shoppers. But it was not a simple reward. The collectibles had to be all about a sustainable and playful experience for kids and families to learn and grow towards a greener future. We made their wishes come true, brick by brick, with our newest campaign “Woolworths Bricks”.
Discover Woolworths Bricks now!
Building a sustainable future
During their grocery trip at Woolworths stores from September 8th, 2021, Aussie shoppers received one free pack containing a set of bricks for every 30 AUD spent. The lineup consisted of 40 unique brick packs, with up to 6 different bricks in each pack. What bricks items were part of this lineup? Families could get their hands on unique pieces to build the foundation, walls, supermarket aisles and a lot of minis to play within their new brick store. Let’s not forget the super detailed touch from UNGA that made all the brick pieces come together and look as good as the real Woolies supermarket itself!
Because we know that personalization is key, our Woolworths Bricks collection also featured personalized merchandise items to extend the fun beyond the giveaway. Items such as a large truck, a delivery truck, and Woolies team members’ figurines added more playability to the collection of Woolworths Supermarket Bricks.
With this loyalty program, Woolworths created a Brick’s universe for kids and families to collect, learn and play with. Woolworths asked us, and we made it happen: Aussie shoppers also had the opportunity to collect and play with two starter kits: a special kit that provided shoppers with everything they needed to begin their building journey. The Basic kit contained a baseboard and entrance wall, while the Deluxe kit included two full walls and personalized stickers. With all the bricks and starter kits on their hands, it was time to start building and playing with the Woolworths Bricks store.
We’re certified to save the planet!
Woolworths Bricks were made of at least 80% recycled materials such as old fridges, swimming goggles, and luggage handles, making them an innovative creation by UNGA in collaboration with Woolworths.
We not only created innovative bricks, but we made sure their quality and safety were certified before entering Aussie homes. In fact, all of the line-up products went through the strictest safety tests and received a Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) certification. The certificate ensured that the brick collectibles have been independently assessed to meet environmental, human health and social impact requirements.
We’re proud to say that Woolworths Bricks are not only good for families and kids to play, but also for the environment and the planet!
One brick further with TerraCycle ♻️
Even though Woolworths knew families would collect all the possible bricks, the grocery retailer also offered shoppers a recycling solution for their unwanted bricks. During the campaign period, families could drop their bricks at any Woolies store. Thanks to a partnership with TerraCycle the unwanted bricks were recycled and turned into newer items such as park benches and garden beds allowing the recycling cycle to continue while giving something back to the community.
“Explore, Learn, Play.” That’s how we did it!
With the Woolworths Bricks campaign, families and kids enjoyed every little step of opening up their own bricks store: from the excitement of collecting each little brick to putting their bricks together into walls, aisles, and cashiers, to the grand finale: play, play and play. Believe it or not, all done in a sustainable way!
The realistic replica of the supermarket encouraged kids to explore a greener world through solar panels, and electric car charging stations displayed in the mini Woolworths Supermarket. By playing and navigating through the colorful aisles of the Woolworths Bricks Supermarket with free-fruit-for-kids baskets, trolleys, and checkout registers, our shoppers of tomorrow were able to learn more about sustainability, circular economy and also developed mindfulness for their future.
At home, Woolworths Bricks was a great opportunity for families to play together. The bricks collectible also enabled parents to introduce their children to sustainability and show them how green innovations can help protect our planet. That’s how we turned simple brick pieces into door openers for quality family time, including learning and fun!
A massive brick-out among shoppers!
Woolworths Bricks was an instant buzz among Australian shoppers. Even before the campaign started, shoppers were curious about what the grocery retailer would offer them in their next loyalty campaign. But what they could not imagine is that this time, Woolworths would give them brick by brick, a chance to bring their favorite supermarket to their homes. We can’t even count how many Woolworths Bricks stores we opened in Australia in 2021. All thanks to all the Aussie little brick builders!
One day before the official launch, parents were already getting ready to bring the collectibles to their homes. ‘If I can give everyone a warning, it’s to buy all the accessories you need in the first day or two”, shared a mom anticipating the huge success of the bricks campaign. She was right!
The success of the Woolworths Bricks campaign went way beyond the free rewards. The hype around the campaign was so huge that families went absolutely nuts to extend their line-up also with the merchandise items. How could we measure such a success? Well… Let’s start by saying that some of the merchandise items were sold out within days after the campaign launch.
Even then, parents and kids did not give up on getting their brick items. Social media channels became the solution for families to come together, trade, and exchange their brick items, creating a huge online community of brick lovers.
The mysterious rare Brick item
Aussie shoppers were already racing to find all the collectibles to build their bricks supermarket when Woolies hinted about a ‘rare’ Woolworths Bricks item. Imagine the surprise of families when they opened a brick pack and discovered the rare Woolies brick!
The post with the first rare brick item was a huge success on an online group. An Aussie mother shared the picture of the gold shopper with a golden shopping trolley and the special card: “Congratulations. You’ve collected number 462 of 500 rare golden Woolworths customers”. Lucky shoppers managed to extend their collection with one of the 500 rare Brick packs circulating around Australia!
“The Campaign Was Brickin Amazing!”
Woolworths Bricks campaign also got the attention of one of the most relevant loyalty awards in the world, receiving a nomination in two different categories of the International Loyalty Awards 2022:
🏆 Best Eco-Loyalty Initiative
🏆 Best Loyalty Programme Marketing Campaign
“These nominations only reinforce our commitment to grocery retailers around the world, always putting creativity, innovation, and our love for families first.”
– Daniela Molinos, UNGA Marketing Director
Woolworths Bricks was a huge success with shoppers all over Australia, including all generations in the bricks adventure.
About Woolworths
Woolworths is Australia’s largest supermarket chain, operating more than 1,000 stores all over the country. Woolies prides itself on working closely with Australian growers and farmers to ensure the best products are available to customers, aligning with its passion for helping Aussies and their families to eat healthier. This makes Woolworths Australia’s Fresh Food People.
