by the way... creativity is no guarantee for clarity

Denner stole the heart in its latest campaign in «20 Minuten» (m&k reported) - symbolically and literally at the same time. Denner booked the front page - all in Denner red - and shows a picture of a staged surveillance video of the red heart being stolen from the Lidl logo and taken to Denner. «The Swiss heart is now back where it belongs,» is the message. A clever idea that made the headlines and inspired the creative scene. But how does it actually go down with people?

Using the «Advertising Test» tool on management tools' market research platform deeptrue.com, we examined the impact of the campaign on two groups: Gen Z and people over 30. The results show an interesting tension between attention and understanding.

The story was well received by Gen Z - the heart, the theft, Switzerland - but without the prominent red front page of 20 Minuten, it remains unclear who is «actually» advertising here - the sender is often understood to be Lidl. Others found the idea „funny, but pointless“. Nonetheless, Gen Z likes the campaign more than the target group over 30 and the uniqueness is perceived more often:

The picture was also mixed among the older target group. The storyline was correctly identified more often than with Gen Z («The heart was stolen and taken to Denner»), but the wow effect did not materialize. Some found the ad appealing, others found it exaggerated or irrelevant. On the positive side, many liked the «Swiss heart» motif in principle - but without making a clear connection to the Denner brand.

Attention - but no assignment

In summary, the campaign has achieved what every brand wants: attention. But it did not achieve what brands need: Attribution. If people don't understand exactly who the message comes from, creative provocation quickly turns into communicative self-disconnection.

This does not mean that the idea was wrong. On the contrary: the playful approach to a strong symbol like the heart has great potential. But it needs more context and less staging. Brands can and should be provocative - but they should not lose sight of themselves in the process.

Content must be provided

Perhaps this is precisely Denner's opportunity: not only to steal the heart, but also to fill it with content. For example, with real stories about Swiss producers, employees, origins - in other words, what actually makes this heart beat.

By the way ... sometimes it's not enough just to have a heart - you also have to know what it beats for.

Laura Colledani and Klaus Ammon have more than 40 years of combined experience in consumer research and marketing research. Over the years, they have developed a keen sense of what moves people - even beyond the numbers. Both authors advocate a communication culture that listens before it broadcasts. With the new approach of consumer listening management tools, they want to support marketing managers in not only questioning consumers in the traditional way, but also entering into a genuine relationship with them.