Social media campaign publicity creates incentive for supermarkets

Posted by AFN Staff Writers on 17th July 2013

Australian social enterprise Thankyou has launched a social media campaign in a push to get supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths to stock its products, including its new range of body care and food products.

Thankyou, formerly known as Thankyou Water, said if Coles and Woolworths were to stock its products, it would potentially “help millions of people around the world”. The social enterprise was founded in 2008 by university students to sell a bottled water product in order to generate funds to implement safe water solutions in developing nations.

The Organisation has launched its new body care and food products with a short video, which explains the development of the new products, and asks viewers to use social media to help Thankyou make its case to the supermarkets.

Thankyou said it has booked meetings with both Coles and Woolworths to show the benefits of stocking the Thankyou range.

“We’re going to explain not only the positive effect stocking our products would have on their bottom line, but also the tremendous impact it would have on the broader global community,” said Daniel Flynn, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Thankyou.

“If they say ‘yes’, Thankyou, in partnership with Coles and Woolworths, could go from helping 56,000 people, to millions in the developing world,” Mr Flynn said.

The new Thankyou range consists of:

  • Thankyou Water: Still Water 600ml or 1.5L, and Lightly Sparkling 500ml
  • Thankyou Food: Premium Muesli, Muesli Bars, Quick Oats and Rolled Oats
  • Thankyou Body Care: Botanical Hand Wash, Hand Lotion and Hand Sanitiser

Thankyou said every bottle of its water sold “provides at least one month’s worth of safe water to someone in need”, while funds generated from the sale of Thankyou Food products contribute to food aid, and Thankyou Body Care to health and hygiene training.

“We think that if Coles and Woolworths knew Australians were prepared to buy our range, the two biggest retailers would love to stock Thankyou. The key is showing them that the demand is there,” Mr Flynn said.

Thankyou said the development of this range, as well as the planning of the launch, had been 15 months in the making.

“Water isn’t the only issue. We’ve seen the need for solutions to other huge problems like malnutrition, lack of food security and low understanding of health and hygiene,” Mr Flynn said. “In launching these two new product lines, we want to involve Australians in being part of the solution – through a simple choice in their everyday lives,” he said.

The video for the campaign can be viewed here: Thankyou Coles and Woolworths campaign

Social enterprise Thankyou wants to see their products in Coles and Woolworths