The Co-operative Group has extended its partnership with dentsu-owned media agency Carat for a further two years following a closed review.
Dentsu was first bought onboard as a strategic partner in 2018, when the group secured the media giant to look after the media contract across Co-op Food, Funeralcare and Insurance.
In the five years since then, media agency Carat has played an integral part in delivering outstanding campaigns which resonate with UK audiences, such as Funeralcare’s Channel 4 social-first collaboration ‘Celebrity Send-off’, starring Happy Mondays and Celebrity Gogglebox stars Shaun Ryder and Bez.
The Co-op Group also recently launched new brand platform ‘Owned by You, Right by You’, created by VCCP to highlight the social and financial benefits of the co-operative business model. Carat will continue working with the group on this campaign.
“We are excited to continue our partnership with dentsu, to help us achieve our vision of ‘cooperating to build more value for our member-owners every day’,” said chief membership and customer officer Kenyatte Nelson.
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“[Its] innovative approach, top talent and dedication to excellence have been instrumental in growing our successful relationship.
“We are looking forward to building on this strong foundation and shared values, to explore together new ways to connect with our audiences and drive positive change.”
As part of the partnership, dentsu has also partnered with the Co-op Media Network, giving the agency access to Co-op member and customer data, giving it further insights into key shopping behaviours.
The two groups also share a commitment to equal opportunity and youth skills development across the UK, with dentsu supporting Co-op Academies via its youth skills program, The Code. The programme has seen the agency mentoring students, guiding them towards potential careers in advertising and media before recruiting them to work within the team.
Carat chief client officed Matthew Landeman stated, “At Carat, we are guided by dentsu’s Sanpo Yoshi philosophy – good for people, good for society, and good for business.
“In the Co-operative Group, we know we have a partner who not only shares our values but also our commitment to excellence and industry leadership. Together, we are looking forwards to driving innovation, transformational change, and creating meaningful connections with current and new member-owners”
