Netflidlix

With a cleverly crafted video clip full of references to cult series and jabs at the competition, Lidl initiates the next round of the discount store advertising battle – and sets the bar quite high.

Serial References

” House of Small Money” is the title of the 2-minute “Netflidlix” production, in which a desperate consortium of Aldi, Penny, and Edeka managers unsuccessfully try to uncover the secret behind Lidl’s low prices. An undercover agent, sporting an “Atomic Blonde” look, is infiltrated into Lidl as an employee. When she realizes that there is no dirty secret at Lidl, her own people try to silence her. She is then protected by “Mistkerl Robert,” who bears a strong resemblance to the series hero “Mr. Robot” from the USA Network. The consortium is left with no choice but to surrender. While the Edeka manager, in reference to the Netflix series “Dark,” wants to travel back in time to a period before the Lidl prices existed, the Penny representative, with her son blindfolded in “Bird Box” style, escapes in a rowboat to avoid seeing the Lidl prices anymore. Not without being confronted by her son, who looks like he came straight out of “Stranger Things,” with delicious Lidl egg waffles.

Finest Competition Bashing

Even without knowing the series and film productions of Netflix & Co., the clip is a lot of fun, not least because of the ironic jabs at the competition. For example, in the form of the doppelganger of former Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche (now on the advisory board of Aldi Süd), who laments that people hate Aldi’s rap video. (Which isn’t really true – with almost five million views, Aldi’s rap video even topped the YouTube charts in August.) In the Lidl clip, the Edeka manager informs the fake Zetsche that he too didn’t find the rap video “super cool.” Although Lidl, similarly as it did in the summer with its campaign, is targeting the entire competition yet again, the main opponent of the current clip is definitely Aldi.

Discount Store Battle

The attention-grabbing verbal sparring between the two price giants has now become an exciting battle on social networks. So, the social media community had great fun with the aforementioned rap video by Aldi just last summer, in which the discounter portrayed itself as the “Inventor of Bargains” through the rhymes of a Rastafarian rapper. It took only a few days for Lidl to counter with a rap of its own, featuring a Rastafarian doppelganger, with the message that only those who are cheapest today count. Mutual guerrilla actions to sabotage real-life events are now also part of the discount store duel. Three years ago, Lidl attacked Aldi’s brand offensive with the campaign “You have the choice.”

Enthusiastic Community

One can be very curious about how Aldi will counter the “House of Small Money” – the bar is certainly set high. In any case, the social media community is already euphoric about the Lidl video one day after its release. The video post on the Lidl Facebook page garnered 2,626 likes and 1,376 comments within 24 hours of its release – after the weekend, these numbers grew to 12,689 likes and 5,462 comments. Comments such as “very Oscar-worthy advertising, hats off” can be found there. Another Facebook user states, “We can now turn off the internet – Lidl has won.” Apparently, the majority of social media users are indeed following the discount store advertising battle.

Customers & Brand Ambassadors

Moreover, the advertising messages seem to be resonating. For example, one user commented on the Facebook post with the following words: “Great praise to your marketing department right now! I’m really impressed. I haven’t gone to Lidl for many years (I admit), but now I’m a real fan.” And as true fans should, they also show their allegiance outwardly. It seems that it is especially the yellow and blue Lidl sneakers, which the “Atomic Blonde” agent wears at the beginning of her undercover mission, that have captivated the community. “The shoes are simply awesome. I would buy them immediately,” declares one user, while another posts a photo of a Lidl jacket and Lidl mug and pleads, “I urgently need those shoes for my LIDL collection!” So, Aldi, quickly bring out the Aldiletten and brief the relevant agency!