Felleskjopet is a cooperation made up of 40.000 Norwegian farmers. They have stores across Norway, selling everything from tractors to farming tools to green plants to pet food. Most people think about Felleskjopet as a place limited to farming professionals only, but that is not the case. Felleskjopet stores are for everyone. So, to communicate this, we wanted to engage people through a subject that was both relevant and topical for every citizen in Norway.

The sales objective was clear: Increase sales from regular urban consumers and decrease the notion that Felleskjopet is limited to farmers and professionals only. By achieving this we would move important brand objectives such as “Innovative” and “Forward-looking”.

The greater goal was to influence those in power to prioritize food security and grant funds to Norwegian farmers.

To tackle the self-sufficiency issue head on, Felleskjopet together with Norwegian farmers, decided to gift to the whole population the knowledge on how to become self-sufficient in potatoes. We turned rooftops, backyards and windowsills in the city into arable land so that everyone could be a part of solving Norway’s food crisis. 6000 seed potatoes were distributed during this first campaign. Resulting in 6 tons of homegrown potatoes in return.

The funny thing about potatoes is that one can become a lot more. So, after the harvesting, our DM regenerated! This time we distributed these potatoes from the first urban crops to local restaurants and food markets. They ended up on menus and in shop shelves, where the label showed which local urban farmer the potatoes came from. Tasty and tangible proofs of how simple the solution to self-sufficiency can be, inspiring more and more people to join the cause.

Felleskjopet wanted people to know that they are for everyone, not just farmers. In order to achieve this, we chose to highlight the problem of national food security, and how simple it is to fix the problem if everyone engages with it. Putin’s war and the role of Ukraine as Europe’s breadbasket provided a cultural context to the solution that would help the message to cut through and provide an urgency for people to act on the DM immediately.

Since farmers’ knowledge of growing food is more precious than ever – Felleskjopet and Norwegian farmers decided to make their knowledge open source. Giving non-farmers a chance to become a part of the solution by turning their rooftops, backyards and windowsills into arable land.

By putting Felleskjopet at the center of this movement, we aimed to move perception of Felleskjopet being for farming-specialist only, to being for everyone.

Felleskjopet and Norwegian farmers distributed seed potatoes together with the recipe on how to grow potatoes in cities, to apartment buildings and in every Felleskjopet store across Norway. The campaign took place outdoor in the capitol of Norway, in mailboxes in the big cities, in national newspapers, digital and social media. It launched 5th of May and lasted to the last potato was harvested on September 10th.

The initiative spanned over summer from 6000 seed potatoes was distributed during spring to the crops was harvested 100 days later in the fall.

Samples from urban potato crops was then sent out to chefs and managers at local restaurants and food markets. Some of these urban crops managed to end up on menus and in shelves around the city, becoming tasty and tangible proofs to inspire more urban citizens to join the cause.

6000 seed potatoes may be little when it comes to a nation’s self-sufficiency rate. But in terms of impact for the cause and the brand, “The Regenerative Ad” made a real difference. The initiative earned 7 million impressions (in a country with 5,4 million people) and literally ended up on the Norwegian Minister of Finance’s plate.

The following winter the Norwegian Government laid out a plan to increase Norway’s self-sufficiency rate by 10%.

Sales:

90% increase in online sales (compared to same period last year)

38 % increase in earnings (compared to same period last year)

Response rate:

6000 seed potatoes received

Attention:

31 unique articles

7 million impressions (Meta)

211.530 EUR unpaid media

Brand:

Future minded +18%

Innovative +16%

For everyone +9%

‘Only for farmers’ -9% (important to keep low for the brand)

Behaviour:

72% of Norwegians now agrees that we must grow more of our own food.