Background and Context

For Makro, a supermarket chain in Colombia that strives to bring savings to homes, and small businesses, fruits and vegetables represent one of the most significant categories in the business. It carries one of the brand's most robust offerings, increasing visit frequency to the shops, and encouraging the purchase of other products.

However, fruits and vegetables in supermarkets face a harsh reality. They represent 40% of food waste in the country, with retailers being responsible for 20% of the waste in the entire food chain. As perishable foods, once they ripen and are not bought, they are disposed of.

How can Makro address this pressing issue while remaining steadfast in its commitment to Colombian households' savings?

Creative Challenge

The fact that a fruit or vegetable is ripe does not necessarily mean that it is damaged.

According to studies made by the brand people tend to avoid buying and consuming ripe fruits or vegetables due to preconceptions they hold about other foods. Unlike dairy products or meats, the ripeness of a fruit or vegetable does not render it unfit for human consumption. Rather, it indicates changes in beneficial attributes such as aroma, sugar levels, or nutrients throughout the ripening cycle.

Solution

Our strategy was to show people that fruits and vegetables can be utilized at any stage of ripeness, thereby saving money.

Makro's primary audience, the 'savings-conscious', is always seeking opportunities to demonstrate their resourcefulness and ingenuity in making efficient use of their finances and resources.

Makro has chosen to redefine the ripeness of fruits, reframing it not as a signal for disposal, but as an opportunity to consume them differently and leverage the nutrients and benefits present at each stage of their ripening cycle.

By doing so, consumers can create preparations that accommodate the varying durations fruits and vegetables spend in supermarkets and Colombian households' refrigerators, thus extending their shelf life.

Creative Execution

The idea: a new use for fruit stickers

Makro utilized something that has always been present on fruits and vegetables in the country: stickers. However, it gave them a new purpose - to help prevent food wastage based on appearance. These stickers suggested recipes that could be prepared with the fruits and vegetables, depending on their ripeness.

Five types of Life Saving Stickers were created for the fruits and vegetables that are most wasted in Colombia, according to the National Planning Department (NPD): tomato, banana, avocado, mango, and papaya. They were printed on biodegradable material using ecological inks and gentle adhesive, maintaining their traditional size of 2.7 cm.

Setting the stage:

Inside the stores, we placed communication that directed people to the fruit and vegetable section, encouraging them to buy and consume produce at different stages of ripeness, while also providing recipes for each stage.

Getting the news out:

With a limited budget, we utilized the brand’s social networks to amplify the initiative through both organic and paid posts. People not only discovered additional recipes but also shared their recreations under the hashtag #StickerSalvavidasMakro.