Farewell, fakta - The rebranding of coop 365discount
Author
Hansen, Søren Sommer
Term
4. term
Publication year
2023
Submitted on
2023-11-06
Pages
55
Abstract
In 2022, Coop Denmark rebranded its Fakta supermarkets as Coop 365discount. Beyond new colors and marketing, the chain was reorganized to emphasize discount and a greener identity. Because similar Danish case studies were scarce, we used an exploratory design. We interviewed the chain’s chief strategist and 40 customers at several 365 stores in Zealand and Jutland. After a thematic analysis, we examined the rollout through Actor-Network Theory (ANT), a framework that looks at how people, technologies and organizations connect in networks, with a special focus on communication around the change. Customers generally accepted the rebrand, but they did not accept 365’s positioning as both affordable and sustainable. A major, recurring concern was insufficient stock. In discussion, using the ANT lens, we argue that 365 should begin a new problematization phase to avoid ongoing adjustments to price perception and market position, and we outline an Obligatory Passage Point, that is, a single must-pass checkpoint to align actions and messages. We reflect on the implications, suggest directions for further research, and propose how studies in Information Studies using prototyping could test solutions to reduce risks to user loyalty. We also point to alternative perspectives from Communication Studies and Charles Sanders Peirce's semiotic concepts of decisigns and co-localisation.
I 2022 omdøbte Coop Danmark supermarkedskæden Fakta til Coop 365discount. Ud over nye farver og markedsføring blev kæden omlagt for at fokusere på discount og en grønnere identitet. Fordi der mangler lignende danske casestudier, valgte vi en eksplorativ tilgang. Vi interviewede kædens chefstrateg og 40 kunder i flere 365-butikker på Sjælland og i Jylland. Efter en tematisk analyse undersøgte vi implementeringen med Aktør-netværksteori (ANT), en ramme der ser på, hvordan mennesker, teknologier og organisationer hænger sammen i netværk, med særligt fokus på kommunikationen omkring ændringerne. Kunderne accepterede generelt rebrandingen, men accepterede ikke 365's positionering som både billig og bæredygtig. Et gennemgående problem var utilstrækkeligt varelager. I diskussionen, med ANT-briller, konkluderer vi, at 365 bør starte en ny problematiseringsfase for at undgå løbende korrektioner af prisopfattelse og positionering, og vi skitserer et obligatorisk passagepunkt, dvs. et samlet tjekpunkt, som alle initiativer skal igennem for at sikre sammenhæng. Vi drøfter implikationer, peger på veje til videre forskning, og foreslår, hvordan studier med afsæt i informationsstudier og prototyper kan afprøve løsninger, der reducerer risikoen for svækket brugerloyalitet. Vi peger også på alternative teoretiske vinkler fra kommunikationsstudier og Charles Sanders Peirces semiotiske begreber, herunder decisigns og co-lokalisering.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]