Tesco
The most senior writer in the business, I built the copywriting function at Tesco from scratch. Officially the Lead Copywriter by title, I often acted as Associate Creative Director for the Creative Lead (Creative Director). Since its inception as a 4-strong creative team, I helped to develop this core unit into the dynamic in-house creative agency of 26. In this role, I co-led the strategic response to multiple creative briefs for all touchpoints.
Owner of Tesco’s content style guide, and lead brand guardian for the tone of voice, I was also the author of major seasonal guidelines and TOV playbooks. Throughout my tenure, I worked closely with designers and campaign managers to create engaging press ads, emails, social posts, digital banners, and everything in between.
TOV & content style guide
Leading the copy function at Tesco, part of my remit was to train others how to use the Tesco tone of voice. Our content style guide, which I managed and curated, was an essential resource to help do this.
It wasn’t just about making sure we say and spell everything consistently; it was about being a brand guardian – living and breathing the TOV, and making sure everyone followed it.
Brand language & TOV training
I sent out regular TOV training emails to the whole ’Customer’ team (Marketing, Insight, Brand and Proposition, Membership and Loyalty) which is around 450 Tesco colleagues.
Entitled ‘Top tips to be tip-top’, they were intended to be a humorous, helpful and irreverent way of getting colleagues across the business to use our TOV at every opportunity in their everyday work.
Clubcard app
Campaign to drive downloads of the Clubcard app by replacing the physical card in customers’ wallets. Built around the simple idea that if you have your phone, you’ll never miss out on Clubcard prices again.
Tesco centenary
Copy supporting Tesco’s 100-year milestone, reflecting on the brand’s history while keeping the focus on customers and everyday life — rather than corporate self-congratulation.
In 2019, Tesco celebrated its centenary year. Featuring various iconic personas over the decades, I created a number of variations around the central concept of ‘great value’ over the years.
Lost vouchers
A multi-channel campaign encouraging customers to reclaim more than £10 million in unused Clubcard vouchers. Rolled out nationally across press, smartscreens, email, social and in-store messaging, balancing clarity with location-specific humour to prompt action.
Mother & Baby Awards
Press advertising celebrating Tesco products shortlisted for the Mother & Baby Awards. Straightforward, confident copy – with a dose of humorous wordplay – designed to reassure and connect with new parents without over-claiming or gimmicks.
Pride
Tesco is the biggest sponsor of the Pride event in London. Every year, they have a float, and colleagues are encouraged to go and enjoy the day. We created the flyer to be sent out to our C-suite, encouraging them to join in the fun too. Even this type of message can have fun and personality injected into it.
Centre spread
We had a double page spread in Attitude – the UK’s leading gay lifestyle magazine – during Pride week. The brief was to promote Tesco as an inclusive place to work.
Smartscreens & digital display
Smartscreens outside stores must grab shoppers’ attention in less than 2 seconds.
The first one – part of the Weekly Little Helps value campaign – steers them towards the frozen aisle.
The second advertises our new partnership with super-fast delivery service “Gorillas”, where customers get their groceries within 10 minutes.
Euro 2020
Co-led the creative response for this reactive comms during the Euros, when England went through to play Italy. I’d have been prouder if we’d won – but I’m still proud of this.
Tokyo Olympics
I led the creative response for two Olympics-themed executions.
The first for Team GB prior to the games starting. The second to congratulate Tom Daley and Matty Lee for their Olympic gold in the diving.
Ultimately, neither were used due to restrictions regarding the adaption of our logo, but they received as warm appreciation as our Olympians.
The Queen’s Christmas pudding
We knew that the red-tops were going to run a story about the Queen gifting Tesco Finest Christmas puddings to her staff.
So within a matter of hours, we produced this full-page ad to go alongside it.
Harry and Meghan’s Food Love Story
An overnight reactive ad responding to the announcement of Harry and Meghan’s engagement. The Food Love Stories campaign focussed on shared food moments as the foundation of any great love story, so we used the campaign platform to react to a key cultural moment.
Direct mail
The brochures and direct mail Tesco send out goes to millions of households across the UK.
This one was 16 pages long and needed to encourage customers to maximise the use of their Clubcard vouchers at every point, whatever they want to use them for.
CEO crisis comms
There have been few situations more serious than COVID-19 that have affected the whole country. I frequently wrote the customer communications for Tesco’s UK CEO, Jason Tarry (and previously Dave Lewis, Group CEO).
This email went to more than 12 million people.
(I also created ‘Let’s be on the safe side’ which reflected the change in COVID guidelines – a line that appeared on every door of every store and in multiple other locations across the Tesco estate.)
And finally…
A rival supermarket created an ad featuring a lemon crudely balanced on top of a pear, with the Bon Jovi lyric, ‘Whoa, we’re halfway there, whoa…’ (..lemon on a pear). So in the spirit of inter-supermarket banter, I created these, also based on ‘80s song lyrics. Sadly, other campaigns had to take priority and they weren’t used. To this day, I’m gutted…but at least it shows that even corporate behemoths can have personality.
