THE OVERVIEW
Hemköp
CLIENT
HEMKÖP
HEMKÖP
INDUSTRY
Grocery retail
Grocery retail
SOLUTIONS
Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM),Brand Asset Study
Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM),Brand Asset Study
THE CHALLENGE
Hemköp’s Strategic Transformation with Nepa
Background
In a category dominated by giants and lookalike advertising, Hemköp stands out as a challenger. While over 90% of Swedes recognized the Hemköp brand, few could articulate what it stood for or why they should shop there. Campaign tracking revealed that Hemköp’s communication was often confused with competitors, sometimes even building their brands rather than Hemköp’s own. With a market share of around 6% and far fewer resources than the largest players—who are among Sweden’s top media spenders—Hemköp couldn’t afford to waste a single impression. Every investment had to work harder and smarter.
Challenge
Hemköp’s main challenge was to break free from the “sea of sameness” in grocery retail communications. Early campaign measurements showed low brand attribution, with many consumers believing Hemköp’s ads came from competitors. This meant Hemköp was inadvertently building other brands with its own budget. The team realized they needed to own their brand communication and make it unmistakably Hemköp.
The solution
Brave decisions, clear direction:
Step 1: Courage to Face the Truth
In 2019, Hemköp brought all strategic brand work in-house, gaining control over everything from major ad productions to weekly content. The new concept focused on taking the audience “home to the kitchen”—using well-known food personalities to inspire and help solve everyday meal situations, rather than focusing on price and product in-store like competitors.
Step 2: Courage to Refine
After an initial improvement, results plateaued. To dig deeper, Hemköp partnered with Nepa to conduct a Brand Asset study. This analysis revealed that while the logo was strong, the color palette overlapped with ICA and Willys. By combining red and pink, Hemköp created a unique visual identity and made all external communication more consistent. The logo became more prominent, and brand cues were used across all channels. A simple escalator ad in the Stockholm subway became one of Hemköp’s most effective units.
Step 3: Courage to Start Over
As the market shifted (e.g., inflation and price sensitivity), Hemköp adapted again—moving from 3–4 unique films per year to a recurring film for greater recognition, and shifting media strategy toward more continuous presence and increased brand-building investment. The first measurements after these changes showed immediate improvements, and a Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) analysis—conducted with Nepa—confirmed that successive, data-driven improvements had a greater impact than quick fixes.
Nepa products and methods used in the case:
- Brand Asset Study (to identify and strengthen distinctive brand assets)
- Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) (to optimize investments between brand-building and sales-driving activities)
Note: While Hemköp continuously tracks campaign and brand performance, brand tracking itself is not delivered by Nepa, but Nepa’s analytics and insight tools have been key to the strategic process.
THE RESULT
Lift in brand attribution, ad liking, preference & purchase intent
Hemköp’s brand is now more clearly differentiated, and the changes have driven both brand perception and sales. The NPS has increased, and more customers visit Hemköp every day.
Results
- +36% brand attribution
- +29% ad liking
- +19% preference
- +8% purchase intent
“Recognizing when something isn’t working can be tough, but it’s essential for real progress. By leveraging the insights from the Brand Asset study and MMM analysis together with Nepa, we were able to rethink our media strategy, allocate more budget to brand-building, and shift from sporadic campaigns to a more continuous presence. The positive results came quickly, which gave us the confidence to keep building on this approach”
Camilla Austad, Head of Brand, Hemköp
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Blue chip clients worked with annually
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Brands and campaigns tracked daily
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