Coop: How we use data to take back our position

In the middle of all this, Coop, one of Sweden's most well-known brands, faces the challenge of both defending market share here and now and building a stronger brand for the future. During the Nepa Breakfast Session, Johan Öhlin, Head of Marketing at Coop Sverige, shared how they use data and a shared measurement framework as their compass on that journey.

From "we'll solve this in a year" – to a three-year plan

When Johan stepped in at Coop as an interim head of marketing, the ambition was bold: within a year, they would get a handle on:

• Visual identity
• Communication concept
• Media strategy based on modeling and data

In practice, it took five years to get all the pieces in place. What dragged out the timeline wasn't the idea generation – it was:

• Building internal trust to invest long-term in the brand.
• Securing budget for a proper brand platform, a new communication concept, and a robust measurement framework.
• Establishing a shared language and a pedagogy for how everything fits together.

The takeaway: in a complex organization with cooperative associations, a store network, and many decision-makers, patience and perseverance are at least as important as good ad ideas.

When the brand gets focus – and when price takes over

One of the clearest charts in Coop's case shows how consideration has evolved over time:

• During 2024, Coop invested more in brand-driven communication.
• Despite logistics problems and occasionally empty shelves, they managed to raise preference significantly – in a context where a lot was working against it.
• The graph clearly shows how consideration and preference rise when the brand is in focus.

Heading into 2025, the conditions changed. The budget shifted more toward:

• Price campaigns
• Tactical messaging
• Short-term volume chasing

The effect didn't take long to show: consideration and preference began to fall. When the brand no longer got space in the communication, Coop became more vulnerable – particularly in comparison with the low-price players.

"Because if you don't charge a brand, if you don't have a clear position, you end up competing on price. And if you end up competing on price and you're not the cheapest, then you get seen as expensive." – Johan Öhlin, Coop

MMM, tracking, and campaign measurements as compass

To navigate this reality, Coop has, together with Nepa, built a cohesive measurement framework. It consists of three main parts:

1. Brand tracking
   • Tracks the development of consideration, preference, associations, and trust.
   • Shows how the brand's strength changes over time and across regions.
2. Campaign measurements (pre/post)
   • Pre-tests help assess the potential of creative ideas before they go live.
   • Post-tests measure impact, recognition, and brand effects after campaigns.
3. MMM (Marketing Mix Modeling)
   • Connects all media investment (centrally and locally purchased) with actual sales data.
   • Answers questions like:
     • Which channels drive short-term sales?
     • Which units and campaigns build the most brand equity?
     • How much share of voice do we need to hold or take market share?

The framework runs throughout the year with a clear annual cycle:

• Q1: Trend reports and the latest results are used as input for budget and strategy.
• Q2: Always-on dashboards plus on-demand support and advisory.
• Q3: In-depth campaign evaluations on prioritized campaigns.
• Q4: Full "360" review as input to the coming year's budget and strategy process.

This way, measurement becomes not a side track, but the very basis for how Coop plans, allocates, and follows up on its investments.

Creating a shared language – from boardroom to shop floor

A recurring theme in Johan's story was pedagogy. Having data isn't enough – the organization also has to understand it and want to use it.

A few keys that were highlighted:

• Building a clear narrative that ties together:
  • Trust and brand position
  • Customer satisfaction (NKI)
  • Market share and sales
• Using the same nomenclature across the whole organization:
  • The same definitions of KPIs
  • The same charts and graphs over time
  • The same logic in how you talk about brand and tactics
• Letting the MMM model become actual decision support:
  • It forms the basis for budget discussions.
  • It's used by marketing, sales, the CEO, and the board.
  • Local associations can see how their marketing performs within the same framework.

This has taken years to build up, but once it's in place, the effect is powerful: the discussion moves from opinion ("I like this film better") to business decisions ("this type of execution drives both brand and sales – that one doesn't").

What is a "winning 2026" for Coop?

When Johan was asked what a successful 2026 looks like, the answer was clear:

• Turn the curve upward with the help of:
  • A clearer brand position
  • A more balanced mix between brand and price/tactics
  • An updated visual identity and new brand executions that last over time.

What matters most are a few key KPIs:

• Market share
• Consideration & preference
• Customer satisfaction (NKI)

Behind them sits the data-driven engine: brand tracking, campaign measurements, and MMM – used consistently rather than in one-offs.

"When you see these numbers, it's absolutely incredible that preference is up – and then you think: perfect, now we go into next year and we should push even more." – Johan Öhlin

5 takeaways you can bring back to your own organization

1. Be clear about which position you want to own – before you optimize tactics. Trying to be "everything to everyone" almost always ends in price competition.
2. Build a measurement framework everyone can understand. Better a few KPIs that everyone owns than a dozen only the analytics department ever sees.
3. Integrate MMM and tracking into the budget process – not as an appendix. When the model becomes the basis for how money is allocated, it gets taken seriously.
4. Use the data to be creatively bold. Insights shouldn't just tell you what's working today – they should give you a mandate to take bold steps without losing recognition.
5. Think three years, not three months. Just as Coop has learned: it takes time to build trust, but also to turn around a brand that has long lived on price.

Want to know more?

If you're curious about how Nepa can help you work more data-drivenly with brand, campaigns, and media investments – contact us.

Published on: 25TH MAY 2026