Visa’s Christmas campaign puts the spotlight on independent retailers with personalised billboard adverts now live across the UK.
One of the independent businesses featuring in Visa’s 2019 festive campaign is Stoke Newington Fruit and Veg on Church Street in London, a greengrocer known for its locally sourced produce and eye-catching pavement display of fruit and veg.
Ibrahim Gurgur, shop manager for Stoke Newington Fruit and Veg says:
“You can’t beat locally sourced fruit and veg! We are really proud to offer our local community fresh and seasonal produce all year round but particularly at Christmas as we help people stock up for the festive season.”
“We are delighted to be involved in Visa’s Where You Shop Matters campaign – it has given us a national voice and we hope that our involvement continues to spur support for local communities up and down the country.”
Visa’s Christmas campaign is supporting the UK’s independent retailers for a second year. In a rallying cry to UK shoppers, the campaign is encouraging people to switch their focus from what they are buying to where they are buying, urging shoppers to show their local high streets some love this Christmas and beyond.
The TV advert features 13 real shopkeepers – including a bookseller, greengrocer, antique dealer and café owner – singing Queen’s Somebody to Love. The campaign will put the spotlight on over 150 independent retailers nationwide, including featuring them in personalised adverts on prime city-centre billboards as well as geo-targeted ads on social media.
The campaign also features a nationwide competition inviting shopkeepers from London and beyond to warm up their vocal cords and recreate Visa’s Christmas advert to show why ‘Where You Shop Matters’. The winning retailer will see their advert air during a prime-time advertising slot in the run-up to Christmas for millions to see.
Research commissioned by Visa* found that three quarters of consumers in London (78%) say that shopping locally makes them feel happy, with a third (36%) citing supporting local shops and knowing where their money is going as the main reason.
Spending time with friends and family (23%) and offering a sense of community (26%) were other reasons cited for why high streets make people happier. The research also reveals that half of consumers in London (54%) say their high street gives them a sense of pride in their local community. Independent retailers in the city echo this positive sentiment with 77% feeling optimistic about the future of their high street, up from 58% over the last year.
