Co-op, in partnership with dentsu label Carat UK and Platform Media has unveiled its new ‘Pop to Co-op’ microdrama campaign, a creative four-part social series designed to transform relatable convenience missions into short entertaining stories.
The campaign marks Co-op’s first use of the rapidly growing microdrama format, showcasing how grocery retailers can engage audiences through entertainment-led content designed for social platforms, earning attention and sparking conversation.
Amplified across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok & YouTube Shorts through The Platform Amplification Network, each episode follows comedian, podcast host and TV producer Jake Bhardwaj (Ann Droid, Have I Got News for You), who finds himself in familiar everyday situations that prompt a quick Pop to Co-op. The twist: when he returns, the scenario has escalated into an even bigger, hyperbolic moment, amplifying the humour while reinforcing Co-op as the easy, everyday solution.
The microdrama series forms a key pillar of Co-op’s new brand platform, Pop to Co-op, which launched this summer and spans AV, social, influencer, OOH, radio, display and digital activity.
While the wider campaign highlights how everyday moments are made better with a Pop to Co-op, the microdramas act as a “talkability engine,” driving engagement and helping to embed the catchphrase into everyday conversation.
The campaign is designed to generate real life conversation and cultural relevance at a time when AI search and recommendation systems increasingly favour earned signals. Rather than treating earned media as a supporting tactic, the team says that microdramas make it the strategic objective, while paid media is used to fuel discussion and generate audience participation at scale.
Chris Davies, head of strategy, Carat, said: “The best campaigns don’t just reach people, they give people something to do or something to talk about. So, our aim is to get ‘Pop to Co-op’ into everyday conversation, making it something people say and something people do. We spotted a rapidly growing format and the opportunity to put Pop to Co-op to work in creating our own mini-doses of culture, turning everyday needs into shareable stories.”
Kameshia Lewis, head of media excellence and comms planning, Co-op, added: “At a time when attention is the scarcest commodity, we knew we had to take a different approach. Rather than trying to outspend or outshout the competition, we focused on creating something our members and customers would actively choose to engage with.
“Our microdrama series offers a fresh, culturally relevant way to launch Pop to Co-op, using storytelling and creator-led content across our paid and owned channels. It helps us cut through the noise, capture attention, drive engagement and keep Co-op top of mind during everyday convenience moments. It’s a great example of how a connected media and content strategy can build awareness in today’s algorithm-driven world.”
Paul Routledge, head of branded content, Platform Media, was keen to highlight the humorous element of the latest campaign: “Comedy has always been part of Platform’s DNA, so when the opportunity came along to explore the world of comedy microdrama, we jumped at it,” he explained.
“Co-op and Carat UK were the perfect creative partners, and Pop to Co-op gave us a fun foundation to build a world around. Jake was an obvious choice to lead the campaign. We’ve known and worked with him for nearly ten years, he’s one of the funniest comedy performers around. He’s also very much a part of the Platform family, we worked closely with him on the scripts to make sure everything felt true to his voice, and adding in brilliant comedy talent like Freya Mallard, Elliot Cass and Charlie Kemp just took it to another level. The finished campaign delivers exactly what the brief called for, while also being genuinely funny.”
