Blog
Introducing students to The Southern Co-operative
Published on
19th October 2016
What this article covers
At some point throughout your lifetime you will no doubt go through the stresses of moving to a new home, packing away your belongings to start a new life. This is hard enough as an adult, but even more nerve racking when you’re a fresher, moving away from home for the first time.
How The Southern Co-operative Helps Students
As a result, The Southern Co-operative have been helping students to reduce the pressures of Freshers’ 
life, by making their first shop a little easier and offering them the opportunity to purchase a carefully selected basket full of living essentials, including pasta, sugar, coffee, milk and cleaning products.
GottaBe! Brand Ambassadors Engaging With Students
This has been achieved through a team of GottaBe! Brand Ambassadors, who have been engaging with students outside Halls of Residence, giving them the chance to purchase the essentials basket already made for them at the till, as well as handing out vouchers and samples of bakery products to try - including brownies, rocky road and flapjacks.
On top of this our Brand Ambassadors were spreading what is probably one of the most important messages a student can hear, by telling them how they can save 10% on their Co-op shop by showing a valid NUS card.
Promotional Campaign At Freshers' Fairs
Not only this, but during Freshers’ Fairs, our team increased Co-op’s exposure by giving students the opportunity to win vouchers by taking a ‘shelfie’ inside a giant Facebook cut out. Plus, for those who were a little camera shy, our Brand Ambassadors gave them them the chance to play Spin to Win, a wheel of fortune inspired game with 1000s of prizes to win!
How GottaBe! Helped
This was GottaBe!' first project with the Southern Co-operative. The Client, Lucy Avison of The Southern Co-operative said: "Our first ever Freshers Fair was a huge success, and we were hugely helped by the GottaBe! team! The guidance and advice on the best approach for engaging with students was invaluable. Together we came up with a formula that the students seemed to really enjoy on the day and even better, resulted in visits to our stores in the city centre. The student market is of real value to us as a retailer and we'll definitely be calling on GottaBe! to support us with the planning and delivery of our future student-focussed campaigns."
Story written by Tomasz Dyl, Managing Director of GottaBe!
Selection of pictures from the campaign:
Other blogs you might like
The New Rules of Student Engagement: Where to Meet Students in 2026
Rule #1: Be where students already are – not where brands expect them to be Instagram Remaining the most used social platform among students, with over 61% using it more than once a day. It’s where students; For brands, Instagram is your shop window, not just a content channel. This is where you can get your product in front of
Unlocking Rockstar Student Activations: 3 of our Favourites
When it comes to student marketing, we’ve learned one thing over the past 18+ years: students don’t want to just be targeted, they want to be engaged. At GottaBe!, student activations are about more than tents, freebies and flyers. They’re about creating standout moments on campus that feel relevant, memorable and genuinely worth stopping for. Here are three of our
Refreshers Week: The Underrated Opportunity You Can’t Afford to Miss
Every September, brands battle it out during Freshers Week. The lecture halls are packed, societies are signing up new members, and student unions are buzzing with brands handing out samples, vouchers and freebies. It’s the big kick-off to the student year, and for good reason – it’s a prime moment to make an impression. But here’s what most marketers miss: Refreshers Week in