2007 - Welcome to the year of the free supermarket

Happy New Year! Remember you heard it here first! I was thinking (unbelievable I know, but true) about the trend that advertising has taken in the past couple of years. Free web searches, paid for by advertising. Free directory enquiries by phone, as long as you listen to some advertising. Free previews of 24 and Lost, sponsored by car companies. Being an inhabitant of the great beast of London I am privileged to be able to receive 4 free newspapers a day, paid for, yes you guessed it, by advertising. This isn’t new of course, local weekly newspapers have been doing it for years, and the Metro in the UK has been around for 5 years or so, but the sheer increase in number, and obvious massive increase in advertising spend being directed in this medium is astonishing.

Who hasn’t seen the offers of a free iPod or laptop for answering questions online and referring other people to do the same? There is even an internet browser plugin that pays you whilst you surf the internet - AGLOCO (this is a referral link, not for me, but for John Chow - you can have those on me John as a thank you, although you hardly need them!). Google have done a deal with 3 in the UK, where users will be able to use Google services on the phone for free and even make free internet phone calls, once again (partly) paid for by advertising.

Whilst walking through Kings Cross tube station in London last week (thankfully it was horrendously early so there was only a few people around) I was handed my free breakfast, courtesy of Intel Core Duo. I had water, a flapjack, and an apple. Whilst these items (and the nifty bag) were branded, there was no advertising leaflet inside or any hard sell by those handing out the packs. I’m probably in a fortunate position where barely a week goes by without being handed something free in the street (apart from those pesky newspaper people), be it a drink, chocolate bar, umbrella, snack, magazine or a voucher for X, Y or Z.

The free supermarket

So, the big idea. Why not have a free supermarket? All food, drink or household items are paid for by advertising.

• One type of food for each “category” e.g. one cereal, one soup, one fruit, one cleaner.
• Shoppers can only go once a week, controlled by an ID verified membership card.
• Grocery bags are also sponsored.
• “Premium” bags could charge a small fee.

Admittedly it needs thinking through with a neat business model. It already happens at consumer and trade shows such as the Good Food Show, where a goodie bag is given away at the end. Current supermarkets could do it at the tills or at promotional desks. The publicity alone would probably make it worth it.

Could it happen to a high street near you soon? Maybe, but if it does, you heard it here first.