The Co-op has ramped up its advertising blitz to try to accelerate the number of members signing up, with a new TV ad stressing its ethical credentials.

The 30-second ad, debuting yesterday, champions the Fairtrade heritage and British sourcing of products, as well as its help for local communities.

Under the strapline ‘Every mouthful of Co-op food earns members 5% back and 1% back for their community,’ the move follows its decision last month to massively accelerate its membership recruitment, after claiming its rebooted scheme had smashed expectations.

The society revealed a target to recruit a million new members by the end of 2017 - a year ahead of its original plans, announced in September last year.

At the time it also hired acclaimed This is England film and TV director Shane Meadows to create a series of short cinema films backing its Join Us campaign to illustrate its support for local causes.

The new campaign includes outdoor advertising, press, online, social and in-store elements, which further explain the membership scheme, whereby members get 5% back on Co-op product purchases, with 1% given to support their local communities.

Co-op customer director Jemima Bird said: “The advert highlights what makes Co-op special, which is our great food, sourced in an ethical way, and which now gives back to the local community where it’s bought. The new membership offer is raising money for local causes and giving back to our members’ own pockets too. It’s now time for all of our customers to join us.”

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