Carat UK has partnered with Co-op and Platform Media to launch ‘Pop to Co-op’, a four-part comedy microdrama series created for social audiences.
The campaign marks Co-op’s first move into microdrama, a fast-growing form of short, episodic storytelling. It uses familiar convenience-shopping moments to create entertaining content that audiences can watch, share and discuss.
Comedian, podcast host and TV producer Jake Bhardwaj leads the series. In each episode, an everyday situation sends him on a quick trip to Co-op. When he returns, he discovers that events have escalated into something much bigger.
The episodes are being distributed across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Shorts through The Platform Amplification Network. Comedy performers Freya Mallard, Elliot Cass and Charlie Kemp also appear in the series.
‘Pop to Co-op’ forms part of Co-op’s new brand platform of the same name, which launched this summer across AV, social, influencer, out-of-home, radio, display and digital channels.
Carat identified microdrama as an opportunity to extend the platform through entertainment-led social content. The series is intended to encourage conversation around the ‘Pop to Co-op’ phrase, with paid media used to amplify the stories and invite participation at scale.
Chris Davies, Head of Strategy at Carat UK, 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 at Co-op, said: “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.”
Paul Routledge, Head of Branded Content at Platform Media, added: “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.
“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, and adding brilliant comedy talent like Freya Mallard, Elliot Cass and Charlie Kemp took it to another level.”
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