Lidl put a nutcracker called Nico at the centre of its 2026 Christmas campaign. On the Continente’s Christmas page, the question is what’s for Christmas Eve dinner: octopus, kid goat or cod. Following the cod trail in the materials of both brands, there are two routes. Lidl features packages with announced weights and prices. On the Continente, a recipe for four people suggests a product and allows adding the ingredients to the shopping list. Lidl Portugal Campaign · Christmas in our own way, from the Continente
Lidl announced the range before releasing the advert
Lidl presented the character on November 9. According to the Portuguese press release, the international campaign has film, television, radio, street posters, digital channels and presence in store. Lidl’s Deluxe and Favorina own brands had already been presented on October 22, in a product announcement organized for moments of the meal. The range went from entrees to dessert, with proposals as different as prawn croquettes, quarter cuts of kid goat and bolo-rei Christmas cake. The announcement of the range came out, therefore, before the film that accompanies it. Presentation of the Christmas offer of October 22
For the main course, Lidl announced 600 g packs of Icelandic cod loins for €19.99 and 1.6 kg packs of soaked cod loins for €44.99. It is about 33,32 €/kg and 28,12 €/kg, respectively, taking the weights indicated in the ad. The total price of the package and the price per kilo answer different questions. The first is how much it costs to take a pack. The second is how much is paid for the quantity of fish. The origin, cutting and method of preparation are also included in this choice. The figures are those reported in October and the availability in store can change. Weights and prices in Lidl’s press release
The campaign can use the same nutcracker in several countries, while the product page has to respond to a local decision. Knowing that Nico appears on a poster helps recognize the campaign when you arrive at the store. To decide what enters the basket, you need to find the cod, see the packaging and see if it serves the number of people at the table. The link between the two pieces depends, in practice, on the range appearing in the place where the consumer seeks it.
At Continente, the recipe becomes a shopping list
The Continente organizes Christmas suggestions by starters, mains and desserts and puts the recipes next to options to save recipes, make plans or create a list. The recipe for bacalhau com todos (cod with vegetables and eggs), signed by The Healthy Sins project, has three pieces of cod, eight medium potatoes and three eggs for four portions, in addition to the other ingredients. Within the introduction, the retailer suggests Nördsson cod and connects to the page of this product. Cooked cod recipe with everyone at Continentee
The button to add the ingredients to the list appears after the quantities. The interface allows you to move from the list to the online store and warns you that the subtotal can change with the minimum order and that the delivery cost is left out. For those who already have olive oil, bay leaves or garlic at home, the list works first as inventory of what is missing. You can also follow a trip to the store. If the Continente measures only online orders, part of the utility of the recipe can stay out of the accounts. How the Shopping List Works in Feed Continente
This route works even when the person’s first search is by the name of the dish and not by the brand. The recommended product appears at the time someone tries to calculate what they need. It’s the same transition that one sees in other routes of online discovery and purchase in Portugal, when a page found to solve a doubt becomes part of the purchase decision.
What could the brands measure?
In Lidl, a first measurement is to compare recall of Nico with the association with the brand’s ranges. If the public recognizes the character, it is useful to know if they also know where to find the advertised products. Product queries, the search for leaflets and sales per store would tell more about this passage. A store without the available product requires a different reading from a store with stock and little demand.
In the Continente, we can distinguish visits to the recipe, created lists, items added to the basket and completed orders. The lists measure a planning decision. The cart registers purchase intention in the online store. Only the completed order registers a sale on that route. To compare the effect of campaigns on sales, it would be necessary to have equivalent data from the two retailers and to control the promotion schedule, distribution and stock. The materials consulted allow you to follow the invitation and the next step, until the packaging in one case and the list in the other. How to review a media plan