Posted by Aldi Ditches Grocery Posts for Playful Content and Viral Trends
When leadership asked Aldi’s US Marketing Director Katherine Sodeika if she was going in the direction she wanted to with the company’s social media strategy, her answer just before the new year was no.
Like many other grocers, Aldi used their social media platforms to advertise their low price claim to fame on products. But it wasn’t doing the company any favors in driving engagement or sales, or in positioning them to stand out from competitors.
So Aldi tried something counterintuitive. They began garnering attention by not discussing low price grocery ads at all (which were already available elsewhere), and instead bringing a playful voice to their social content by tapping into memes and viral moments in popular culture.
So far the strategy has worked. The new direction sparked double digit growth this year on the company’s Instagram and TikTok accounts. The first quarter of 2025 saw Aldi’s reach skyrocket by 117% on Instagram, with a 334% increase in Facebook impressions, while TikTok grew by 40%. But it doesn’t stop at increased engagement – Aldi is seeing increased sales.
“Having that engagement, building that affinity with customers, it’s not just fun, it’s truly driving towards business objectives and driving sales,” said Sodeika.
One of Aldi’s earliest viral moments came when they jumped on news of the FDA ban on artificial color Red No. 3. Without drawing attention to their brand, Aldi issued a simple post of two cereal bowls with the statement beneath, “One of these ditched synthetic colors back in 2015….and no one had to tell us to.” The post gained over 60,000 likes on Instagram and a similar post on Facebook exceeded 10,000 likes.
Their most popular post of the year was just before St. Patrick’s Day. Aldi displayed a burger patty with an unhappy face above the message, “When he still hasn’t asked you to be his patty for St. Paddy’s Day.” The post spurred over 600,000 shares, 522,000 likes, and more than 650 comments.
Thus far Aldi’s social has been dominating their market space in 2025. On Instagram alone, Aldi’s like count has averaged in the thousands, while competitors’ fall in the double or triple digits.
“We’re having a brand moment, and this brand moment’s not going anywhere,” Sodeika assured. She said their social team keeps the content consistent across Aldi’s US divisions, and plans content weeks in advance, while remaining ready to respond to relevant trends as they occur.
Can Aldi maintain the momentum? Has entertainment value become the most influential factor in advertising? Read the full article here.