ALDI Australia, in collaboration with Digitas Australia, has unveiled 'ALDIfy', a new digital platform designed to assist shoppers in finding and purchasing ingredients for trending recipes. The platform aims to bridge the gap between viral food trends and practical shopping experiences.

'ALDIfy' curates popular recipes that have gained traction on social media and makes them instantly shoppable both in-store at ALDI locations and through the DoorDash app. This initiative is part of the 'Taste the Trends' campaign, with media strategy spearheaded by Zenith.

The platform leverages AI technology from Publicis' Cultural Fluency Tool to identify current food trends and convert them into recipes that utilise ALDI's product range. This technological integration is intended to simplify the process for consumers who wish to recreate viral recipes at home.

Jenny Melhuish, ALDI's Marketing Director, explained the motivation behind the launch: "ALDIfy was born from the insight that consumers are inspired by viral recipes but struggle to translate them into reality. Every week there’s a new food trend lighting up social feeds, but for most people they’re hard to follow and even harder to shop for."

Melhuish further elaborated on the platform's functionality, stating, "ALDIfy makes it simple to discover and plan trending meal ideas all in one place, where consumers can shop for recipes that they are seeing in their social feeds. By using AI technology to bring new recipes to life, we’re giving customers more ways to make mealtimes exciting, accessible, and budget-friendly."

The campaign supporting 'ALDIfy' includes a variety of placements across digital and out-of-home (OOH) channels, particularly those situated near ALDI stores. It also extends to social media platforms and is bolstered by ALDI's influencer and advocate program.

Sarah Heitkamp, National Head of Strategy & CX at Digitas, highlighted the collaborative effort behind the platform's development: "With ALDIfy, we harnessed the power of Publicis Groupe’s connected platform of capabilities in media, creative, technology and data to make mealtime easier for consumers. This enabled us to create a unique digital experience for ALDI customers using AI-driven technology."

Heitkamp also noted the platform's design for shareability and engagement: "It has been designed to create shareability, so the ‘Taste the trends’ campaign kicks off with an exclusive first look at ALDIfy through teaser EDMs targeting highly engaged customers who are engaged with the brand and are connected to social food trends. ALDIfy connects online inspiration and real-world accessibility for customers, simplifying the journey from scroll to shop."