The Influence Edge - Pick n Pay - a Business Case Study

I own a Pick n Pay coat. I bought it last year and I have lost count of the compliments. I do have an eye for clothes, but I didn't expect a supermarket to produce one of the best pieces in my wardrobe.

That coat is one small part of a bigger story. On Monday 26 October, Pick n Pay released its interim results for the 26 weeks to 30 August 2026, and its headline loss is down 31.9%. In 2024, the retailer was reported to be technically insolvent. 

A company in that position usually has one reflex: cut costs and go quiet. Marketing is often the first line to go because its returns are hard to prove on a spreadsheet and if you don't get the message on point, it's more money lost. A CFO in a financial crisis has little appetite for that kind of risk.

But PnP did something different. This year the campaigns have been intentional and more frequent, and the brand has had a distinct point of view. I can't see inside the budget, and I won't be taking a stab at the numbers. I can describe what the public has seen, and it's been consistent.

New APP New Assistant New Approach

In March, Pick n Pay Clothing moved onto its asap! app. A smart move. Your details are already saved in the app, so buying a coat removes one more barrier to purchase. Everything is streamlined and housed in one place. PnP says the launch has been successful, delivering well ahead of budgeted turnover. 

In July, the company launched Penny, an AI assistant that takes a photo or a voice note and builds the order. In August came Inspire, a shoppable video feed where you add what you see straight to your basket. Pick n Pay calls both firsts for a South African grocer.

Smart Sports Sponsorship 

One of their boldest bets was sponsoring the Springboks. PnP joined SA Rugby as a Tier 1 sponsor in March 2025 - a four-year deal while it was still fighting for its future. It was a sharp play because the Springboks gave the brand the opportunity to own a piece of a united South Africa and an emotion the whole country shares. A deal that long also brings continuity, so campaigns like Collectaboks, its collectible Springbok cards, build on a relationship that already exists and doesn't have to start from scratch every season. 

On 19 October this year, the second edition arrived with 67 cards, 18 of them featuring the Springbok Women. Giving the women's team a place beside the men's legends for the first time is a meaningful way to celebrate women in sport. Bravo Pick n Pay.

None of these campaigns exist in a vacuum. Clothing gives people a reason to open the app when they are not buying milk. Inspire turns content into a shop front. Penny removes the friction. The Springbok cards can keep kids engaged. The Springbok sponsorship injects national gees. Each piece does a different job and all of them point to the same place. Pick n Pay says its online turnover grew 35.4% over the same period. That's the company's own figure. It suggests that the investment in digital is paying off, although it doesn't tell the whole story of the marketing effort.

Singular Purpose Shifting Market Perception

That's what successful integrated marketing looks like. One objective runs through the brand and no agency runs its own flight. It's harder to do than it sounds. The people who build the app, the ad agency, PR, social marketing and digital campaigns are all suppliers with their own mandate, and all of them must move with the same singular purpose. The marketing heads need to bring them together and conduct this behemoth orchestra as one symphony.

There is a reputation issue here too. A company in trouble unnerves its customers. Their brand loyalty hangs in the balance with consumer falloff. Staff question their futures in the company and suppliers and investors watch for signs of retreat. Cutting marketing in a crisis can feel prudent in the moment. It can also read as a company preparing for a smaller future. Visible momentum is a clear signal that the brand isn't going anywhere.

Marketing Part of The Recovery Plan

That said, marketing did not do this alone, and it would be unfair to suggest it did, although its multidisciplinary campaigns have kept the brand in the conversation. Boxer, the retailer's discount chain, grew turnover by 6.3% and the Pick n Pay segment cut its trading loss by 16.9%.

So what should other businesses take from this? Treat marketing as part of the recovery plan - not a luxury to be funded once the numbers improve. Make sure every initiative serves the same story. And when pressure builds, ask what a marketing budget cut will say about you before you ask what it'll save.

Sam Swaine is the founder of Audibly, a boutique, end-to-end podcast partner for founders, executives and brands who want their voice to operate strategically. Sam advises business leaders and organisations on executive communications, strategic positioning, reputation architecture and growth strategy, helping ambitious businesses align what they say with where they're going.