Tesco launches TikTok competition for next voice at self-service tills

Unexpected voice in the bagging area! Tesco launches TikTok competition for customers to be the next ‘voice of the checkout’ at its self-service tills

• Tesco is looking for a stand-out voice which will be heard at stores across the UK
• The winner will receive 10,000 Clubcard points and be recorded saying set lines
• The competition was announced to as a way to launch Tesco’s TikTok account 
• But other supermarkets have used their own TikTok accounts to mock the video 

Supermarket retailer Tesco has launched a competition to find the next voice of its self-service checkouts on Tiktok.

In a video uploaded to the company’s official account, Tesco encouraged fans to ‘audition to become the new voice of Tesco checkouts’ by ‘duetting’ with a self-service machine and sharing it online, adding the hashtag #TescoVoiceOfCheckout.

The successful user could win 10,000 Clubcard points and, for a limited time only, hear themselves telling people to scan their Clubcard when they go shopping.

The post marked the retailer’s launch on the social media platform, already gaining them more than 94,000 followers.

In a sign of how popular the video became, supermarket Aldi posted a response to its 220,000 followers in which it ‘auditioned’ to become the voice for its rival.

Those wishing to hear themselves on the machines have to answer questions including ‘Why do you think you’ve got what it takes?’ and ‘How would you say ‘please check my bagging area’?’.

The self-service checkout even asks applicants to imitate the sound that an item makes when it is scanned.

The winning entry will be used in selected stores for a limited time period only. 

Tesco’s TikTok video featured a self-service checkout machine with a Tesco employee’s face superimposed on top

The video, which is less than a minute long, can be used by entrants through ‘duet mode’

The audition video marks a departure from the somewhat serious current voiceover, and will be judged on clarity, enthusiasm, expressiveness and fun. 

But to be a valid entry in the competition, the entrant must be 18 or over, resident in the UK and be a Clubcard holder. 

The 10,000 Clubcard point prize is equivalent to around £100 in cash.

A Tesco Spokesperson said: ‘We’re thrilled to have launched on TikTok. It’s really important to us that everything we do is distinctly Tesco and native to TikTok at the same time. 

‘Giving customers the chance to become the voice of our checkouts and £100 of Clubcard points feels like a great balance of helpful, rewarding, fun and engaging content. We can’t wait to see how creative our customers get!’ 

Many people were left excited by the proposition that they could hear themselves in stores across the UK.

Several suggested Tesco should use different regional accents around the country, while Scouse and Yorkshire accents proved popular suggestions.

One TikTok user requested that a Scouser tell them: ‘Calm down, calm down, someone’s on the way to help.’

Several employees from the retailer joined in, saying it would ‘drive their colleagues insane if they had to listen to me for every shift’ and joking it would mean they ‘can’t escape’ the job.

Others were less keen however, with one commenter saying: ‘I’d rather not have my voice every time I go into Tesco.’ 

Meanwhile rival supermarket Aldi posted a video of a staff member ‘auditioning’ to become Tesco’s next checkout voice.

Aldi told Tesco in its video: ‘You don’t need a Clubcard when your prices are already low!’

When asked how they would say ‘Please check my bagging area’, ‘Aldi’ responded: ‘Tesco, we hardly know each other!’ 

The employee also sang the ‘beep’ checkout noise, and told viewers: ‘You don’t need a Clubcard when your prices are already low!’

Asda also later produced their own version of the video, using both Aldi and Tesco’s in their own spin-off. 

Some social media users and creative industry representatives questioned why the competition winner would not be paid as an actor for their role in the store’s checkouts.

But MailOnline understands that the winner will be able to hear their voice on the checkouts saying a few set phrases for just a few weeks. 

Due to this, they will be awarded the 10,000 Clubcard points and have travel expenses covered to a studio to record the phrases. 

According to the competition terms and conditions, these will be: ‘Don’t forget to scan or tap your Clubcard’ and ‘Clubcard accepted’. 

Auditions will remain open until 23.59pm on October 5. 

Source: Read Full Article