Asia-Pacific Power List 2024: Jenny Melhuish, Aldi

Jenny Melhuish

Marketing director
Aldi Australia
Australia
New member

Jenny Melhuish joined Aldi as marketing director for the German supermarket chain in January 2023. Her past experience leading marketing for banks proved no obstacle to shaking up the supermarket world. From the get-go, Melhuish wasted no time in letting Aussies know, during a cost of living crunch, that they could be savvier with their supermarket choices by shopping smarter at Aldi. 

Putting words into action, Melhuish oversaw Aldi Australia's big Christmas campaign with a clear message to ‘Go Big on the Little Things’ – implying that with seasonal products available at the lowest prices, Australians can have the Christmas they want by shopping with Aldi, making substantial savings without compromising on quality. The message seemed to get across, as Aldi Australia saw a 4 per cent gain in customers in 2023.

For Melhuish, acting and thinking like a challenger brand is what keeps her engaged and hungry to deliver on Aldi's ‘Good Different’ brand promise; a commitment to bringing Aussies the lowest possible prices on a wide range of high quality products.

Despite its cheaper prices, Melhuish has been keen to communicate that shopping with Aldi is not at the expense of quality. A series of cheeky ads have let Australian shoppers see how much cheaper it is to buy similar products across a range of different categories at Aldi than its competitors. “Cleaning made 54.96% less of a chore,” one recent Aldi ad read, implying that paying less makes the task easier. Such strategies appears to be working, as Aldi's sales have shown a consistent 10% increase over the past year. 

Beyond creating playful campaigns that convince Aussie's that Aldi should be their first choice when it comes to grocery shopping, Melhuish is active in helping to elevate the marketing industry across Australia. Last year she helped judge the Effie Awards, and beyond this regularly shares knowledge and insights at industry events hosted by Australia's Advertising Council and others. 

Prior to joining Aldi, Melhuish was head of marketing and media at Australian bank Westpac, where she honed her wealth of marketing, brand building, commercial and leadership skills.