Abu Bakr Supermarket managing director Hamza Hussain is taking a fresh approach to retail marketing after inviting three social media influencers to spend the night inside the Batley store.
A 23-year-old supermarket managing director is turning heads with an unconventional social media campaign that saw three influencers spend the night inside a grocery store in Batley.
Hamza Hussain, managing director of Abu Bakr Supermarket and a recipient of a 30 Under 30 award, brought together online personalities @King_ar4, @demztvofficial and @bigstackhardestman for an overnight hide-and-seek challenge designed to reach audiences through live streaming and social media. The challenge was streamed live on Kick, while a video titled Hide and Seek Overnight in Grocery Store was subsequently uploaded to YouTube, attracting thousands of likes. Short-form videos and reels from the challenge have also been shared across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and other platforms, extending the campaign’s reach beyond the original livestream.
The idea reflects a growing trend among businesses to work with social media creators to reach younger audiences, using entertainment and online personalities to generate interest rather than relying solely on traditional advertising.
For Hamza, the campaign began with personal connections. He already knew the three influencers and approached them with the idea of creating something different from a conventional sponsored post or promotional appearance. Rather than simply asking them to advertise the supermarket, he wanted to turn the store itself into the setting for an entertaining challenge that their followers would want to watch. The overnight format offered opportunities for live interaction, suspense and humour, while the resulting footage could be edited into content for different platforms.
Hamza said: “I know @King_ar4, @demztvofficial and @bigstackhardestman personally, so I felt I could approach them with an idea that was a little different from the usual influencer promotion.
“I wanted to create something exciting that would give them a genuine opportunity to entertain their audiences while introducing Abu Bakr Supermarket to people who might not have come across us before.
“I explained the concept of spending the night in the store and turning it into a hide-and-seek challenge, with the opportunity to livestream the experience and create content that people would want to watch, share and talk about.
“The idea was to make the supermarket part of the entertainment, rather than simply asking influencers to advertise a business.”
Hamza, who is just 23, believes understanding the habits of younger consumers is increasingly important for businesses looking to build their profile. His approach brings together influencer relationships, live entertainment and content distributed across several platforms, with the aim of making a local retailer relevant to audiences well beyond its immediate area.
He added: “Being 23, I understand how younger audiences discover brands and how important social media, creators and online communities have become.
“You cannot always reach that audience through traditional advertising alone. You have to understand the content they enjoy and find creative ways to become part of those conversations.
“I believe that as a business leader you have to keep challenging yourself, recognise new opportunities and be willing to try different approaches.”
The 30 Under 30 award winner said the campaign was about exploring how an independent retailer could use digital marketing to stand out in a competitive market.
The project demonstrates how one creative idea can be adapted into several formats: a live broadcast on Kick, a longer YouTube video and shorter clips designed for audiences scrolling through social media.
For Abu Bakr Supermarket, the ambition is to use this kind of activity to raise brand awareness, attract new audiences and create memorable experiences associated with the business.
As social media continues to influence how younger consumers discover businesses, the supermarket’s overnight challenge offers an example of a local retailer experimenting with a new generation of marketing.
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