Sector Focus: Grocery
Conversation-starters and inspiration from Lion-winners who’ve transformed their businesses through creativity.
Conversation-starters
Three ways to boost the impact on grocery retail brands through innovation and creativity
1
Adapt your grocery business to reflect post-pandemic life
Enforced lockdowns and financial constraints mean that people are now more accustomed to preparing their own meals and eating out less. What’s more, the delivery of food, grocery and home-cooking kits are now much more integrated into everyday life. Your business needs to mirror these changes to be in with a chance in the fight for ‘share of stomach.’
2
Remove your brand from price wars - and reset using purpose
Price wars invariably end up as a race to the bottom. Be inspired by Carrefour’s ‘Act For Change’: find a meaningful way to help differentiate your brand. “Speed, convenience, and frictionless experiences are table stakes,” says Wunderman Thompson’s Global Chief Creative Officer Daniel Bonner. “The new generation of consumers puts a huge emphasis on responsibility and purpose.”
3
Constantly audit your channel plan
Undertake ongoing assessment on which channels will be most appropriate for your business objectives, and consider ALL platforms, not just the obvious ones. With so much focus on social, for instance, other channels can risk being ignored. For instance, AB InBev in Latin America transformed WhatsApp into a commerce channel for local retailers.
Adapt your grocery business to reflect post-pandemic life
Postmates: ‘Don’t Cook Cookbook’
The food delivery market is now worth $150 billion globally, according to McKinsey, and demand has skyrocketed since the pandemic. In a textbook example of how to integrate digital and analogue channels, US food and grocery delivery service Postmates launched a Don’t Cook Cookbook with QR codes. This inspired people then prompted them to order in by pointing their phone at the QR code on the page.
Takeout: Find fun ways to make your grocery brand stand out. Reaching your audience and planting desire need to be innovative and seductive and should be more imaginative than coupons and discounting.
2021 POSTMATES | DON’T COOK COOKBOOK
MOTHER AGENCY | LOS ANGELES BRONZE INDUSTRY CRAFT LIONS
“The last two years have resulted in a wave of new home cooks who are open to doing research to find great foods or simple new recipes. Online streaming services such as Twitch offer new and exciting ways to reach this audience.”
Steve Truxal | Director | Physical Stores | Amazon Ads
Remove your brand from price wars - and reset using purpose
Carrefour: 'Act For Food'
French supermarket giant Carrefour’s ‘Act For Food’ provided an exit strategy from the price wars it had previously fought with rival Leclerc. This global platform repositioned the entire organisation around better nutrition, strong supplier relationships, planet-friendly packaging and vegan ranges. It improved people's opinion of the brand and saw Carrefour eclipse Leclerc to become France’s preferred retailer.
Takeout: Change the conversation. Stop talking about price and evolve your business to serve people, planet and profit.
2021 CARREFOUR | ACT FOR FOOD
MARCEL | PARIS GRAND PRIX CREATIVE BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION LIONS
“As shoppers’ attention is increasingly fragmented across multiple channels, their time and attention are at a premium. The onus is on brands to make a true connection with relevant audiences in authentic ways.”
Ru Vallury | Head of Food and Snacks | Amazon Ads
Constantly audit your channel plan
AB InBev: ‘Tienda Cerca’
AB InBev, the 2022 Cannes Lions Creative Marketer Of The Year, used WhatsApp to help on-trade partners in Latin America during the pandemic
AB InBev helped small shops in Colombia to trade through lockdowns. Customers shared their location via tiendacerca.co and ordered groceries via WhatsApp. Some 60,000 stores registered and it was rolled out to other markets including Peru and Mexico.
Takeout: Make sure you are targeting audiences on the platforms they’re using. As Scott Bush, Head of US Grocery Sales Account Management, Amazon Ads, says: “To stay top of mind and continue growing, brands need to go where their customers are and lean in to new formats. They need to find the media mix that will help encourage customer loyalty.”
2021 AB INBEV | TIENDA CERCA
DRAFTLINE | BOGOTA GRAND PRIX CREATIVE ECOMMERCE LIONS
What the Jury President said:
“Larger brands are leveraging their scale and resources to help other businesses and communities, recognising that it helps their business too.”
Tiffany Rolfe Global Chief Creative Officer | R/GA Jury President | Creative eCommerce Lions 2021
Final Thought
