[Giant Food]
This is Home
Brand and Creative Strategy // Copywriting and Concept Development // Graphic Design and Art Direction // Video Production // Influencer Activation // Social Media Strategy and Content Production // Public Relations
[Background]
Since opening its first location in Washington, D.C. in 1936, Giant Food has been integral to the communities it serves across DC, Maryland and Virginia (DMV), and with 164 locations, it is the market leader in arguably the most competitive grocery market in the country.
While Giant Food is the market share leader, research showed that Giant had been gaining a reputation as a more “traditional” grocer, and it became clear that they needed to find a way to connect with younger audiences without alienating its older shoppers.
[Challenge]
As the DMV leader in the grocery category, Giant Food was beginning to feel its market leadership position get squeezed on multiple fronts, from low price-driven retailers and high-quality and service driven grocery brands. Giant needed a new campaign that broke the status quo for the category and also de-aged the brand from its current market perception while connecting to a very diverse audience across the metro Washington DC area.
[Insight]
We knew we needed to go deep, and it was clear that “local” was more than a label. In fact, our research found that if the kitchen was the center of our audience’s home, then their grocery store should be at the center of their respective communities. We looked to position Giant as the heartbeat of the community by authentically showcasing how our foods help feed the passions of the real people living in the region.
[Solution]
Most campaigns tend to emphasize price, variety, convenience and loyalty programs. But we knew that in order to start changing Giant’s brand perception, it was time to do something that would resonate at a deeper emotional level, compelling shoppers to fall in love (or fall back in love) with their hometown grocer.
We leveraged the power of Spoken Word Poetry, an art form with deep roots throughout the DC area as our mechanism for storytelling and connection. We partnered with five local artists to write and shoot poems across the DMV (from Baltimore to McClean), and we used that as the core creative element in a campaign that lives across TV, online video, social media activations, radio, in-store and more!
The Videos
Ready for the campaign breakdown?
Let’s rock n’ roll!
The Media Toolkit
We combined ‘80s rock inspo with juicy Bar-S meats and iconic grilling utensils to design original logos for our song and band. Both were epic. Both made us hungry.
The Website
We created a custom landing page where users could watch the music video, learn more about the band members, take notes on how to be a Bar-S Guy (or Grillin’ Maiden), and of course—get familiar with the Bar-S products featured in the song.
The Influencer Activation
As a part of the activation, we asked our poets to write spoken word poems that reflected each of their own personal experiences with the brand as additional social content. We wanted to ensure our artists had a chance to be personally involved and genuine spokespeople for a grocery store they actually shop at.
The Supporting Ads
We created a series of paid media social and digital assets to drive traffic to our landing page. These ads also accompanied the AdAge exclusive we secured for the campaign!
The Band Merch
It wouldn’t be a true ‘80s rock band without posters and merch! …And no, the Bar-S Guy Tour is not a real thing. But come on, how fun does Sausagepalooza sound??
[The Results]
“This is Home” was officially launched throughout the greater DMV in early January 2024. We will be monitoring and tracking results in real time, alongside our partners at Giant.
However, after one month in market, we have already received some encouraging news in that Giant saw a 28% increase in NEW store visitors in the month of January.
