Dive Brief:
- Whole Foods Market has debuted a new “We Believe in Real Food” television ad campaign that’s expected to serve as its mantra in the year ahead, according to Supermarket News.
- The campaign is designed to showcase how Whole Foods’ offerings — described as “food that’s naturally beautiful, nourishing and delicious” in the ads — are unique to the store, and how the retailer differentiates itself from the competition.
- Whole Foods CEO John Mackey said that the company would increase its marketing spend this year and looks to end the “on-again, off-again” national ad presence it has taken until now.
Dive Insight:
With the new ad campaign from Whole Foods beginning to saturate the market — industry rumors suggest that a Super Bowl spot might be included as part of the campaign — the company is taking definitive steps to improve its brand building and increase its presence among the masses.
Grocery analysts caution that while advertising is always a smart idea in theory, a campaign of this scale is probably best done periodically or the brand could lose money. Still, there are some misconceptions about Whole Foods out there, and this new campaign could change the way that some feel about the brand.
It’s still too early to see how this will impact the grocery industry overall, but with new entries into the market —especially online shopping picking up a percentage of young shoppers — it makes sense for Whole Foods to ramp up their advertising strategies.