Dive Brief:
- Meijer will partner with NFuse 360 Marketing to take part in The Big Bite Tour platform, a series of the nation’s biggest food, barbecue and elite festivals, according to Progressive Grocer.
- The retailer will hold the designation of “The Official Food Retailer” at the Taste of Cincinnati; Ribfest in Naperville, IL; and an event to be named later in the summer.
- Meijer will help promote the tour and its CPG and OTC clients, including Mentos, Snyder of Hanover, Turkey Hill, Blue Diamond Almonds, Tums, Nestea, Sunsweet, Moore’s Marinade and Allegra.
Dive Insight:
Serving as the "Official Food Retailer" of the Big Bite Tour seems like a savvy way for Meijer to build brand awareness and grow its consumer base.
It should also help the grocery chain capture younger demographics. The Meijer brand will be in front of thousands of millennials and Generation Zers expected at these festivals — an opportunity for exposure that few grocers have access to. Since it first began nine years ago, the tour has reached more than 47 million consumers at events, and is expected to create 10-million-plus impressions for tour partners in 2017.
NFuse 360 Marketing also has grocery retail partner development plans in place with Giant Landover, Giant Eagle and Tops Markets LLC, and is working to beef up these deals with similar out-of-the-box marketing strategies.
Food manufacturers are much better at leveraging opportunities like festivals, concerts and other entertainment events to spread brand awareness, but that doesn't mean grocers can't take advantage as well. Today's consumer demands engagement from the brands they buy from, and expect companies to have distinct personalities both in in-store signage and on social media platforms.Grocers should look for new opportunities to connect with their shopper base and establish their brand's voice. Kroger's new story-focused website, for example, features videos of company employees and practices that make the brand feel more human and approachable.