Dive Brief:

• Albertsons has kicked off an omnichannel marketing campaign aimed at strengthening connections with shoppers by highlighting the ties between each of its banners and the areas where they operate.
• Through the multimedia campaign, known as “Sincerely, Food,” the grocer is aiming to “build a more emotional connection” with its customers and encourage people to associate products the company sells with key moments in their lives.
• Albertsons’ effort to burnish its public image comes as the supermarket operator looks to draw support from regulators for its controversial plan to merge with rival Kroger.

Dive Insight:

Albertsons described its new marketing program as a way to build a “positive perception” among shoppers of its assortment of fresh produce, meats and seasonal ingredients while fostering peoples’ sense that the company’s stores are embedded in the lifeblood of their communities.

The Sincerely, Food campaign will use Albertsons’ digital properties, traditional and social media channels and signage in stores to reach shoppers with food-focused messages, according to the announcement.

“Each Albertsons Companies banner has its own unique history and local identity. Sincerely is the common thread through all of these, and it allows us to recognize the rich heritage associated with every banner,” Sean Barrett, Albertsons’ chief marketing officer, said in a statement.

Albertsons, which runs supermarkets under names including Safeway, Tom Thumb, Pavilions, Acme and Randalls, has also created landing pages on its websites that describe the services the company provides in personal terms. For example, the retailer has included a description of its take on the “Art of Fresh” replete with figurative language alongside a photo of a young child whose fingers are topped with raspberries.

The multimedia brand-building effort also includes TikTok-like videos that intersperse footage of shoppers examining, preparing and eating food with shots of store employees and images of individual Albertsons banner logos. The short segments feature close-ups of items such as beef, melon and fresh flowers in stores along with scenes that show people enjoying those products in family-oriented settings.

Albertsons’ launch of Sincerely, Food follows the company’s rollout last month of “Sincerely Health,” a digital platform intended to position the company’s stores as central to people’s wellbeing. The tool helps shoppers gain clarity into various aspects of their health by providing them with a “health score” and rewarding them for making lifestyle improvements.