Dive Brief:

• Giant Food Stores has launched a series of television ads promoting its Giant Direct and Martin's Direct online shopping services, according to a company release. 
• The ads feature two company employees in Pennsylvania — Annette White from the Lewisburg Giant and Stephanie Coons from the Levittown Giant — delivering orders to waiting customers. Both ads come in 15- and 30-second spots and feature the tagline, "Everything you need, hand picked and fresh. Direct from us to you."
• The Giant Direct brand launched earlier this year and is now available from 115 locations across four states. By the end of 2019, Giant Direct will be available to 90% of the retail banner's customers. 

Dive Insight:

Both ads put a humorous, relatable spin on grocery pickup. In one, a father and daughter are jamming out to rock music when an employee knocks on the driver's side window, cheerfully letting him know his order is ready to be placed in the car. In the second, a mom is contending with three noisy kids, who each calmly eat a banana once the family's grocery order arrives.

Giant's agency of record, the Brownstein Group, handled the creative development and production of the ads. The company said it sought to offer an authentic, personal touch for the forward-looking Giant Direct service. The message, according to Giant, is this: You live your life, and we'll take care of the groceries.

Regional grocers like Giant are playing up the professionalism of their employees and the personal connection they have with online customers. This approach, retailers reason, can counteract the trust issues many shoppers have around letting someone else pick their products. It also makes the case for customer service against the lower prices and tech wizardry of competitors like Walmart, which will offer free grocery pickup from 3,000 stores by the end of this year.

With Ahold Delhaize as its parent company, Giant can still lay claim to the benefits of advanced technology and cross-banner collaboration. This includes marketing and branding services, automation and the expertise of Peapod, the longstanding e-grocer that Ahold Delhaize is now mobilizing in service of its retail brands.

Giant is in an online shopping arms race with a slew of Mid-Atlantic grocers, including Whole Foods, Kroger and Walmart.