Dive Brief:

• Stop & Shop has released a new ad campaign featuring customers providing suggestions on how to increase in-store safety for employees and other customers, according to a press release. 
• The new “Please” campaign will air on television and radio stations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
• The shoppers recorded themselves from home giving suggestions, including shopping solo, wearing a mask while shopping, using one-way aisles and respecting social distancing guidelines.

Dive Insight:

By using customer ideas and testimonials, Stop & Shop is attempting to connect with shoppers on a personal level. Previously, Stop & Shop, as well as other grocery chains, have implemented rules that were communicated through store signage, social media and press releases. 

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The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) launched a national multimedia campaign called #ShopSmart which encouraged shoppers to wear face coverings and practice social distancing to reduce the spread of coronavirus. The campaign also launched on television and radio stations. Walmart aired a commercial in which its CEO Doug McMillon recorded a selfie video in a grocery store where he thanked Walmart employees and called them heroes. 

Tapping into consumer emotions during the pandemic is a popular tactic by many outside of the retail industry, as well. Many NFL players have recorded clips showing how they're adjusting to social distancing orders. The Los Angeles Times reported that the average likeability in ads that mention coronavirus have been 11% higher than average. 

Stop & Shop hopes its message will create a safer environment at grocery stores, both for its shoppers and associates. According to First Insight, 54% of shoppers in a recent survey say they feel safest while shopping at grocery stores compared to other retailers. 

Stop & Shop has taken numerous measures to protect its shoppers and employees, including implementing store capacity limits, installing barriers at checkout counters, laying down floor markers to promote distancing in the checkout lines, providing disinfectant wipes near checkout and instituting deeper cleaning methods. The chain has also joined with the UFCW in calling for grocery workers to be classified as essential workers, which would provide enhanced access to protective gear, child care and other services.