Dive Brief:

• The Giant Company rolled out video ads Thursday focused on five families that shop the chain’s Giant and Martin’s stores, according to a press release. The spots, which will air across TV, digital and social, are part of the company’s new brand platform, “For Today’s Table.”
• The retailer and its advertising agency, Brownstein Group, asked each family to record themselves over several weeks, capturing everything from morning routines to mealtimes and celebrations. The ads, which splice together moments filmed by each family, include a cover of the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song “Teach Your Children” performed by Giant team member Hannah Reese.
• Matt Simon, chief marketing officer for The Giant Company, said in the release that the company chose to use real families instead of actors so that its customers can more easily relate to its brand and messaging. 

Dive Insight:

In its press materials and in a recent interview previewing the new “For Today’s Table” branding, officials with Giant talked up the idea of relating to shoppers with “authentic” messaging.

The tone of the new ads is upbeat and hopeful. But the spots also mix in conflicts, mini confessions and in-between moments that aren’t typical of retail marketing. In one scene from an extended version of the TV ad, a daughter slams the door in her mother’s face. In another scene, two parents lament the strains on their time.

Giant hopes that shoppers will be able to relate to these families, and in turn feel like they can relate to the brand. In a recent interview, Giant Company president Nicholas Bertram said the grocer wants to reach young mothers, in particular, who are looking for the meal solutions that the grocer is increasingly focused on providing.

“We wanted to be able to target that group of moms with young families, without alienating the customers that are really our primary shoppers,” he said. “It's a really, really important nuance, but it's also a very important balance to have.”

Grocery ads have traditionally had a sameness quality to them and aren’t known for being risky or innovative. But as competition increases, retailers are under pressure to clearly differentiate themselves through marketing. Kroger now plays up the freshness of its products, along with a unique visual look that includes animated “Krojis,” while Meijer has focused on its employees in recent ads. Whole Foods has turned to light humor in some of its video advertisements.

Giant’s new brand platform spearheads a host of operational enhancements aimed at keeping the grocer in fighting form. This includes a refreshed product assortment featuring more plant-based foods, new meal services and branding, and updated décor throughout stores featuring the new “For Today’s Table” logo and visuals.