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Tale of the Table: A Guinness World Records official measures Safeway's picnic table on National Picnic Day in June 2011 in San Francisco. The 305-foot-long table was later sectioned off into 25 separate tables that were donated to cities in Safeway's top 14 markets.<media-producer>Photo courtesy of Access Communications</media-producer>
Timeframe: April - June 2011
Today, as shoppers become smarter about their food choices, and surveys such as a 2011 Deloitte study indicate that consumers have concerns about health, safety, processing and chemicals when it comes to the foods they eat, Safeway is once again listening to customer feedback and offering healthier choices.
Building on its already established O Organics line of foods available in the more than 1,702 locations across the U.S. and Canada, Safeway decided to go a step further in 2011 and roll out its Open Nature line of 100% natural food, including fresh beef, pork and chicken, cereal, granola, bread, ice cream, frozen pizza and entrees and peanut butter.
To help with the launch, Safeway turned to Access Communications, a full-service PR agency with offices in San Francisco and New York, in early February 2011. The two teams opened discussions on the design and execution of a communications campaign to launch this private label brand and communicate Safeway as a health and wellness innovator.
A PALATABLE APPROACH
"In launching our new Open Nature brand, we were looking for an innovative approach that would create broad brand awareness, resonate with consumers and encourage trial of the delicious all-natural foods," says Elizabeth Shoemaker, VP, Safeway brand marketing. "We needed a PR agency that shared in our vision and worked seamlessly with our other media agencies to develop an integrated creative strategy that would accomplish our goals across several marketing platforms."
Safeway's objectives for a successful campaign were clear:
1. Position the brand as a leader in the natural food space;
2. Communicate Safeway's messaging around its "high standards" for product innovation;
3. Encourage consumers to adopt the brand through product sampling and peer influence; and
4. Generate substantial media attention (100 million impressions).
Off the bat, the Access Communications team, headed by Lindsay Scalisi, senior VP, and Danielle Cantrell, VP, knew it wanted to create something unique.
"We...