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Loblaws wants its grocery customers to get to know their local farmers.
The “Grown Close to Home” campaign continues to roll out this week with local TV spots, print and in-store materials. It launched last Friday with a national TV ad.
The campaign, created by agency of record Bensimon Byrne for the President’s Choice product line, launched with an ad featuring Galen Weston, Loblaws’ executive chairman and marketing spokesperson.
“The folks who bring you President’s Choice buy more Canadian produce than anyone else in the country,” says Weston, standing in front of a white background.
The scene then cuts to Weston walking through a series of five farmers’ fields along with the farmers themselves. The farmers are from various regions in Canada, and each will be featured in local executions starting this week.
After touting the economic benefits of Canadian produce, the spots ends with the company’s tag line, “Worth switching supermarkets for.”
Elements of the campaign will also appear in flyers and in the stores’ produce aisles with signs and hanging posters. Interviews with the farmers will be available on the Loblaws website, and a 60-second “wrap-up” ad is set to run later this week during the Summer Olympics closing ceremonies.
David Rosenberg, creative director and partner at Bensimon Byrne, said the wrap-up ad is a “reverent look at Canadian produce and the importance of the Canadian farmer, and what the Canadian farmer means to the country. There’s a very proud nationalistic bent to the commercial.”
The campaign is an attempt to position the store as an ally of both Canadian farmers and the growing “eat local” movement, which encourages consumers to eat local foods to reduce carbon emissions caused by hauling product over long distances, said Inge van den Berg, Loblaws’ vice-president, public affairs and investor relations.
“We commissioned a study in July and found that 79% of Canadians prefer the taste of locally grown fruits and vegetables,” van den Berg said. “There’s a lot of support behind this. Ninety-two per cent believe buying local produce is good for the economy.”
