Handling produce is standard practice in any grocery store. Juggling it, on the other hand, is a bit more unusual.
Last month Metro’s Ste. Julie location in Quebec treated its customers to an elaborate production with the help of event organizer 45 Degrees, a division of Cirque du Soleil.
Jugglers, contortionists, tightrope walkers, artists and singers dressed as Metro employees performed three times throughout the course of the day, ending with the serving of a festive Christmas dinner for shoppers in the store.
Dozens of hidden cameras were placed around the store to capture customer reactions. The footage was used to produce a two-minute YouTube video, as well as a 30-second TV spot that will air until December 24.
The in-store event helped kick off Metro’s holiday season campaign from Publicis, which officially launched last week.
According to Marc Giroux, vice-president of marketing and communications at Metro, the campaign is based on the retailer’s philosophy to go above and beyond to serve its customers.
“It’s not a stunt campaign that lives on its own – we don’t expect the video to go viral or anything,” he explained. “It’s about bringing the joy of Christmas to our customers.”
To get customers in the holiday spirit, Metro is offering 28 days of “gifts” for its Quebec shoppers, including sales, contests and special offerings for members of its loyalty program. Metro.ca now also highlights recipe ideas and inspiration for the holiday season.
“We have a digital [component] you can find on our website that talks about how the holiday starts in the home,” Giroux said. “We give tips and ideas about how to entertain at home, and we showcase our private label products.”
Other aspects of the campaign include a four-week integrated print flyer, as well as a social media campaign and digital advertising that will continue to showcase the in-store stunt and reveal each day’s surprise gift.
Giroux said Metro’s Ontario stores have a slightly different theme for their “My Holiday, My Metro” campaign, but it centres around the same fundamental strategy. The Ontario program will launch next week.
This story originally appeared in Canadian Grocer.
