Masters of the Game
Over the past decade or so, store brands have become more important to many retailers as a differentiator and a profit center. That reality has resulted in the sort of product innovations and creative marketing once associated with only the national brands. Of course, some recent efforts here are more notable than others.
As chess great Bobby Fischer once said of the game of chess, “All that matters on the chessboard are good moves.” And in the past year, Private Label ⇨ Store Brand’ 2013 Store Brand Achievement Award winners demonstrated the good, strategic moves that position them ahead of the competition in the store brands game.
To select this year’s “masters of the game,” we evaluated retailer achievements taking place between approximately September 2012 and September 2013 — and also solicited the help of outside experts. Read on to learn about all of the honorees and their winning efforts.
Best New Product/Product Line, Grocery Supermarket Channel
ALDI INC.
Specially Selected line
Back in April, Batavia, Ill.-based ALDI Inc. announced the debut of its Specially Selected premium line. The line, which first launched in Europe, boasts a wide array of specialty foods and beverages ranging from German coffees and gourmet pasta to premium meats and cheeses — dressed up in distinctive black packaging.
“After launching the line in Europe, where many of the brand’s products have won awards and attracted a devoted following, we wanted to bring the products to the U.S. to offer our shoppers more savings and sophistication without sacrificing taste and quality,” Liz Ruggles, ALDI’s director of public relations, says.
Many of the products are introduced periodically throughout the year via ALDI’s Special Buy program, which features 20 to 30 food and non-food products each week, she explains.
“Weekly Special Buys help drive repeat customer visits,” Ruggles notes. “In fact, customers have told us they enjoy the Special Buy ‘treasure hunt.’”
Like it does for all of its other products, ALDI stands behind the Specially Selected items with a “Double Guarantee.” If for any reason a customer is not 100 percent satisfied, the company says it will replace the product and refund the customer’s money.
“At ALDI, our focus is on delivering the highest-quality products at the lowest possible prices,” Ruggles says. “Now, with our exclusive Specially Selected line, which combines quality ingredients, knowledge, passion and imagination, we’re able to offer our customers gourmet foods at ALDI everyday low prices.”
Best New Product/Product Line, Mass Merchandise/Club Channels
WALMART CANADA
Great Value Mint-X Raccoon-Repellent Garbage Bags
Through a partnership with Mint-X Corp., College Point, N.Y., Mississauga, Ontario-based Walmart Canada introduced a product that helps Canadians solve an annoying problem: raccoons getting into their garbage. The raccoon population is extremely high and continues to grow in cities such as Toronto. Great Value Mint-X raccoon repellent Garbage Bags, offered in two sizes, incorporate a mint smell to repel rodents, the company explains.
“When we looked at the garbage bag category we saw that it was a well-developed category that had seen very little innovation over the past few years,” a company spokesperson told us. “It’s frustrating for customers to put their garbage out at night only to wake up in the morning and find that raccoons have shredded the bags looking for food.”
Walmart Canada says Mint-X performed a lot of research and development on the product, introduced this past spring. Because a rodent’s nasal cavity has considerably more olfactory tissue than that of humans, its olfactory cues are much keener, research shows. For that reason, the mint scent is extremely irritating to rodents such as raccoons, but is appealing and refreshing to humans.
Sandra Farwell, Walmart Canada’s vice president of private brands, says the company is very pleased to offer a “safe and innovative solution” for customers.
“The Great Value brand is about giving customers a product that is equivalent in quality to a national brand product, but offered at everyday low prices,” the spokesperson adds. “The Great Value Mint-X bag is a highly innovative item that provides our customers with an innovative product and a great price.”
Best New Product/Product Line, Drugstore Channel
WALGREEN CO.
Ology line
The new Ology lineup from Walgreen Co., Deerfield, Ill., immediately stands out from other brands in the non-food space, thanks to its unique container shapes and whimsical-looking labels. But the line of baby care, personal care and household cleaner products also is notable for what it doesn’t have: harmful chemicals.
“Increasing evidence shows that the chemicals included in everyday products could be contributing to children’s diseases and behavioral disorders, including asthma, autism and cancer,” says Gigi Lee Chang, CEO of Healthy Child Healthy World, an independent non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of children from harmful chemicals and a Walgreens partner. “Until the U.S. adopts better regulations around product safety … parents are left to bear the burden of protecting their children’s health by educating themselves and making conscious purchases. With the help of Walgreens’ Ology products, concerned consumers now have easier access to affordable and safer solutions.”
To help support the new brand, introduced in late 2012, Walgreens even created a Facebook page and Twitter account dedicated to it.
“Ology reflects our dedication to innovation, our constant drive to improve our customers’ quality of life, and our ongoing commitment to help people get, stay and live well,” says Joe Magnacca, president of daily living products and solutions for Walgreens.
Best New Product/Product Line, Convenience/Dollar Store Channels
WAWA INC.
Wawa single-serve coffee
The past year or so has seen a slew of store brand single-serve coffee introductions designed to be compatible with the Keurig brewing system. But in its single-serve launch, Wawa, Pa.-based Wawa Inc. aimed for something a bit loftier. The Wawa Original Blend and 100% Colombian single-serve offerings the company introduced in December 2012 are designed to taste like the popular freshly brewed coffee it offers in stores — Wawa has sold more than 1 billion cups of that coffee since 2000.
“A tremendous amount of development has gone into ensuring the cup that customers brew at home is as perfect as the cup our customers buy at any Wawa location,” says Mendy Meriwether, category manager for Wawa. “We have seen an incredible amount of excitement from our customers so far, and we look forward to expanding our varieties to generate even more ways to simplify our customers’ lives.”
Since the launch, Wawa has expanded the line (a Pumpkin Spice variety is a new seasonal offering).
“At Wawa, coffee is more than a hot beverage,” Howard Stoeckel, Wawa’s CEO, says. “It’s a way of life. Now we’re making it even easier for customers to bring Wawa home.”
Best New Natural, Organic or Better-for-You Product/Product Line
REXALL/KATZ GROUP CANADA LTD.
Be.better lineup
When Katz Group Canada Ltd.’s Rexall Drug Stores Ltd. introduced its Be.better brand last January, it likely helped many Canadians stick to a New Year’s resolution to get healthier. The line, “designed to help Canadians live, feel and be better,” debuted with more than 100 products across both food and non-food categories.
According to the Mississauga, Ontario-based retailer, the Be.better line includes naturally derived vitamins containing no artificial colors, dyes or gluten; household products free from sodium lauryl sulfate/sodium laureth sulfate (SLS/SLES), parabens and artificial dyes and fragrances; beauty products enriched with natural ingredients and containing no parabens and SLS/SLES; and snack items with healthful attributes such as high fiber, low sodium and/or no gluten.
“Our customers told us they are looking for more options to make it easier to take those small steps towards living better, in every area of their lives,” says Frank Scorpiniti, CEO, Rexall Pharm Plus. “Our new Be.better line provides Canadians with the tools they need to feel good about their choices.”
Best Product Relaunch or Revamp
CVS/PHARMACY
CVS Gold Emblem line
CVS/pharmacy had the foresight to introduce its premium Gold Emblem food line way back in 1995, before many other retailers had discovered premium’s power to differentiate. And in February, the Woonsocket, R.I.-based retailer introduced a 250-plus item revamped Gold Emblem lineup, featuring a packaging redesign (complete with nutritional information on the front of the package), new items, enhanced ingredients and additional flavors.
The line — which covers nuts, trail mixes, chips, pretzels, dried fruit, candies, cookies, spices, juices, condiments, baking essentials and breakfast bars — was also subject to new ingredient guidelines and a “refined taste-test approval process” prior to relaunch, CVS/pharmacy notes, a process that will apply to any products added to the line going forward as well.
“At CVS/pharmacy, we are committed to providing our customers with high-quality private label products at [a] great value,” says George Coleman, vice president of merchandising, store brands and quality assurance for CVS/pharmacy. “With this in mind, we have reintroduced our Gold Emblem brand with better ingredients, new recipes and a refreshed packaging design that highlights the ingredient enhancements and our overall dedication to excellence.”
Best Use of Social Media To Promote Store Brands
TARGET CORP.
Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Cartwheel efforts
When it comes to social media efforts, Minneapolis-based Target Corp. is adept not only at engaging its customers (and potential customers), but also at incorporating its own brands into the conversation as often as possible. And the retailers reach here is considerable; it boasts more than 22 million Facebook likes, almost a million Twitter followers and more than 87,000 Pinterest followers. And although it’s not exactly part of the social media space, Target’s Cartwheel program is one of the most unique loyalty and engagement concepts we’ve seen — packed with store brand products — and is fully integrated into the retailers social media channels.
“Social media plays a critical role in helping Target connect with our guests,” says Angie Thompson, public relations, social media, Target. “We know they are increasingly using social media to interact with brands, and we seek to engage with our guests in ways that are relevant and meaningful to them.”
She describes Cartwheel as an “innovative, first-of-its-kind digital savings program” combining digital technology and social media with guests’ in-store experience.
“Our goal was to build a new program and experience that our guests would love, with personalized savings, the ability to share with friends and the ease of having offers with you whenever you have your phone — no more clipping and forgetting coupons,” Thompson says. “So far, 1.5 million users have saved more than $5 million.”
One of Target’s objectives in using social media, she adds, is to listen to its guests to help enhance the retailer’s products and services.
“Through channels such as Pinterest, we’re paying attention to the products and trends our guests love and using those insights to deliver relevant content,” Thompson says.
Best Use of Retail Website To Promote Store Brands
WEGMANS FOOD MARKETS LTD.
www.wegmans.com
From a special section that lists and shares reviews of thousands of Wegmans brand items to another that spells out the benefits of Wegmans’ Food You Feel Good About better-for-you brand, Wegmans Food Markets weaves its own brand story throughout its website. And site visitors in need of meal ideas will find no shortage of recipes via the online Menu magazine, “This Week’s Daily Meal Ideas” and more — all featuring Wegmans brand items as ingredients, of course. Even the retailer’s Fresh Stories blog ventures into store brand territory for a high percentage of the posts.
Moreover, Wegmans doesn’t limit online information to packaged own-brand goods. In fact, it provides complete nutritional information for all of the products it offers in its deli, bakery and prepared foods department via a simple click of the mouse.
Best Use of Store Brands to Promote Health and Wellness
LOBLAW COMPANIES LTD.
“Bring Healthier Home” campaign
In February, Loblaw Companies Ltd., Brampton, Ontario, launched its “Bring Healthier Home” campaign into Loblaws stores and the company’s other banners. The campaign centered on a large number of new President’s Choice (PC) products from the retailer, ranging from meal-makers such as PC Blue Menu Chicken Breast Strips to whole grains such as the PC Blue Menu Whole Grain Brown Rice with Lentils and Quinoa Blend Side Dish.
The new products are designed to make it easier for shoppers to make nutritious meals, Loblaw says. The company also provided tips to shoppers for integrating better-for-you routines and the new products into family meal routines.
Prior to kicking off the campaign, Loblaw commissioned Vision Critical to perform an online survey among randomly selected Canadian adults. The survey revealed that 82 percent of Canadian families are sitting down at least four times a week for family dinners. Sixty-six percent of these families said they also are making more healthful eating choices.
Best Achievement in Store Brand Marketing
WINN-DIXIE STORES INC.
The “Beef People” campaign
For Jacksonville, Fla.-based Winn-Dixie Stores, 2013 has been the year to put beef in the spotlight — its new WD Brand Choice Angus Beef, that is. The retailers “Beef People” campaign, carried out in store and via its website and social media, has been tempting consumers with mouth-watering descriptions, recipes and more.
This past summer, Winn-Dixie announced an expansion of the campaign to include a Facebook instant win game (held twice and expanded the second time to be mobile- and tablet-compatible) — with prizes consisting of gift cards for steak, as well as a top prize of free WD Brand Choice Angus Beef for a year.
“The Beef People social media game was a terrific way for us to reinforce our position as Beef People and introduce WD Brand Choice Angus Beef,” says Mary Kellmanson, Winn-Dixie’s senior vice president of marketing.
Yet another campaign extension recently gave people a chance to star in a Beef People ad. Entrants were asked to upload a picture or video of themselves holding a sign that says “I’m Beef People” — via Twitter or Instagram with the hashtags #ImBeefPeople and #(customercity) — and explain what makes them that way, the retailer says.
Best Store Brand-Related Shopper Contest
THE FRESH MARKET INC.
“Bragging Rights BBQ Sauce Challenge”
In the summer of 2012, The Fresh Market commenced a search for an all-natural barbecue sauce recipe that it could develop and market under its own self-titled brand. Entrants into the Greensboro, N.C.-based retailer’s “Bragging Rights BBQ Sauce Challenge” competed for a chance to win a $500 store gift card, a Weber grill and a six-month supply of The Fresh Market Hardwood Lump Charcoal or Briquet Charcoal — and, ultimately, bragging rights.
“The goal was to build The Fresh Market brand awareness and loyalty through engaging our customers and celebrating their cooking talents,” explains Michelle Beck, associate category manager – private label. “Our TFM BBQ sauces include an organic and an all-natural line. We wanted to expand the all-natural line with a unique sauce that would complement our current offerings.”
The Fresh Market narrowed down the entries to a handful of truly unique recipes and called on its development vendor to identify those recipes that had “the best opportunity for conversion to production,” she says. The company prepared the five finalists’ recipes and narrowed the field down to two finalists based on those results.
“From there, our development vendor produced bench samples of a shelf-stable version,” Beck says. “Finally, we remade the final two from scratch and cut against their converted recipe batch samples for closest to the original recipe.”
The winning recipe, The Fresh Market Caribbean Coconut BBQ Sauce, hit the retailer’s shelves this spring. It’s said to be made with coconut, curry, peanuts, tomatoes and “just the right amount” of habanero peppers.
“The best part of this contest, besides a great unique BBQ sauce offering, was the ‘story’ we discovered behind the winner,” Beck adds.
The winner, Christina Moynihan, runs a free Catholic boarding school in Haiti with her family that’s focused on promoting future leadership. But she comes back to the states several times a year, Beck says, frequenting The Fresh Market’s Vero Beach, Fla., store, Beck explains.
“She developed this BBQ sauce in Haiti with the cooks from the school, using the fresh ingredients abundant in Haiti,” she says. “She entered the contest because our $500 gift certificate means a lot when you are on a missionary’s salary, and she wanted to share the flavors she discovered while living in Haiti.”
Best Cause Marketing Tied to Store Brands
TOPS MARKETS LLC
MariO’s cereal and Polar Bear Brew Coffee
Tops Markets LLC, Williamsville, N.Y., knows a thing or two about developing exclusive products with a dual purpose. In the past year or so, the retailer introduced two items designed not only to appeal to shoppers’ taste buds, but also to support a good cause.
Last fall, Tops debuted MariO’s cereal in a collector’s box, developed in partnership with Buffalo Bills defensive end Mario Williams and PLB Sports of Pittsburgh. Williams donated 100 percent of his proceeds from the sale of the honey nut toasted cereal to benefit pediatric cancer patients and their families through Carly’s Club at Roswell Park Institute in Buffalo.
And this summer, Tops announced a partnership with Buffalo-based McCullagh Coffee to offer Polar Bear Brew Coffee, a premium 100 percent Rainforest Alliance coffee to support the Buffalo Zoo’s new Artic Edge Polar Bear Exhibit — with $1.00 donated per bag sold. The promotion also included a scratch-off game that gave participants a chance to win a one-year family zoo membership and a McCullagh Coffee gift basket or tickets to the zoo’s annual Howl-O-Ween Hayrides (sponsored by Tops) and a McCullagh Coffee travel mug.
