Kroger "big announcement coming" on branding

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Re: Kroger "big announcement coming" on branding

Post by jamcool »

Or they change the design of the various storename logos to match the new Kroger logo-it happened in the 60s when Kroger bought the Wyatt chain in Texas-they brought out an oval logo with the same font style as the Kroger logo for a while until converting to the Kroger name.
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Re: Kroger "big announcement coming" on branding

Post by Bakeragr »

I visited my local Gerbes today, which is a chain in the Dillons division that only has 6 stores. The receipts already have the “Fresh for Everyone” slogan and the new signage was up. Nothing else appears different.
This location is one that has increased in popularity over the last few years. It does have pickup (formerly ClickList) options but no fuel center. They’ve been willing to invest in the store, which is interesting because they’ve closed others in the area.
Everything is Kroger-branded here except for Milk and bread, which is Dillons-branded. Seriously, they could rename it Kroger and most wouldn’t care, but the local name does have some value.
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Re: Kroger "big announcement coming" on branding

Post by BreakingThrough »

I'm actually surprised by how much attention this re-brand is getting in the media.

Here's a critique of the new branding from a design blog (the comments, mostly from working designers, skew negative): https://www.underconsideration.com/bran ... by_ddb.php

One controversial item among designers is the fact that Kroger went with an advertising agency to handle all aspects of the re-brand, including the new logo. There exist separate design and branding firms, but nowadays more ad agencies are attempting to be "one-stop shops," which include graphic design work. I do agree with the critiques that a proper design firm would have handled the Kroger logo evolution much better. I also agree with the critiques that, likely because everything was handled by an ad agency, many of the new creative assets rely heavily on cheesy copywriting (such as the banners going up with stuff like "Hams for hams!")

David Lazarus, the consumer business columnist for the LA Times, devoted his entire column today to the rebrand. His take is that the whole campaign is a bit too touchy-feely and over-the-top for a grocery chain, to the point it feels inauthentic: https://www.latimes.com/business/story/ ... rebranding

The LA Times article is behind a paywall, but this excerpt sums up the column:
Kroger is by no means the first large company to discover the power of love. A decade ago, the Japanese carmaker Subaru built a whole campaign around the idea that love is “what makes a Subaru a Subaru.”

Similarly romantic notes have been struck by the likes of McDonald’s (“I’m lovin’ it”), LensCrafters (“See what you love, love what you see”) and Payless shoes (“I [heart] shoes”).

What’s different about Kroger’s rebranding is that love isn’t a core component of the campaign — that is, it’s not part of the new slogan or the overall messaging.

Rather, all that ooey-gooey stuff is largely confined to the explanatory news release, as if the company wants journalists in particular to know that Kroger isn’t afraid to get in touch with its feelings.

All I know is I like Ralphs. I shop there.

And I’d rather just be friends, if it’s all the same to you.
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Re: Kroger "big announcement coming" on branding

Post by marshd1000 »

Looks like we don’t have to worry about regional banners becoming Kroger!

https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail- ... -its-brand
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Re: Kroger "big announcement coming" on branding

Post by marshd1000 »

I should also note that here in Seattle, Fred Meyer has adopted the “Fresh For Everyone” tagline. This ends a over 20 year run of “What’s on your list today? You’ll find it at Fred Meyer!” This tagline actually started as, “You’ll find it at Freddy’s!” QFC on the other hand still uses, “You know it’s going to be good!” I’m guessing that Harris Teeter is not using the new tagline either!
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Re: Kroger "big announcement coming" on branding

Post by arizonaguy »

marshd1000 wrote: November 8th, 2019, 2:43 pm I should also note that here in Seattle, Fred Meyer has adopted the “Fresh For Everyone” tagline. This ends a over 20 year run of “What’s on your list today? You’ll find it at Fred Meyer!” This tagline actually started as, “You’ll find it at Freddy’s!” QFC on the other hand still uses, “You know it’s going to be good!” I’m guessing that Harris Teeter is not using the new tagline either!
That is why I surmised that Fred Meyer could eventually be rebannered Kroger.

Marianos isn't using the tagline but Pick 'n Save is.

So far QFC, Mariano's, Harris Teeter, Food4Less, FoodsCo, and Ruler Foods seem to be the only banners not on that campaign.
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Re: Kroger "big announcement coming" on branding

Post by steps »

arizonaguy wrote: November 8th, 2019, 3:20 pm
marshd1000 wrote: November 8th, 2019, 2:43 pm I should also note that here in Seattle, Fred Meyer has adopted the “Fresh For Everyone” tagline. This ends a over 20 year run of “What’s on your list today? You’ll find it at Fred Meyer!” This tagline actually started as, “You’ll find it at Freddy’s!” QFC on the other hand still uses, “You know it’s going to be good!” I’m guessing that Harris Teeter is not using the new tagline either!
That is why I surmised that Fred Meyer could eventually be rebannered Kroger.

Marianos isn't using the tagline but Pick 'n Save is.

So far QFC, Mariano's, Harris Teeter, Food4Less, FoodsCo, and Ruler Foods seem to be the only banners not on that campaign.
I can see why.

QFC, Mariano's and HT are the "higher end" brands and F4L, FoodsCo, Ruler Foods are the "lower end" brands.

This seems to only affect the mid-tier brands.

Although, you can never tell with Kroger. They might be testing it out with how it is received. This "fresh for everyone" could become banner wide in a few months.
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Re: Kroger "big announcement coming" on branding

Post by storewanderer »

I think the new logo looks pretty terrible. There was nothing wrong with the old logo. They need to just stick to the old logo and be done with it. They could perhaps spiff it up a little somehow but again there was nothing wrong with the old logo. The new logo looks very cheap and downscale. It also looks sad. It is puffy and somehow looks more dated than the old logo looks. The old logo has a classic look to it but does not look explicitly dated. The old logo definitely looks classy though. The new logo looks low class.

As far as the new ad campaign with the little toy like characters, I think they are very cute. If they were selling toys, or perhaps fast food kids meals, I think they would be great characters to use in advertising. But as far as grocery store advertising goes, seeing the little toy like character holding an obviously fake burger or obviously fake produce does not make me hungry. It does not make me think this place is trying to sell me fresh food.

So I think this is a loser of an ad campaign for a grocery store. It does not make me hungry. It also does not make me think of fresh food. It may be good for the Fred Meyer toy department or if they want to start selling chicken strip kid's meals out of the hot deli, though.

I think it is actually a well done ad campaign but just not for a grocery store trying to market its fresh food.

Glad to see it is not being used at the upper end banners... the fact they are not using it at those banners speaks volumes.

Also using it at Fred Meyer is questionable. Why do they keep marginalizing the general merchandise business at Fred Meyer? The previous slogans always played up that it was a multi department store.
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Re: Kroger "big announcement coming" on branding

Post by Super S »

storewanderer wrote: November 8th, 2019, 11:56 pm

Also using it at Fred Meyer is questionable. Why do they keep marginalizing the general merchandise business at Fred Meyer? The previous slogans always played up that it was a multi department store.
Fred Meyer has the new signage for this campaign all over the store, and even has the new slogan on the receipts. In all honesty it made some sense for Fred Meyer to at least move away from their old slogan with so many areas of the GM side scaling back, but I agree that the new slogan doesn't make any sense for the GM side.
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Re: Kroger "big announcement coming" on branding

Post by Super S »

A couple thoughts since this campaign has been out for a few weeks:

As for the Kroger logo, I think it is a good "evolutionary" update which doesn't make signage on existing stores look old overnight. Kroger can take its time with sign replacements.

As for Fred Meyer, the slogan doesn't make sense on the GM side. I was in my local Fred Meyer yesterday, and they have sale prices with "FRESH FOR EVERYONE" on things like TVs, rugs, toys, furniture, and other hardlines items where that slogan makes no sense. The only relevance to "fresh" is that items in the store are "new" but this is not thought out well at all for the GM side.

As for the characters in the commercials, certain aspects remind me too much of the Fisher-Price "Little People" toys.
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