Metro gets musical in new campaign
Metro Ontario is celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary with homegrown food and music experiences.
The grocer’s “Homegrown Tour” launches during Juno Week, ahead of the 2017 Juno Awards, which take place in Ottawa on April 2. As an awards sponsor, Metro is hosting a VIP food experience aboard the “Juno Express,” a Via Rail train that will bring Juno Award nominees and music industry members to Ottawa from Toronto.
This will be followed by a series of pop-up dinners and concert events throughout the spring and summer in six Ontario cities: Toronto, Oakville, Windsor, Guelph, London and Thunder Bay. In each city, an invitation-only dinner event will be hosted by a local chef.
“We had a little bit of fun over the past few years building content strategies around things like food and film, and food and fashion,” says Nancy Modrcin, vice-president of marketing at Metro Ontario. “And we thought what better year to start talking about food and music than Canada’s 150th because the best celebrations in life always include food and music.”
In addition to the Homegrown Tour, Metro is boosting its focus on local sourcing this year by highlighting Canadian products in stores and across various media channels. A 52-week content strategy is already underway on Metro’s digital platforms and printed flyer, and will be ramping up in early spring through Canada Day.
Metro will be creating weekly showcases around its best-selling Canadian products, including locally grown and sourced fresh items, Metro’s private label lines, Irresistibles and Selection, and vendor-supplied products that are packaged in Canada.
“That is going to put a spotlight on our local sourcing policy
While the campaign is all about celebrating Canada’s 150th, Modrcin says the business objectives are threefold: “driving top-of-mind consideration with our customers, reinforcing our positioning as a neighbourhood grocer, and building brand equity for Metro through the demonstration of our commitment to our local communities.”