A simple advertising approach for No Name's Simple Check product line
Loblaw has launched a marketing campaign to raise awareness of its No Name Simple Check product line, and taken the brand to Instagram for the first time.
The campaign includes a new TV ad with the unique tone and approach that was introduced by the brand in the summer of 2019. That campaign strategy saw the creation of a distinct No Name persona that took to Twitter to post odd, smile-inducing tweets about No Name products.
For No Name quick-tie garbage bags, @NoNameBrands tweeted: “Can be tied slowly.” For old-fashioned pancakes, the tweet read: “Also for modern pancakes.”
Now, No Name has taken a similar approach for the new TV ad, which is again focused on the benefits of Simple Check, though the ad focuses specifically on its Blueberry Bagels. (See ad below.)
One of the inspirations for the new campaign was to imagine No Name—famous for its simple, straightforward aesthetic—as a self-aware entity rather than creative from a marketing department, explained Cher Campbell, chief creative officer at John St., the ad agency that worked on the campaign with Loblaw.
If the brand itself created the ad, it would simply communicate the relevant information. “The same way you don’t need the packaging to be embellished, you don’t need the acting to be embellished either. You need to deliver the information,” said Campbell.
Check this out: No Name gets quirky on YouTube
The unusual campaign has paid off for No Name, said Meghan Nameth, senior vice-president, marketing, Loblaw Companies Limited.
“Over the past couple of years, the No Name brand has evolved from a well-loved pantry staple to a brand that Canadians love in general,” she said. “The essence of the brand itself hasn’t changed since it launched in 1978, but it is resonating with our customers in a whole new way.”
“We’ve seen increased brand health and awareness with our campaigns, and the brand is so well-loved that when we dropped limited edition No Name merch, it sold out in days.
On Instagram, the messaging is for No Name in general rather than just Simple Check, but the tone and voice is similar. No Name doesn’t bother to share actual photos on Instagram; No Name simply describes what the photo would like—using black type on a yellow background—with humorous explanations inspired by common Instagram tropes.
Rather than a Throwback Thursday photo, No Name posted “image of me as a younger brand posted on a Thursday because that is when others do this.”
The posts usually include some mention of a No Name product in the caption, in this case it’s “there may be numerous no name® party cups in the background,” but the intent seems to be more about engaging with younger consumers in a fun and relatively refreshing way.
“We want to let Canadians know that there are new no name Simple Check products arriving in our stores, with the great quality and value they’ve grown to love from this brand,” said Nameth. “We are very proud of the quality of these products, but it’s important that we tell our customers this message in a way that’s true to the brand.”
