Sobeys puts focus on food and family

Who: Sobeys, Gravity Partners (strategy and creative), UM (media), XMC (experiential and sponsorship), North Strategic (PR).

What: A new brand positioning and campaign for the grocery chain, built around the tagline “Canada’s family grocery store.”

When & Where: The campaign, which rolls out throughout the summer, kicked off last week with a 60-second brand spot called “Gone Fishing.”Creative will run across TV, cinema, digital (display and video), radio, social and out-of-home.

Why: Sobeys is really emphasizing families in this campaign, noting that “family and food are at the heart of everything we do.”

How: The launch spot features a man and his grandson on a fishing trip. The message is all about family bonds and the important ways food—and Sobeys—can bring families together outside eating occasions. “For Sobeys, it’s not just a name on our sign—it represents the promise of bringing food and family together for the experiences that matter the most in our lives,” said Trinh Tham, vice-president of brand marketing for Sobeys.

Is that Fleetwood Mac? It is the Fleetwood Mac classic “You Make Loving Fun,” but it’s an original version recorded by Canadian singer Serena Ryder.

Quote: “There was so much rich creative territory for our teams to work off. We focused on deepening the emotional connection that customers look for when planning and enjoying the moments in their lives that food enable.” —Leigh Himel CEO, Gravity Partners.

David Brown