CLIENT

As we prepared to launch Safeway Select, a new house coffee brand, we knew we needed outside-the-box solutions to raise awareness and boost store traffic in Portland, San Francisco, and San Diego.

We wanted to get on the streets and engage the target audience face-to-face to capitalize on the word-of-mouth nature of coffee, as 74% of consumers identify word-of-mouth as a significant influence in their purchasing decisions (Ogilvy Cannes).

We researched areas of Portland and San Francisco with high commuter traffic and coordinated with city officials to obtain permits. Then, we set up branded tents throughout the city near Safeway locations with the goal of increasing foot traffic and new product purchase.

Bright and early, our team was sporting dispenser backpacks full of freshly-brewed Safeway Select coffee. We eagerly handed out cups of coffee to early morning commuters, along with coupons to purchase the coffee at nearby Safeway locations. Thousands of samples flew out of our hands —and Safeway Select flew off the shelves in local stores. Simultaneously, we organized an aggressive public relations campaign to augment word of mouth. We earned extensive coverage for Safeway on radio, television, and print platforms with our “This is Not Your Average Joe” campaign and coordinated media appearances at the local fire and police stations.

We connected the new line of coffee with the rest of the community, earned extensive media coverage, and activated the Safeway Select brand in all these markets, all through outside-the-BOX thinking and relentless energy.

Because the grocery store industry had been trending toward online shopping and delivery for some time, Safeway.com’s evolution, while significant, was not the first of its kind.  That’s why the brand needed to earn a place in customers’ minds to gain their loyalty and test out the concept of grocery delivery.

Our approach: make home delivery exciting. After extensive research, we landed on one of the highest-traffic areas that could be reached.

But we still needed a final element; Safeway needed to distinguish itself among grocery stores, and we needed to distinguish our team on crowded city streets. How did we stand out?

THE SOLUTION

Our team hit the streets wearing Superman capes and Clark Kent glasses—emphasizing Safeway.com’s ability to “come to the rescue.” Our team distributed branded water bottles and pads of paper with coupons to thousands of consumers, engaging them in dialogue about Safeway.com’s online services. Extensive logistical coordination with city officials and energetic facilitation by the BRAINBOX team made the mobilization an enormous success.

Word of mouth buzz spread throughout the week-long event, with passersby exclaiming that they had “seen our team everywhere this week.” Nearly 600,000 people were reached during this event.

Having recently launched a new isotonic sports drink called Refreshe, Safeway wanted to embed this product in consumers’ minds, especially given the large number of similar drinks on the market. They needed a way to bring the drink outside the stores into the hands of athletes and fans. Once again, BRAINBOX provided the perfect way to do so.

For over 15 years, BRAINBOX has successfully activated large brands and products through our property The Great American Rivalry Series. High school football games have proven to be the perfect platform for reaching a captive and engaged audience with word of new brands and products.

Using the Great American Rivalry Series platform, BRAINBOX selected games in six major cities in California and Oregon; games were selected based on the average number of attendees at each in order to ensure maximum exposure for Safeway and its product. At each game, our Rivalry team coordinated logistics and set up tents in high-traffic areas to facilitate maximum interaction with the thousands of game attendees.

The team handed out thousands of drink samples to arriving fans, immediately sparking conversation among fans of all ages. We distributed coupons as well to help drive foot traffic to stores in the local area. BRAINBOX also coordinated extensive signage and PA announcements to guarantee top-of-mind awareness for every person at the game. This effort reached nearly 300,000 people total.