Kroger Hits Daytona Hard

Kroger activated its status as exclusive retail sponsor of NASCAR’s Daytona 500 in February for another tentpole marketing campaign gaining support from numerous manufacturers.The massive multi-channel program centered on a simple company-wide incentive that promised store loyalty cardholders $2 off a future receipt and $3 off instantly with purchase of 10 participating products from Feb. 12-25. Spanning grocery, dairy, frozen, household, personal care, meat and pet SKUs, the qualifying items were identified on price labels and included brands such as General Mills’ Betty Crocker and Pillsbury, Kellogg Co.’s Kellogg’s, Procter & Gamble’s Bounty, Unilever’s Dove, Hormel Foods’ Lloyd’s and Nestlé-Purina’s Friskies. Regional TV and radio spots supported.Multiple circular features plugged the offer, some directing shoppers to look for the exclusive Daytona 500 packaging provided by dozens of participating manufacturers. Brands with their own NASCAR sponsorships enhanced the packaging with graphics of specific drivers, while those that didn’t simply leveraged Kroger’s usage rights for the Daytona 500 logo and added generic icons such as racing flags. (See Images at right.) Participating manufacturers including Reckitt Benckiser, SC Johnson and Kellogg also supplied custom displays — including uniform standees sporting a "Fast Track to Savings" message — while others such as Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo's Gatorade provided their own NASCAR-themed collateral. (See Images at right.) Stores also deployed standees, endcap headers and cooler clings (many of them bilingual) to plug the “bonus savings” incentive. Some P-O-P materials touted Kroger’s support of the nonprofit USO (United Service Organizations). The retailer used the race to launch its second annual “Honoring Our Heroes” fundraising initiative, staging an on-site event at which 13 employees who serve in the military presented the organization with a check for the $1.5 million raised during the 2011 campaign. (See “Kroger Packages ...” in Related Articles.) The USO's logo was featured in the paint scheme of driver Bobby Labonte's car; Kroger joined with JTG Daugherty Racing again this year to sponsor Labonte's car for the Daytona 500. Meanwhile, a “You Pick the Winner” instant-win game running Feb. 5-25 across 13 Kroger chains awarded digital-coupon prizes loaded directly onto loyalty cards. The $138,100 prize pool comprised 80,000 coupons for Mills’ Totino’s; Kraft’s Kool-Aid, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and Velveeta; PepsiCo’s Gatorade and Cracker Jack; and Unilever’s Ragu, Degree, Suave and Country Crock. Carousel ads on chain home pages sent visitors to a dedicated microsite, where loyalty cardholders could enter daily. South San Francisco, CA-based You Technology handled. Facebook posts supported, with mommy bloggers helping to spread the word.Activity also included a dedicated website that featured a countdown clock leading up to the race, plugged the "bonus savings" offer and linked to digital coupons, recipes (provided by Mills, Kraft and Unilever), a trivia game, weekly circulars, a store locator and a downloadable shopping list. The site also featured branded content areas from Totino's and Betty Crocker. (See Related Promotional Activity.)Now a year-round operation (at racefans.daytona500.com), the website reset its countdown clock for the 2013 Daytona 500 as soon as the 2012 race had ended. It currently is hosting another round of promotions, including an "Ultimate Daytona Fan Experience" sweeps awarding a trip for four to next year's race. Loyalty cardholders enter April 1-30. Kroger's official partnership also includes sponsorship of the qualifying race held one day before the Daytona 500 to determine driver pole positions.Scheduled to take place on Feb. 26, this year's Daytona 500 was postponed one day due to rain.

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