As Director of Advertising for Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. Fred Kopp planned and directed many very successful ad campaigns to promote Wegmans’ produce, prepared foods, seafood, meat, bakery and other perishable foods. In her Advertising Manager capacity, Sue Hunter oversaw the development and production of key campaign elements.
Opportunities: Wegmans had many perishable store departments, product lines, and services that were far superior to those offered by competitors.
Challenges: Competitors claimed to have the same quality, at lower prices, which was not the case. Some business was also very seasonal, which affected quality.
Solutions: Fred, Sue and their team gathered input from various merchandising department teams, to develop detailed ad campaigns, which were also incorporated into Wegmans’ overall strategies. TV campaigns were created, backed up by colorful in-store (and later Internet) product information. Newspaper and in-store display sign programs promoted “best value” prices. Employee expertise, superior product quality, and selection and low prices were promoted.
Results: Wegmans was recognized for superior department products and services, and dominated competition. Employee pride increased! Market shares increased!
