• by Tanya Gazdik , May 28, 2009

Southeast and Mid-Atlantic grocery store chain Food Lion is launching a new ad campaign focusing on its competitive pricing and neighborhood convenience.

"In the midst of a tough economy and (with) various retailers focusing on price messaging, we want to remind our customers that they do not have to hunt from store to store for great prices," says Ken Mills, Marketing VP at Salisbury, N.C.-based Food Lion LLC, a subsidiary of Brussels-based Delhaize Group.

The six-week campaign is themed "Great Price Hunters" and includes two TV spots. They show that it's not necessary to travel to multiple stores to for good prices only on certain items since Food Lion has everyday low prices on all the grocery staples.

One ad, titled "Cheddar," features a mother and her children in the forest with nets, chasing down a wedge of cheddar cheese that is on sale. The second spot, "Carts," features shopping carts mingling around a watering hole, while a family waits for the perfect moment to pounce on their prey -- a full shopping cart within their budget.

The fully integrated marketing campaign also includes print, radio, online and outdoor advertisements. A new Web site, http://www.foodlion.com/pricehunters/, includes links to the TV spots. There's also a Food Lions Brand Matching Game where consumers can win coupons while getting to know the store brands that the grocer carries.

Radio and TV will run in markets including: Raleigh-Fayetteville, N.C.; Charlotte, N.C.; Norfolk, Va.; Greensboro, N.C.; Richmond, Va.; Charleston, S.C.; Charlottesville, Va.; Columbia, S.C.; Myrtle Beach/Florence, S.C.; Greenville/New Bern, N.C.; Harrisonburg, Va.; Roanoke/Lynchburg, Va.; Salisbury, Md. and Wilmington, N.C.

"Despite competitors' claims, we consistently provide savings on all the groceries a family needs -- every day and in a one-stop shopping experience -- which saves customers time and money," Mills said. "We expect the campaign's message will be extremely relevant to our customers during this time and we believe the ads will set us apart from other grocery retailers."

Food Lion partnered with Atlanta-based Ames Scullin O'Haire on the campaign. Food Lion has worked with the agency since 2000. Food Lion frequently advertises specific promotions and products. The last campaign that did not focus on a product or promotion was the company's "Good Neighbors" campaign, which aired last year, according to company spokesperson Christy Phillips-Brown.

Food Lion LLC operates more than 1,300 supermarkets, either directly or through affiliated entities, under the names of Food Lion, Bloom, Bottom Dollar Food, Harveys and Reid's. Food Lion LLC employs approximately 74,000 associates in 11 Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states.