• by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer @mahoney_sarah, July 5, 2023

While Albertsons Cos. is no stranger to cause-related campaigns to fight food insecurity, it's trying something new: An initiative linked to its O Organics private label line.

Themed "Fight Hunger, Serve Hope," the marketing effort zeros in on the hunger crisis caused each summer when up to 22 million kids lose access to free or reduced-cost meals served during the school year.

"Many of these children rely on school programs for nutritious meals during the day so that summer months can pose a challenge to families facing food insecurity," says Brandon Brown, Albertsons' senior vice president of own brands. "The money raised from this cause campaign will go directly to nonprofit organizations dedicated to providing breakfast programs for kids in need this summer."

In an email to "Retail Insider," he says the company continuously runs research and focus groups to decide where and how its efforts can make the biggest impact. And the idea for this campaign, created with agency Active Ingredients, is to emphasize how easy it is to get involved in the fight against hunger.

Using digital display, video and in-store signage, ads explain that for every O Organics product purchased through early August, the company plans to donate the equivalent of a free meal, up to $7 million.

Shoppers can buy O Organics products at all the company's stores, including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Shaw's, Jewel-Osco and Tom Thumb.

"Through direct consumer testing, we landed on creative that builds an emotional connection with consumers, approaching food insecurity through the lens of food dignity," he says. That includes videos of a family cooking tacos together, using O organics components.

"We leveraged statistics around summer hunger to support our messaging in raising awareness while offering an easy way to make an impact."

While the campaign is national, Brown says the grocer keeps the donations local, and the foundation works closely with stores and nonprofits to determine the areas and individuals with the greatest need. "We are proud to have a strategy that allows us to hyper-target donations to those who need it most," he says. This effort will result in grants to 200 separate groups distributed by its Nourishing Neighbors program.

It's the latest example of ways Albertsons is leveraging the brand. Earlier this year, it redesigned the O Organics line and launched a new marketing effort. First introduced in 2005, it is the company's most successful organic line, with sales crossing the billion-dollar threshold in 2018.

Meanwhile, Albertsons' merger with Kroger, a $25 billion deal first announced in October, is still moving forward, despite objections from some unions and concerns from the U.S. judiciary board. As a result, the two companies have agreed to divest up to 650 stores.

Albertsons has 2,200 grocery stores in the U.S., and Kroger has 2,700.