The Objective
Overcoming changing preferences & competition
Kroger Precision Marketing, powered by 84.51°, taps into purchase data from 60 million households from 2,800 stores in 35 states to create holistic campaigns across an expanded digital ecosystem. The offerings include on-site advertising on Kroger.com, co-branded digital media across the Web, and a word-of-mouth platform which reaches Kroger's most loyal customers with new products to better understand customer opinions and acquire user-generated content.
Faced with changing consumer preferences for out-of-home food and dining experiences and increasing competition from e-commerce grocery retailers like Amazon, Kroger kicked off its Restock Kroger Plan in 2018.
The Solution
The "Restock Kroger" initiative
The Restock Kroger Plan is an accelerated three-year strategic plan designed to leverage data and technology around pricing, personalized communications with customers, and changes to its product assortments to deliver an elevated customer experience online and in-store.
As a part of this initiative, KPM wanted to launch co-branded influencer marketing programs at scale that leveraged multiple channels to connect with customers, delivering against key objectives such as accelerating the impact of new product launches, amplifying in-store promotions, or driving long-term sales growth.
![Woman influencer in boho hipster outfit holding bag of Doritos Flamin Hot Nachos taking a bite of a Dorito](https://images.ctfassets.net/nfpsrlop6sws/2oz1GBdBfSfTJiuvvFg5mF/3b3ecdd6adf12c964ab1c9bec2400af7/pepsico-campaign-post-1.jpg?fm=webp&q=75&w=800&h=1503)
![Man influencer eating Doritos lying down on floor scattered with Doritos holding two bags of Doritos Flamin Hot Nachos](https://images.ctfassets.net/nfpsrlop6sws/7HeDZN4UXjgM4VrvAPuCvs/d969b9f16bb9a903f1bb58fc59cb5c1f/pepsico-campaign-post-2.jpg?fm=webp&q=75&w=800&h=917)
![Woman influencer in tropical location holding Dorito over left eye and bag of Doritos Flamin Hot Nachos in right hand](https://images.ctfassets.net/nfpsrlop6sws/3qMtOhQHtCkfZsXinoXEWL/93df4696f78ebfe920173ebdb168d3e5/pepsico-campaign-post-3.jpg?fm=webp&q=75&w=800&h=1500)
Three campaign goals
This campaign had three main objectives:
- Scale Content to Drive Inspiration & Discovery: Generate high volumes of influencer content that drives discovery across digital platforms and meets the functional, emotional and inspirational needs of the Kroger customer.
- Create Differentiated Experiences through Content Curation: Curate content across Kroger-owned properties to develop customized experiences for key customer segments, including targeted recipes and promotional offers.
- Increase Campaign Scale to Create an Alternative Revenue Stream: Develop a competitive co-branded influencer marketing offering for CPGs to drive intent, preference and traffic at Kroger stores.
![Influencer in sun hat looking down surrounded by pink flowers on a sunny day holding a diet Snapple drink on top of her head](https://images.ctfassets.net/nfpsrlop6sws/5XOiv7uO37ZUCxuMemdnF6/37a6166aa97813482cf9f52b0e3670f1/keurig-dr-pepper-campaign-post-1.jpg?fm=webp&q=75&w=800&h=1505)
![Woman influencer in a field of yellow flowers at sunset with her right arm straight up holding a Snapple drink](https://images.ctfassets.net/nfpsrlop6sws/7tnNea8bmjYoKfp5GrrUlb/49ef365fc45667ee0c656ca065b02ffc/keurig-dr-pepper-campaign-post-2.jpg?fm=webp&q=75&w=800&h=999)
![Close up of beach accessories - sunglasses, straw hat, purse and bathing suit and a bottle of Bai antioxidant infusion drink](https://images.ctfassets.net/nfpsrlop6sws/2Z1xB9g38kfQZ2wcMUXGsS/d37c6fe6fd8475c896d0ee592d0fc103/keurig-dr-pepper-campaign-post-3.jpg?fm=webp&q=75&w=800&h=1500)
The marketing strategy
To deliver on its core objectives to drive inspiration and discovery, create differentiated experiences, as well as develop an alternative revenue stream, KPM developed an always-on influencer marketing strategy around five core content initiatives:
- Product Content
- Recipe & Video Content
- Complementary Products
- Personal Stories
- User-Generated Content
Macro-influencers were activated on a scale of 5-50 influencers per campaign to create original blog and video content that was then shared across social platforms. Micro-influencers were activated on a scale of 100 – 200 influencers per campaign to create original posts and stories on Instagram.
High-performing influencer-generated content was then amplified via paid social and across Kroger's owned media assets (ie. owned social, brand website, and email).
The Results
300+ successful campaigns
Working with Later Influence, Later’s influencer marketing platform, Kroger Performance Marketing scaled to 302 co-branded influencer marketing campaigns – with 5.4K influencer posts published on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and blogs – in one year.
![Key campaign results next to image of woman influencer holding a bag Oreo Thins Bites](https://images.ctfassets.net/nfpsrlop6sws/3JsDRfFIyCg57MB3YTGNax/cfab6a0c4ade2d865d3dd8df5f8f8568/mondele_z-campaign-post.jpg?fm=webp&q=75&w=800&h=1000)
302
Influencer Campaigns
5.4k
Pieces of Content
110m
Total Impressions
2.3m
Total Engagements
These campaigns resulted in:
- 110 M impressions and 2.3 engagements earned on influencer content;
- 3,210 hours saved using Later's platform for influencer activation and measurement; and
- $183k content production cost savings.