IGA Supermarkets launches national ‘Locked Down Low Prices’ campaign via Creative Oasis
Australia’s third player in the national grocery market, IGA Supermarkets, last night launched its biggest ever marketing and merchandising campaign to back up its Locked Down Low Prices strategy.
The new campaign, via Creative Oasis, worth more than $5 million, is an extension of IGA’s strategy to further challenge the national chains.
The new TV commercial features a soundtrack based on the Bill Hayley and the Comets’ classic ‘Rock around the Clock’ – reinterpreted for IGA’s message of ‘locked down low prices’.
Says Les Gock of Sound Thinking, who produced the track: “I was keen to capture a really authentic interpretation of the 50’s classic by using the distinctive vocals of Dannie Marx Young (son of John Paul)”.
Created by the team at Heckler, the commercial features an animated 3D lock ‘rocking’ across the store locking down low prices as it travels across the aisles.
Says David Stretch, director of Creative Oasis: “When you are the third player in the market, you have to find more impactful ways to cut through and connect with your customers.”
The TV commercial uses an animated lock to represent the personality of the challenger brand, being surprising and nimble, and is a major change in direction from IGA’s previous advertising strategy, taking a more upbeat attitude.
The IGA stores have been transformed over the weekend to feature the new in-store branding starring the lock, with new posters, shelf talkers and wobblers, as well as large, freestanding display units.
The catalogues and online branding on My IGA have also been revamped to reflect the vibrant new branding.
The new campaign will be backed up by aggressive promotional pricing of a record number of grocery items – now locked for each quarter.
The new campaign is the first since the appointment of new general manager marketing, Michele Teague.
Says Teague: “The new creative work dials up the focus on IGA’s competitive spirit and our challenger brand status. It’s fresh, fun, energetic and single-mindedly focused on getting our value message out.
“The campaign is part of IGA’s response to the strong market competition in an environment where grocery shoppers continue to look for better value from their local retailers.”
Says Silvestro Morabito, chief operating officer of IGA’s supplier Metcash Food & Grocery: “We are investing significantly in the national Locked Down Low Prices campaign, which is much more than a one-off promotion.
“It is our platform to drive our value message to consumers. Locked Down Low Prices is a powerful merchandise and marketing strategy that enables IGA retailers to compete against the major chains on value, product range and price.”
Agency: Creative Oasis
Creative Director: Paul Knights
Head of Art: Paul Lo Russo
Producer: Wendy Gilles
Production: Heckler
Music: Les Gock
11 Comments
Not exactly an award winner by any measure, but I have to say an easier watch than the down down….or the latest WW ads which put me to sleep. Cute effective and catchy. Over all not a bad effort.
Not too foul!
Why is IGA going in with a price strategy? Seems a bit weird when you’re up against Colesworths.
Perhaps it would have been better to focus on the fact that at IGA, all of the brands you know and love aren’t slowly being bumped off the shelves by house brands. That’s a point of difference you could sell.
Seems to be almost exactly the Coles creative/strategy.
In fact could even be the next incarnation of a Big Red Coles ad.
Lets see.
Take a well known piece of music, give it an appropriate lyrical tweak (Down Down/Shivers Up My Back Bone – Rock Around The Clock)
Memorable red graphic device/mnemonic (Big Red Hand – Red Padlock).
Singing and dancing (be it this time from animated padlocks) and general merriment in the aisles.
Overall message/commitment to lower prices.
Off to lunch early, job done.
I like it. Fun to watch, gets the message across in a fun way. Good job.
Have to say that I think this is the wrong approach for a brand like IGA. Yes, they do need to compete on price, as their is a pre-conception that Woolies & Coles are cheaper (which they aren’t) but they need to use facts, not gimmicks like a price padlock, which is all too similar to the red down down prices are down hands of Coles. They will need more than just a price strategy to attract more consumers.
At present, there is HUGE consumer discontent with the way Woolies & Coles go about their business. They don’t like the fact that W & C are no longer stocking consumers favourite brands and replacing them with their own brands. Consumers don’t like the way W & C are putting guns to the heads of their suppliers. They don’t like the duopoly of W & C either. So, if IGA presented itself as a moral brand, where most stores are owned by the person who runs the store (like they used to) that sells products at a similar price to Woolies or Coles (use a fact based strategy instead of a gimmick), then they would be onto a real winner, and a viable alternative to C & W.
This spot definitely doesn’t make me think that their prices will be cheaper than Coles or Woolworths and the sole idea is a price based strategy. This is also coming from a person who already shops at IGA, as well as my local butcher & greengrocer… so it doesn’t even work preaching to the already converted.
Good luck on the next spot though. I hope IGA can help break the duopoly of the evil that is Woolworths & Coles.
Totally agree with ‘I think it needs to be’. The Production on this ad is fine, but why would go up against Coles with price. IGA has a few really good and marketable differences, what not show us what they are. Based on price alone then I’d go to Coles as I know they’ve been putting people out of business to make everything private brand so they can keep things cheap but still maintain and improve their own profit margins.
It’ll change, people are already not only looking at price if they’re in a position to do so. Just wait until the economy improves, the Coles brand will be so eroded and stand for nothing but cheap cheap, that’s why IGA need to be going to market on their own strategy now and standing on their own too feet.
I am a IGA Retailer-Owner I think it is the wrong approach. We should be doing the point of difference thing. We stock Lion Custard Powder and all the other lines that Coles-WW don’t. We need to come up with a different strategy. Locked Down Low Prices is lost in the current price war between Coles and WW.
why steal cole’s word “down” i mean really – all i hear is coles’s horrid down down down song when i see this ad…
unoriginal, copied, boring – why not take your own path IGA so much for being “independent”
Who approves this garbage???
This isn’t creative its a copy…Down, Down, Prices are Down!
Come on Metcash, thinking caps on and come fresh new ‘creative’ marketing talent I say!
So happy to see that Iga has the Lion Custard Powder. I’m very tired of W and C. They are doing away with some very favorite items. Their ‘own’ labels don’t compare.