Fiesta Farms
View CommentsInstead of competing against nearby franchises of large, established chains, Fiesta Farms decided to change the game. They focussed on their ethnic customers (Portuguese and Italian to start), and examined the concept of “local” food. They were able to delight customers with specialty items that weren’t practical for mass buying competitors, and to buy from local producers and entrepreneurs. It wasn’t always easy, but they stuck with it.
Toronto’s largest independent grocery retailer was reaping the rewards of sticking to their strategy when we met them. We were customers and fans ourselves. We knew they had something special going.
Our job was to identify the reasons Fiesta’s customers were loyal so that we could help them celebrate those reasons in interactions outside the store.
We started with 3 kinds of research to get us up to speed in a hurry and to define the smallest thing we might do to get started that would offer value.
- A collaborative brainstorm session
- Social Media review
- Comparative assessment of 3 values-driven brands
Fiesta Farms Research Report
The brainstorm session, with about 20 people, made up of staff, customers and partners, led us to a set of 8 values that the Fiesta Farms experience reflected back at customers.
The social media media review taught us that people saw Fiesta’s policies, practices and experiences in the context of important initiatives, like preserving the Green Belt and creating a sustainable local economy.
And the comparative review looked at the comment elements, successes and failures of brands who were providing more to the world than simply what they were selling.
The insights and implications gleaned from all three led us to create the “Food Matters” platform–a lens through which to consider all future communications.
“Food Matters” to a lot of people for a range of reasons. We help Fiesta Customers celebrate these reasons through ads, the website and other social platforms and events.
