Category: Ontario

We think life can be pretty delicious. And it all comes down to the right ingredients. The right people, the right food, the right setting, and the right mindset. As part of this, we’re refreshing the Safeway brand strategy with the parts of the brand customers know and love the most, including the tagline: Ingredients for life.

As we continue to bolster our brands and create sharp edges between banners, we are excited to launch a marketing campaign to showcase the new Safeway brand identity. Safeway has been proudly serving Western Canadian families for over 90 years. With a new creative campaign we’ve combined the perfect mix of leveraging strong existing equity, and new elements, to create a distinct refreshed brand that we couldn’t be prouder of.

Safeway: Ingredients for life
Safeway has all the right ingredients to feed family bonds. So, we’re bringing this to life by bringing back a beloved tagline, Ingredients for life.

When we started to explore tagline options for Safeway, we engaged with Western Canada shoppers to get their input. ‘Ingredients for life’ rose to the top of all the options that were tested. This tagline has equity, and there is an opportunity for us to build on the strong foundation since that line was first introduced in 2004. So we are bringing it back with a new purpose – enabling Western Canadian families to bond over amazing food.

We’re also introducing quotes – an element built by taking the iconic Safeway ‘S’ to create quotes and expressions in which Safeway provides the ingredients for life. Throughout our campaign we will be leveraging quotes to express our values, beliefs, and personality to form emotional connections with Western Canadians.

The Safeway brand character is like a proud dad; someone who inspires with enthusiasm, leads with confidence and welcomes with open arms. When we talk to our customers, we want to them to feel like the Safeway brand is a real person who is there to coach and encourage them using simple language and a casual tone of voice. Throughout the creative execution you will see photographs of meaningful moments that are reflective of real life – not overly stylized or staged – with pops of red to clearly tie back to the Safeway brand.

This new creative strategy will be launched with a brand campaign across TV, social, digital, and out of home media.  Our goal is to capture the attention of family-first grocery shoppers by reintroducing ‘Ingredients for life’ and building relevance in Western Canada. Further, we will be demonstrating how we nurture family bonds, while encouraging people to engage with the Safeway brand so that we become their preferred family big shop grocery destination.

The campaign launches later today, February 6, but you can get a sneak peek of our two TV commercials by clicking here. To create local buzz and excitement, we’re also rolling out a new design across our trailer fleet and sending the Mobile Food Experience to family-focused events across Western Canada. Below are a few examples of how this will come to life in market.

What are your ‘Ingredients for life’?
We want all of our employees to be part of the campaign by inviting them to create their very own ‘Ingredients for life’ quote card to share. Visit safewayphotofilter.ca, upload a photo, choose a filter and quote, then share it with your family and friends.

We think life can be pretty delicious. And it all comes down to the right ingredients. The right people, the right food, the right setting, and the right mindset. When they all come together, the best moments with the most important people are served up for you to enjoy.

Team,

As we near the end of 2019, we’d like to take a moment to recognize and celebrate a very special moment in our Company’s history – Safeway’s 90th year in Canada.

In 1929, Safeway was founded with the humble desire to serve the distinct needs of Western Canadians. While there was no doubt that Safeway was capable of amazing things, we’re sure nobody would have imaged that we’d achieve all that we have today.

Since our very first store opened in Manitoba, our retail teams have been the backbone of our business. It’s without a doubt that you are at the very core of what makes Safeway one-of-a-kind. Each and every day, you go above and beyond to serve our customers, create unparalleled shopping experiences and foster a culture of generosity, inclusion and true Safeway pride. We have all visited countless Safeway stores during our time with the Company and your unwavering hard work and commitment never ceases to amaze us. We are still excited every time we step foot in one of our stores.

Together, we’ve achieved remarkable things over the past 90 years and have had a meaningful impact on so many communities across Western Canada. With your support, we’ve donated over $100 million to worthy causes close to home. We’ve provided countless food banks across B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario with desperately needed food aid. We’ve helped hundreds Special Olympics athletes from across Western Canada achieve their dreams of competing in the Provincial, National and World Games. We’ve raised and donated millions of dollars through our employee payroll donation program – over $3 million in the last five years alone – which never would have been fathomable without your generosity. You should all be so proud; we are incredibly proud of every one of you.

Our store teams have, and always will be, what make Safeway so great. You are kind. You are generous. You never hesitate to offer a helping hand, whether within your store or within your community. Your pride is unmatched, and you consistently inspire us to see what’s possible when we simply work together.

Here’s to 90 more incredible years at Safeway. We’re grateful to be a part of your team and can’t wait to see what the future holds for us. Please watch this very special video message from our CEO, Michael Medline.

Happy anniversary, Safeway!

Julie Sue Wood, Vice President Operations, SMO

Ralf Mundel, Vice President Operations, British Columbia

Scott Chollak, Vice President Operations, Alberta