Checkers is getting better for me

Even though I am very conscious of advertising in general and am more critical than I’m sure an average non-marketing person is, I generally dislike being forced to watch endless ads- most of which are arguably terrible and completely irrelevant to my life.

One campaign that has managed to capture my interest outside of work-prompted critical analyses, however, is the Checkers “Better and Better” campaign. It is rare for a food retailer not to loudly bombard me with low prices, specials and seemingly happy shoppers all in the space of 30 seconds.

Checkers seems to have broken that mould slightly and it is doing a great job at getting my attention, retaining my attention and portraying a very sophisticated and appealing brand image.

In my mind, gone are the days of the cheap, yellow supermarket where I picture wilted lettuce and polony in place of the ham.

So what has attracted me and changed my mind?

First, the adverts are slightly seductive. One is seldom “seduced” by a supermarket, but Checkers is doing just that. They seem to portray individual product ranges in an enticing manner and consistently allude to quality through both visual and audio cues, reinforced by slightly indulgent, light-hearted music.

Second, they have approached products differently. Instead of listing a number of unrelated items with corresponding low prices, they take the time to tell me about certain product ranges and why they are good and worthwhile for me to buy. In other words, they add value to the products that they sell.

An example is the Odd Bins wine selection- a range of unlabeled wines from top South African estates. Most brands struggle to create value around items that are usually referred to as “no-name brand” and that are perceived to be cheap and of sub-standard quality. They redefined this practice by creating a brand that reassured and offered value and a guarantee, but at an affordable price. This is a difficult balance to strike, but Checkers has done it in style and with dignity.

Checkers’ approach to advertising their offering is distinctive. While the products they display are arguably not unique to Checkers, the feeling that they leave me with about those products and the brand that is bringing them to me, is.

I believe that Checkers is striving to live up to their promise to be better and better, even if it is just the manner in which they communicate.

In light of this success, I do not think that their latest message, “Don’t change your lifestyle, change you supermarket” will be translated as “Checkers is cheap”. They have done enough ground-work to be able to send out a bold message in particularly challenging times without compromising consumer confidence. The message challenges shoppers to try Checkers because Checkers guarantees exceptional quality at sensitive prices- again, a fine balance nicely achieved.