ST. LOUIS – Save A Lot, one of the largest discount grocery chains in the United States, announced a new, breakthrough creative campaign – “Like, A Lot A Lot” – that brings to life the fun and value-driven focus of the brand in energetic and unexpected ways unique to the grocery space. From an extensive brand refresh, where Save A Lot is modernizing the look and feel of its stores, to the creation of an original, buzzworthy song and accompanying music video that will have customers singing and dancing in the grocery aisles, the new campaign is geared towards broadening Save A Lot’s audience reach and appeal while continuing to highlight all of the savings, fun and “yum” shoppers have come to expect from the hometown grocer.
To bring this vision to life, the discount grocery chain partnered with film director Drew Kirsch, winner of the MTV VMA “Video of the Year” award for “You Need to Calm Down” by Taylor Swift, tapping into his expertise to create a one-of-a-kind music video that is destined to be played on repeat – like, a lot a lot of times. The song itself features vocals by three up and coming singers and hip-hop artists – Tamara Bubble, Leon Evans and Sarai.
As part of the Company’s focus to modernize the brand and deepen its relationships with customers, Save A Lot tapped VIA to develop a multi-tiered marketing and branding campaign and expansive advertising strategy. The campaign brings the “Lot Dot” to life, the dot prominently featured in Save A Lot’s current logo, by giving it a personality in a variety of national print and digital advertisements. The “Lot Dot” also serves as the inspiration behind the brand’s new song and music video, titled “Like, A Lot A Lot,” which can be screened on YouTube and in 30-second TV spots, as well as streamed on music streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music and more. The song has also been adapted into 15- and 6-second animated “adlets,” featuring Save A Lot private brand products, that can be leveraged across a variety of platforms.
“It all started when we took a closer look at the little red dot in our logo. Over the last year, our focus has been on our long-term growth and becoming a brand of choice for our customers, including providing them with an enhanced hometown shopping experience. This new campaign further builds on our current efforts of modernizing our stores and breaking out of the sea of sameness that’s taken over the industry as of late,” said Tim Schroder, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Save A Lot. “I am extremely proud of the campaign that our team created in partnership with VIA as we continue to redefine our brand, and I am looking forward to seeing the customer response – and dance moves – to our fun, catchy song and music video.”
“There are many places to buy groceries – even gas stations and pharmacies – with ‘low prices’ and ‘hot deals’ not being anything new. The first thing we had to do was to stop acting like a grocery store,” said Teddy Stoecklein, Creative Director, VIA. “The team at Save A Lot was incredible to work with, putting a lot of faith in the creative process and it shows. This new brand image we believe really captures the updated look and feel Save A Lot was looking for as part of its refresh. Our collaboration was kind of – magical.”
The two-minute, energy-boosting song written by Lauren Rodrigue at VIA creatively brings the hometown shopping experience of Save A Lot to life with hip-hop, rap and pop stylings. Set and shot in a Save A Lot in St. Louis, the “Like, A Lot A Lot” music video, directed and produced by Kirsch, brings an energetic, colorful aesthetic to the aisles, complete with a neighborhood marching band, shoppers dancing throughout the store and both Bubble and Evans performing their iconic lines alongside the entire cast of characters.
“Collaborating with the Save A Lot and VIA teams to help bring their vision to life was so much fun – you might even say it was ‘like, a lot a lot’ of fun,” said Kirsch. “Our goal was to make this video like nothing you’ve ever seen before from a grocery store brand – and I’m pretty sure we wound up creating a phenomenon. It’s impossible not to get up and dance once you see this video – and no judgment if it’s even in the aisle of your neighborhood Save A Lot.” For more information about Save A Lot’s “Like, A Lot A Lot” brand campaign and to view the music video, please visit savealot.com/lalal.
About Save A Lot
Founded in 1977, Save A Lot is one of the largest discount grocery store chains in the U.S. with approximately 1,000 stores in 32 states. Save A Lot remains true to its mission of being a hometown grocer, providing unmatched quality and value to local families. Customers enjoy significant savings compared to traditional grocery stores on great tasting, high quality private label brands, national brand products, USDA-inspected meat, farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, and other non-food items. For more information, visit SaveALot.com and follow Save A Lot on Facebook (facebook.com/savealot) and Instagram (@SaveALotFoodStores).
About VIA
Helping clients grow through creativity since 1993, VIA is a full-service advertising and marketing agency located at the historic Baxter Library in Portland, Maine. VIA clients include: Flex, Make-A-Wish ,Unilever (Klondike, Popsicle), Arm & Hammer, Perdue, and Golden Corral among others. They have been recognized as a Small Agency of the Year and a Top 10 Place to Work by Ad Age and Best Workplace by Inc. For more information, visit here.
