SOPHIE BURKE,
JOELLE MIKAILIAN,
LUCIA PONADER
& LAUREN TRUEX
BUS-M311: INTRODUCTION TO
MARKETING COMMUNICATION
ALDI DIGITAL
MARKETING
CAMPAIGN:
STRENGTHENING
BRAND IDENTITY
THROUGH
SUSTAINABILITY
EFFORTS
01
Industry Background.....................................................3
ALDI Competition...........................................................4
Brand Analysis................................................................5
Buyer Analysis................................................................6
SWOT Analysis................................................................7
SWOT Analysis: In Depth...............................................8
Product Analysis.............................................................9
Campaign Objectives...................................................10
Campaign Objectives: Problems to Solve..................11
Business Objective.......................................................12
Campaign Strategy.......................................................13
Creative Brief................................................................14
Overall Strategy............................................................15
Strategy 01 & 02...........................................................16
Strategy 03....................................................................17
Social Media Posts..................................................18-20
Budget...........................................................................21
KPIs................................................................................22
Brand Story...................................................................23
Conclusion....................................................................24
References....................................................................25
INDEX
02
INDUSTRY
BACKGROUND
ALDI competes in the global food and grocery retail industry and
aims to be even more competitive in the U.S. This industry
encompasses food products for sale at grocery stores, mass-
market retailers, convenience stores, drug stores, and
foodservice facilities. In 2020, the global food and grocery retail
market size, measured by revenue, was $12.29 trillion and is
projected to have a 5% compound annual growth rate until 2027
(GlobeNewswire, 2021). The U.S. food and grocery retail market
size was $865 billion in 2020 and is also projected to have a 5%
compound annual growth rate until 2027 (Zippia, 2022). A
current trend in the industry is an increased demand for food
products, especially organic and quality food products. The
industry is developing in e-commerce and food processing.
03
ALDI COMPETITION
Walmart Trader Joe's
Walmart offers consumer friendly prices while
placing an emphasis on bulk sales. Their motto
of “We save people money so they can live
better” helps to position them as a bargain
store with affordable prices. Walmart also
draws in customers by allowing them to pay
installments for larger purchases.
Similar to ALDI, Walmart offers a wide variety
of products from groceries to furniture to
entertainment. They also have an annual
revenue around $572.8 billion dollars.
In terms of digital marketing strategies,
Walmart uses Instagram specifically for
strengthening their brand, and not so much
for directly marketing and advertising their
products. This is a limitation in their social
media strategy because they are not
communicating anything about their products
or the quality of them to consumers, which is
important for strengthening the overall brand.
It should also be noted that since Walmart is
so broadly focused in terms of the variability
of their products, it makes it difficult for the
company to excel at one particular area, such
as groceries.
Trader Joe’s current marketing strategy is to
offer products to consumers at everyday low
prices. By using this strategy similar to ALDI,
Trader Joe’s has amassed a loyal customer base.
They have weekly ads containing a full range of
discounted products, and they posted a 10-year
compound annual growth rate in customer base
of 5.9% (compared with 4.9% for Whole Foods).
Their annual revenue is around $12 billion
dollars, in which 80% comes from private label
items. Despite their success in terms of
revenue, they face geographic limitations which
can result in low market share for the company.
In terms of their social media presence, Trader
Joe’s currently has 2.7 m followers on Instagram
and around 55,769 followers on Facebook. Their
Instagram contains highlights which showcase
their products, the community, podcasts, store
locations, and their crew. Additionally, they are
able to promote and advertise specific products
on their Instagram, ranging from makeup
products to groceries. This helps to satisfy
customer needs since Trader Joe’s
communicates the value of their products
through social media.
Their focus on high quality products at the best
everyday prices competes directly with ALDI’s
mission, which is concentrated on sustainability
and affordability.
04
ALDI’s first store opened in Germany in 1961, and its first
U.S. store opened in Iowa in 1976. ALDI is now located in
11 countries and has more than 1,900 stores among 36
states. ALDI's store design, food selection, private labels,
and online grocery offerings have helped the company
grow and strengthened their brand identity.
From the 25-cent returnable deposit on shopping carts,
the bring your own bag policy and focus on private labels,
ALDI has amassed a loyal customer base globally. In
addition, ALDI offers 100 unique ALDI Finds that are put
out every week. It should also be noted that 1 in 5 of their
ALDI-exclusive products are award winning.
ALDI’s core values are consistency, simplicity, and
responsibility. With high quality products at affordable
prices, ALDI is able to position themselves as one of the
most sustainable grocers through their digital marketing
strategies.
BRAND ANALYSIS
05
BUYER ANALYSIS
06
Strong brand reputation
Variety of product portfolio
Successful international
business strategy through
penetration of new markets
High quality products at
affordable prices
Return Policy
Poor penetration in high-income
groups
Relatively small in comparison to
other brands
Positioning issues
Perceived as cheap, low-quality
products
Invest more into digital
advertising strategies and
promotional campaigns
Re-position company as an
affordable, sustainable brand
instead of “cheap”
Expansion to emerging
countries
Expansion of new
technology can negatively
impact the industry
Heavy concentration on
online shopping & home
delivery
Competition with other
brands such as Walmart
SWOT ANALYSIS
07
It was integral to understand the SWOT analysis for ALDI in order for our group to focus our
attention on the problems that specifically need to be addressed.
ALDI has a multitude of strengths, primarily how they have maintained such a strong brand
reputation. This is evident through the numerous awards and titles they have won such as
“Best Grocer 2019,” and “Best Value for Money Supermarket 2019.” They also have a
diversified product portfolio ensuring that customers have a wide choice of options to
choose from. Also, their successful international business strategy helps them to diversify
their revenue streams amongst the USA, Europe, and China. Additionally, ALDI is so
confident in the quality of its products that it offers a return policy known as the “Twice as
Nice Guarantee,” where if customers are not 100% satisfied with their products, ALDI
promises to replace the product and refund the customer’s money.
However, they face positioning problems. Many customers view ALDI as a store for cheap
and low-quality products. This problem needs to be addressed through more PR and
advertising efforts designated to target digital media sites such as TikTok and Instagram.
Additionally, ALDI has a poor penetration in high-income groups, since discount stores are
targeted mostly towards low and medium income groups.
Additionally, they have many opportunities in which they can reposition themselves as the
most sustainable grocer. They have the opportunity to invest more into digital advertising
efforts and promotional campaigns, which will help to promote the affordability of their
products. They also have the opportunity to expand their brand to emerging countries,
since large economies could benefit from the low-cost business strategy employed by ALDI.
Despite their numerous strengths and opportunities, ALDI has threats in which they should
pay careful attention to. The rise of technology has shifted consumers to shop online and
use home delivery options, which negatively impacts the expansion and sales of ALDI.
Additionally, ALDI has fierce competitors that employ similar business strategies to them
such as high quality products at affordable prices. Top competitors for ALDI include
Walmart and Trader Joe’s.
SWOT ANALYSIS:
IN DEPTH
08
Since 2019 ALDI has been surveying their customers on their favorite
“ALDI Exclusives” across ten different product categories. The Mamma
Cozzi’s Pizza Take and Bake line won its category for 2020-2021 and was
one of the top items in terms of getting votes with over 45,000.
Some strengths of this product are number one the price; it is only $6 for
a good quality pizza. It comes in five different types and some locations
have gluten free options. It is also a staple item for grocery stores and it is
important to have a quality product. A weakness of this product is that it
is only sold in an extra large size. For a person eating alone or with only a
couple people the portion is too large for one sitting.
This product is important to ALDI's current target market of women in
their thirties to forties as they are mostly mothers. Frozen pizza is a
simple, quick meal. It is perfect for a busy mom who does not have time
to spend hours cooking. This product is also important to the younger
demographic ALDI is hoping to attract. For younger people this pizza can
be marketed for its high quality and low cost. This product could be
marketed to college students as a great option when studying, especially
with friends over or instead of buying food after a night out they can save
by having ALDI frozen pizzas.
To attract the target markets of frozen pizza and ALDI, the product should
be marketed for its low cost, several variations, high quality, and ease of
preparation. People buying this product are either buying it during their
regular grocery trips and storing it for use, but this is an important
product because it can also bring customers to ALDI specifically just to
buy this item. Many products are only bought during regular grocery
visits, and this gives Mamma Cozzi’s frozen pizzas an important standing
in their product assortment.
PRODUCT ANALYSIS
09
We plan to strengthen ALDI’s brand identity through the
promotion and advertising of sustainability; therefore,
consumers will associate both sustainability and
affordability with ALDI in relation to competing brands. In
order to have high customer retention, our campaign will
focus on creating customer value, maintaining a high level
of customer satisfaction, and building a strong sense of
customer trust.
Furthermore, we plan to demonstrate how ALDI products
fulfill consumer needs through our product positioning
strategy of promoting sustainability, consistency, simplicity,
and responsibility. Since products are seen as a set of
outcomes, we plan to set ALDI apart from competition by
using positioning strategies focused on the price, quality,
and benefits of products. By positioning ALDI as the most
sustainable grocer, we will be able to amass our desired
target market of college aged students as well as
occasionals.
CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES
10
Problems to Solve
1
Lack of personal brand development; most people think of ALDI as a discount grocer and do
not know the brand story or goals.
2
Finding ways to engage with a younger target market while also providing an enjoyable
experience that demonstrates ALDI’s sustainability initiatives.
3
Changing the public’s view of ALDI to recognize that ALDI is the most sustainable grocer in the
nation.
4
Transforming ALDI’s social media in order to function as a branding tool rather than just
product and price promotion.
Solution
ALDI Promise: Our promise is to make sustainable shopping
affordable for all. We pledge to stay as sustainable as possible
while still offering the low prices you know and love. From our
sustainably sourced grocery items, to our decrease in greenhouse
gas emissions and recyclable packing, we are committed to
protecting both our community and our planet that we call home.
CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES
11
Our business objective is to divert consumers from
competitors and to grow share of wallet (SOW).
Likewise, we plan to steal “x” amount of trips/month
from ALDI’s competitors and to increase basket size by
“+x” items/trip. By focusing our campaign around the
sustainability and affordability of products, we aim to
gain a new target market while building brand
awareness and equity. We plan to focus our campaign
around potential new customers (i.e., college aged
individuals) in addition to occasional shoppers.
Consumers who visit the pop-up stands will have the
chance to shift their current perception of ALDI into
something more positive, while having the experience
to learn and believe in ALDI’s sustainability vision.
BUSINESS OBJECTIVE
12
The current target market of ALDI is typically stay at home mom’s between the ages of 30
and 40. They are very active on Facebook, but not as much on other social media
platforms. Because we are aiming for a younger audience to pull in with this marketing
campaign, we have chosen to aim for the college age audience. ALDI is already well known
for their deals and discounts, which makes it an attractive option for college students. In
addition the younger generations care more about sustainability than most, so with this
campaign our objective is to showcase how sustainable and affordable ALDI is, since most
people do not currently associate ALDI with sustainability.
Because ALDI already has almost three million followers on Facebook and this is their
most effective social media account for their current target market, not many changes will
be made in their posts and content. The goal of this campaign will be changing the
purpose of ALDI’s Instagram page and jumpstarting the ALDI USA TikTok account.
Instagram is truly an app for branding whether it be a personal or business account. If
ALDI hopes to be recognized as the most sustainable grocer in the nation they need to
use Instagram for more than price and product promotion. ALDI’s Instagram needs to
become a visual depiction of their brand, goals, and sustainability efforts. For TikTok, when
you type ALDI into the search bar, the only verified account it pulls up is ALDI UK. If you
specifically type in ALDI USA, there is a verified account that is pulled up with only 198
followers and no posts. Although TikTok is a fairly new social media platform, it offers
businesses exposure that is not replicated on other social media platforms. The TikTok
algorithm allows content to be viewed by anyone, not just people who follow ALDI and
with the use of hashtags ALDI can direct content towards the younger target audience
they hope to reach.
Aside from social media, the advertising and marketing strategies in retail are going
through many changes as online shopping becomes more prevalent. Modern consumers
are looking for an experience, which is why we have chosen a pop-up stand at local
farmers' markets to be the additional element in our marketing mix. Most farmers'
markets, especially in the Midwest, run weekly for about 6-7 months. Because this method
of marketing requires more effort than most, we recommend ALDI sets up a stand/booth
once per month. farmers' markets are already associated with sustainability to the
general public, which makes it a great opportunity for ALDI. This is an opportunity for ALDI
to interact with many consumers face to face and spread awareness about their
sustainability initiatives, while also showing off their cult favorites and ALDI finds. Overall,
the marketing strategy we have developed for ALDI is to redirect attention from products
specifically and shift it towards an overall brand message of affordable sustainability.
CAMPAIGN STRATEGY
13
Slogan
Making sustainable
shopping affordable for all
Approachable
Informative
Encouraging
Tone of Voice
Mandatories
Call to action
Logo
Website
CREATIVE BRIEF
14
We will be executing a continuity scheduling pattern for the
duration of the campaign which is six months. We are
choosing this because a continuity schedule allows for the
continuous push of our message throughout those six
months which is necessary so that by the end of 6 months
consumers feel they have a deep understanding of and
familiarity with Aldi’s new sustainable brand. Continuity was
choosing over pulsing because we wanted our message to
be on high and everywhere at all times. When building one’s
brand essence and brand story, it usually takes years to
build. That is why we need to use full force advertising as we
have 6 months to drastically shift the brand image of Aldi.
Using Commspoint, our team segmented our target
audience which was about 57% of the nation. This reach is
more than half of the nation, and means that 1 in every 2
individuals that see our advertisements fit in our target
audience and will be influenced to take action. We
segmented individuals who care about sustainability and
who factor in price and are influenced by discounts when
shopping.
OVERALL STRATEGY
15
Tiktok Instagram
Because ALDI already has almost
three million followers on Facebook
and this is their most effective
social media account for their
current target market, not many
changes will be made in their posts
and content. The goal of this
campaign will be changing the
purpose of ALDI’s Instagram page
and jumpstarting the ALDI USA
TikTok account. Instagram is truly
an app for branding whether it be a
personal or business account. If
ALDI hopes to be recognized as the
most sustainable grocer in the
nation they need to use Instagram
for more than price and product
promotion. ALDI’s Instagram needs
to become a visual depiction of
their brand, goals, and
sustainability efforts.
For TikTok, when you type ALDI
into the search bar, the only
verified account it pulls up is ALDI
UK. If you specifically type in ALDI
USA, there is a verified account
that is pulled up with only 198
followers and no posts. Although
TikTok is a fairly new social media
platform, it offers businesses
exposure that is not replicated on
other social media platforms. The
TikTok algorithm allows content
to be viewed by anyone, not just
people who follow ALDI and with
the use of hashtags ALDI can
direct content towards the
younger target audience they
hope to reach.
STRATEGY 01 & 02
16
We plan to create pop-up stands at local farmers'
markets once a month in each of the twenty-five ALDI
divisions across the United States. Since farmers'
markets are associated with sustainability, a pop-up
stand with ALDI products will further promote the
message that ALDI is concerned about developing eco-
friendly products at affordable prices. With the addition
of the pop-up stands, consumers will be able to take
part in an experience that supports ALDI’s standards
and principles. These pop-up stands will market both
ALDI cult-favorite items and ALDI Finds. The addition of
the cult-favorite items will drive loyal customers back
for their favorite products. ALDI Finds are “limited-time,
specialty products ranging from unique foods and
home goods to unexpected items like gardening
essentials and pet accessories” (ALDI, 2022). The
implementation of these ALDI Finds in our pop-up
stands will help to bring about potential new customers
in search of unique items they can not find elsewhere.
STRATEGY 03
17
ALDI's Current Instagram Updated Version
SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS
18
19
SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS
20
SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS
Last year ALDI spent around $80 million on digital ads in total.
We plan on allocating 25% of ALDI’s annual digital ad spend for
this 6 month campaign. Thus, our digital advertising budget is
$20 million. Of this $20 million, 50% will be allocated to
Instagram and 50% to TikTok. We decided to split the budget in
half between the two platforms because they have equal
potential to reach our target market. TikTok and Instagram
have the same user penetration rates of about 70% for 18-24
year olds (eMarketer, 2021).
For the budget of the farmers' market pop-ups, we focused on
the cost of booth rentals, staffing, products, and the rewards
app. It costs roughly $500 to rent a booth at the farmers'
market for the 6 month season. The cost for booth rentals
would total to $12,500. The average store associate salary at
ALDI is $15 per hour, and the typical farmers' market is open
for 5 hours. Thus, staffing will cost $75 per booth per month,
which is $11,250. There will also be $100 worth of product per
booth per month, which amounts to $15,000. In addition, the
rewards app will cost $6,000 to create. These four factors total
$44,750, which led us to decide on a $50,000 budget for the
farmers' market pop-ups. This budget accounts for
miscellaneous expenses such as transportation and signage.
In total, our campaign’s budget is $20,050,000.
BUDGET
21
To measure our campaign’s success, we have decided to use
two different KPIs. Our KPI for Instagram and TikTok is the
engagement rate. To calculate the ALDI USA Instagram
account’s engagement rate, we divided the average
engagement a post receives, including likes and comments, by
the total number of followers. ALDI USA receives an average
of 5,000 likes and 135 comments per post, and has 800,000
followers. Therefore, the account’s current engagement rate is
around 0.64%. Our goal is to increase it to 0.75%, which is the
average Instagram engagement rate for the FMCG food
industry in 2021.
As we are starting the ALDI USA TikTok from scratch, we hope
to have an engagement rate of 2.90% by the end of the
campaign. This is on par with the FMCG food industry’s
average TikTok engagement rate in 2021. For the farmers’
market pop-ups, we will be measuring customer growth as
our KPI. With the goal of increasing brand awareness, we
hope to see the number of people buying from the pop-ups
increase as the campaign evolves. We are aiming to achieve a
10% month-over-month customer growth rate. We will also
track the percentage of customers who redeemed the
farmers’ market reward at an ALDI store. By utilizing KPIs, we
will be able to evaluate if our campaign is achieving its goals
to build awareness and gain new customers.
KPIS
22
Since day one, we have always cared about the
community. We started out as the Albrecht grocery
store, a mom-and-pop grocer in a suburb of Essen,
Germany. Shortly after World War II, the Albrecht
brothers took over the store and made it the first-ever
known discount store. The store’s affordable prices
helped the community during a time of economic
ruin. Decades later, ALDI has grown into a global
grocery retailer, but our value of community has
remained constant, which is why we have our ALDI
Promise. Now, our first priority is to protect this
planet that we call our home. Sustainability is
something that we value deeply, and we feel a strong
sense of responsibility toward our community. This is
why we are the nation's leading sustainable grocer.
Our affordability means that everyone can join us on
this mission and be a part of the ALDI Movement.
BRAND STORY
23
By maximizing our advertising and promotional mix
elements, our team plans to drive long term sales and
revenue growth for ALDI. The focus of ALDI is on
people and customers; therefore, the implementation
of our social media campaign and pop-up stands will
allow for consumers to gain a deeper understanding of
ALDI’s product sustainability while taking part in a
unique, memorable shopping experience.
CONCLUSION
24
https://www.ALDI.us/en/about-ALDI/faqs/store-stock-ALDI-finds-
availability/#:~:text=does%20ALDI%20restock%3F-,A.,gardening%20essentials%20and
%20pet%20accessories.
https://www.statista.com/topics/1660/food-retail/#dossierKeyfigures
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/11/23/2339613/0/en/Global-
food-grocery-retail-market-size-to-amass-USD-17-29-trillion-by-
2027.html#:~:text=Pune%2C%20India%2C%20Nov.,end%20of%20the%20analysis%20
timeline.
https://www.zippia.com/advice/us-food-retail-industry-statistics/
https://corporate.aldi.us/en/aldi-history/
https://progressivegrocer.com/aldi-ceo-being-americas-fastest-growing-grocer
https://querysprout.com/aldi-statistics/
https://www.aldi.us/en/products/
https://www.marketing91.com/marketing-strategy-of-aldi/
https://www.mbaskool.com/marketing-mix/services/16807-aldi.html
https://www.grocerydive.com/news/grocery--trader-joes-sees-more-monthly-
shoppers-than-whole-foods-study-
finds/534426/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20report%2C%20Trader,with%204.9
%25%20for%20Whole%20Foods.
https://www.indigo9digital.com/blog/traderjoesstrategy#:~:text=Today%2C%20appro
ximately%2080%25%20of%20Trader,and%20goes%20directly%20to%20suppliers.
https://www.traderjoes.com/home
https://cdn.corporate.walmart.com/33/df/a80e565641f5ad6b1c2437fc4129/walmart-
key-messages.pdf
https://corporate.aldi.us/fileadmin/fm-
dam/newsroom/Press_Releases/New_Data_Indicates_Shopping_at_ALDI_is_Simpler__
Faster_and_More_Cost-Effective.pdf
https://www.socialinsider.io/blog/social-media-industry-
benchmarks/#:~:text=FMCG%20Food,-
The%20FMCG%20food&text=2.90%25%20average%20engagement%20rate%20on,av
erage%20engagement%20rate%20on%20Twitter.
https://thesmallbusinessblog.net/tiktok-vs-instagram/
https://www.pathmatics.com/blog/grocerys-top-3-digital-advertisers
https://www.speakrj.com/audit/report/aldiusa/instagram/engagement-stats/#content
REFERENCES
25

ALDI Digital Marketing Campaign.pdf

  • 1.
    SOPHIE BURKE, JOELLE MIKAILIAN, LUCIAPONADER & LAUREN TRUEX BUS-M311: INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING COMMUNICATION ALDI DIGITAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN: STRENGTHENING BRAND IDENTITY THROUGH SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS 01
  • 2.
    Industry Background.....................................................3 ALDI Competition...........................................................4 BrandAnalysis................................................................5 Buyer Analysis................................................................6 SWOT Analysis................................................................7 SWOT Analysis: In Depth...............................................8 Product Analysis.............................................................9 Campaign Objectives...................................................10 Campaign Objectives: Problems to Solve..................11 Business Objective.......................................................12 Campaign Strategy.......................................................13 Creative Brief................................................................14 Overall Strategy............................................................15 Strategy 01 & 02...........................................................16 Strategy 03....................................................................17 Social Media Posts..................................................18-20 Budget...........................................................................21 KPIs................................................................................22 Brand Story...................................................................23 Conclusion....................................................................24 References....................................................................25 INDEX 02
  • 3.
    INDUSTRY BACKGROUND ALDI competes inthe global food and grocery retail industry and aims to be even more competitive in the U.S. This industry encompasses food products for sale at grocery stores, mass- market retailers, convenience stores, drug stores, and foodservice facilities. In 2020, the global food and grocery retail market size, measured by revenue, was $12.29 trillion and is projected to have a 5% compound annual growth rate until 2027 (GlobeNewswire, 2021). The U.S. food and grocery retail market size was $865 billion in 2020 and is also projected to have a 5% compound annual growth rate until 2027 (Zippia, 2022). A current trend in the industry is an increased demand for food products, especially organic and quality food products. The industry is developing in e-commerce and food processing. 03
  • 4.
    ALDI COMPETITION Walmart TraderJoe's Walmart offers consumer friendly prices while placing an emphasis on bulk sales. Their motto of “We save people money so they can live better” helps to position them as a bargain store with affordable prices. Walmart also draws in customers by allowing them to pay installments for larger purchases. Similar to ALDI, Walmart offers a wide variety of products from groceries to furniture to entertainment. They also have an annual revenue around $572.8 billion dollars. In terms of digital marketing strategies, Walmart uses Instagram specifically for strengthening their brand, and not so much for directly marketing and advertising their products. This is a limitation in their social media strategy because they are not communicating anything about their products or the quality of them to consumers, which is important for strengthening the overall brand. It should also be noted that since Walmart is so broadly focused in terms of the variability of their products, it makes it difficult for the company to excel at one particular area, such as groceries. Trader Joe’s current marketing strategy is to offer products to consumers at everyday low prices. By using this strategy similar to ALDI, Trader Joe’s has amassed a loyal customer base. They have weekly ads containing a full range of discounted products, and they posted a 10-year compound annual growth rate in customer base of 5.9% (compared with 4.9% for Whole Foods). Their annual revenue is around $12 billion dollars, in which 80% comes from private label items. Despite their success in terms of revenue, they face geographic limitations which can result in low market share for the company. In terms of their social media presence, Trader Joe’s currently has 2.7 m followers on Instagram and around 55,769 followers on Facebook. Their Instagram contains highlights which showcase their products, the community, podcasts, store locations, and their crew. Additionally, they are able to promote and advertise specific products on their Instagram, ranging from makeup products to groceries. This helps to satisfy customer needs since Trader Joe’s communicates the value of their products through social media. Their focus on high quality products at the best everyday prices competes directly with ALDI’s mission, which is concentrated on sustainability and affordability. 04
  • 5.
    ALDI’s first storeopened in Germany in 1961, and its first U.S. store opened in Iowa in 1976. ALDI is now located in 11 countries and has more than 1,900 stores among 36 states. ALDI's store design, food selection, private labels, and online grocery offerings have helped the company grow and strengthened their brand identity. From the 25-cent returnable deposit on shopping carts, the bring your own bag policy and focus on private labels, ALDI has amassed a loyal customer base globally. In addition, ALDI offers 100 unique ALDI Finds that are put out every week. It should also be noted that 1 in 5 of their ALDI-exclusive products are award winning. ALDI’s core values are consistency, simplicity, and responsibility. With high quality products at affordable prices, ALDI is able to position themselves as one of the most sustainable grocers through their digital marketing strategies. BRAND ANALYSIS 05
  • 6.
  • 7.
    Strong brand reputation Varietyof product portfolio Successful international business strategy through penetration of new markets High quality products at affordable prices Return Policy Poor penetration in high-income groups Relatively small in comparison to other brands Positioning issues Perceived as cheap, low-quality products Invest more into digital advertising strategies and promotional campaigns Re-position company as an affordable, sustainable brand instead of “cheap” Expansion to emerging countries Expansion of new technology can negatively impact the industry Heavy concentration on online shopping & home delivery Competition with other brands such as Walmart SWOT ANALYSIS 07
  • 8.
    It was integralto understand the SWOT analysis for ALDI in order for our group to focus our attention on the problems that specifically need to be addressed. ALDI has a multitude of strengths, primarily how they have maintained such a strong brand reputation. This is evident through the numerous awards and titles they have won such as “Best Grocer 2019,” and “Best Value for Money Supermarket 2019.” They also have a diversified product portfolio ensuring that customers have a wide choice of options to choose from. Also, their successful international business strategy helps them to diversify their revenue streams amongst the USA, Europe, and China. Additionally, ALDI is so confident in the quality of its products that it offers a return policy known as the “Twice as Nice Guarantee,” where if customers are not 100% satisfied with their products, ALDI promises to replace the product and refund the customer’s money. However, they face positioning problems. Many customers view ALDI as a store for cheap and low-quality products. This problem needs to be addressed through more PR and advertising efforts designated to target digital media sites such as TikTok and Instagram. Additionally, ALDI has a poor penetration in high-income groups, since discount stores are targeted mostly towards low and medium income groups. Additionally, they have many opportunities in which they can reposition themselves as the most sustainable grocer. They have the opportunity to invest more into digital advertising efforts and promotional campaigns, which will help to promote the affordability of their products. They also have the opportunity to expand their brand to emerging countries, since large economies could benefit from the low-cost business strategy employed by ALDI. Despite their numerous strengths and opportunities, ALDI has threats in which they should pay careful attention to. The rise of technology has shifted consumers to shop online and use home delivery options, which negatively impacts the expansion and sales of ALDI. Additionally, ALDI has fierce competitors that employ similar business strategies to them such as high quality products at affordable prices. Top competitors for ALDI include Walmart and Trader Joe’s. SWOT ANALYSIS: IN DEPTH 08
  • 9.
    Since 2019 ALDIhas been surveying their customers on their favorite “ALDI Exclusives” across ten different product categories. The Mamma Cozzi’s Pizza Take and Bake line won its category for 2020-2021 and was one of the top items in terms of getting votes with over 45,000. Some strengths of this product are number one the price; it is only $6 for a good quality pizza. It comes in five different types and some locations have gluten free options. It is also a staple item for grocery stores and it is important to have a quality product. A weakness of this product is that it is only sold in an extra large size. For a person eating alone or with only a couple people the portion is too large for one sitting. This product is important to ALDI's current target market of women in their thirties to forties as they are mostly mothers. Frozen pizza is a simple, quick meal. It is perfect for a busy mom who does not have time to spend hours cooking. This product is also important to the younger demographic ALDI is hoping to attract. For younger people this pizza can be marketed for its high quality and low cost. This product could be marketed to college students as a great option when studying, especially with friends over or instead of buying food after a night out they can save by having ALDI frozen pizzas. To attract the target markets of frozen pizza and ALDI, the product should be marketed for its low cost, several variations, high quality, and ease of preparation. People buying this product are either buying it during their regular grocery trips and storing it for use, but this is an important product because it can also bring customers to ALDI specifically just to buy this item. Many products are only bought during regular grocery visits, and this gives Mamma Cozzi’s frozen pizzas an important standing in their product assortment. PRODUCT ANALYSIS 09
  • 10.
    We plan tostrengthen ALDI’s brand identity through the promotion and advertising of sustainability; therefore, consumers will associate both sustainability and affordability with ALDI in relation to competing brands. In order to have high customer retention, our campaign will focus on creating customer value, maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction, and building a strong sense of customer trust. Furthermore, we plan to demonstrate how ALDI products fulfill consumer needs through our product positioning strategy of promoting sustainability, consistency, simplicity, and responsibility. Since products are seen as a set of outcomes, we plan to set ALDI apart from competition by using positioning strategies focused on the price, quality, and benefits of products. By positioning ALDI as the most sustainable grocer, we will be able to amass our desired target market of college aged students as well as occasionals. CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES 10
  • 11.
    Problems to Solve 1 Lackof personal brand development; most people think of ALDI as a discount grocer and do not know the brand story or goals. 2 Finding ways to engage with a younger target market while also providing an enjoyable experience that demonstrates ALDI’s sustainability initiatives. 3 Changing the public’s view of ALDI to recognize that ALDI is the most sustainable grocer in the nation. 4 Transforming ALDI’s social media in order to function as a branding tool rather than just product and price promotion. Solution ALDI Promise: Our promise is to make sustainable shopping affordable for all. We pledge to stay as sustainable as possible while still offering the low prices you know and love. From our sustainably sourced grocery items, to our decrease in greenhouse gas emissions and recyclable packing, we are committed to protecting both our community and our planet that we call home. CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES 11
  • 12.
    Our business objectiveis to divert consumers from competitors and to grow share of wallet (SOW). Likewise, we plan to steal “x” amount of trips/month from ALDI’s competitors and to increase basket size by “+x” items/trip. By focusing our campaign around the sustainability and affordability of products, we aim to gain a new target market while building brand awareness and equity. We plan to focus our campaign around potential new customers (i.e., college aged individuals) in addition to occasional shoppers. Consumers who visit the pop-up stands will have the chance to shift their current perception of ALDI into something more positive, while having the experience to learn and believe in ALDI’s sustainability vision. BUSINESS OBJECTIVE 12
  • 13.
    The current targetmarket of ALDI is typically stay at home mom’s between the ages of 30 and 40. They are very active on Facebook, but not as much on other social media platforms. Because we are aiming for a younger audience to pull in with this marketing campaign, we have chosen to aim for the college age audience. ALDI is already well known for their deals and discounts, which makes it an attractive option for college students. In addition the younger generations care more about sustainability than most, so with this campaign our objective is to showcase how sustainable and affordable ALDI is, since most people do not currently associate ALDI with sustainability. Because ALDI already has almost three million followers on Facebook and this is their most effective social media account for their current target market, not many changes will be made in their posts and content. The goal of this campaign will be changing the purpose of ALDI’s Instagram page and jumpstarting the ALDI USA TikTok account. Instagram is truly an app for branding whether it be a personal or business account. If ALDI hopes to be recognized as the most sustainable grocer in the nation they need to use Instagram for more than price and product promotion. ALDI’s Instagram needs to become a visual depiction of their brand, goals, and sustainability efforts. For TikTok, when you type ALDI into the search bar, the only verified account it pulls up is ALDI UK. If you specifically type in ALDI USA, there is a verified account that is pulled up with only 198 followers and no posts. Although TikTok is a fairly new social media platform, it offers businesses exposure that is not replicated on other social media platforms. The TikTok algorithm allows content to be viewed by anyone, not just people who follow ALDI and with the use of hashtags ALDI can direct content towards the younger target audience they hope to reach. Aside from social media, the advertising and marketing strategies in retail are going through many changes as online shopping becomes more prevalent. Modern consumers are looking for an experience, which is why we have chosen a pop-up stand at local farmers' markets to be the additional element in our marketing mix. Most farmers' markets, especially in the Midwest, run weekly for about 6-7 months. Because this method of marketing requires more effort than most, we recommend ALDI sets up a stand/booth once per month. farmers' markets are already associated with sustainability to the general public, which makes it a great opportunity for ALDI. This is an opportunity for ALDI to interact with many consumers face to face and spread awareness about their sustainability initiatives, while also showing off their cult favorites and ALDI finds. Overall, the marketing strategy we have developed for ALDI is to redirect attention from products specifically and shift it towards an overall brand message of affordable sustainability. CAMPAIGN STRATEGY 13
  • 14.
    Slogan Making sustainable shopping affordablefor all Approachable Informative Encouraging Tone of Voice Mandatories Call to action Logo Website CREATIVE BRIEF 14
  • 15.
    We will beexecuting a continuity scheduling pattern for the duration of the campaign which is six months. We are choosing this because a continuity schedule allows for the continuous push of our message throughout those six months which is necessary so that by the end of 6 months consumers feel they have a deep understanding of and familiarity with Aldi’s new sustainable brand. Continuity was choosing over pulsing because we wanted our message to be on high and everywhere at all times. When building one’s brand essence and brand story, it usually takes years to build. That is why we need to use full force advertising as we have 6 months to drastically shift the brand image of Aldi. Using Commspoint, our team segmented our target audience which was about 57% of the nation. This reach is more than half of the nation, and means that 1 in every 2 individuals that see our advertisements fit in our target audience and will be influenced to take action. We segmented individuals who care about sustainability and who factor in price and are influenced by discounts when shopping. OVERALL STRATEGY 15
  • 16.
    Tiktok Instagram Because ALDIalready has almost three million followers on Facebook and this is their most effective social media account for their current target market, not many changes will be made in their posts and content. The goal of this campaign will be changing the purpose of ALDI’s Instagram page and jumpstarting the ALDI USA TikTok account. Instagram is truly an app for branding whether it be a personal or business account. If ALDI hopes to be recognized as the most sustainable grocer in the nation they need to use Instagram for more than price and product promotion. ALDI’s Instagram needs to become a visual depiction of their brand, goals, and sustainability efforts. For TikTok, when you type ALDI into the search bar, the only verified account it pulls up is ALDI UK. If you specifically type in ALDI USA, there is a verified account that is pulled up with only 198 followers and no posts. Although TikTok is a fairly new social media platform, it offers businesses exposure that is not replicated on other social media platforms. The TikTok algorithm allows content to be viewed by anyone, not just people who follow ALDI and with the use of hashtags ALDI can direct content towards the younger target audience they hope to reach. STRATEGY 01 & 02 16
  • 17.
    We plan tocreate pop-up stands at local farmers' markets once a month in each of the twenty-five ALDI divisions across the United States. Since farmers' markets are associated with sustainability, a pop-up stand with ALDI products will further promote the message that ALDI is concerned about developing eco- friendly products at affordable prices. With the addition of the pop-up stands, consumers will be able to take part in an experience that supports ALDI’s standards and principles. These pop-up stands will market both ALDI cult-favorite items and ALDI Finds. The addition of the cult-favorite items will drive loyal customers back for their favorite products. ALDI Finds are “limited-time, specialty products ranging from unique foods and home goods to unexpected items like gardening essentials and pet accessories” (ALDI, 2022). The implementation of these ALDI Finds in our pop-up stands will help to bring about potential new customers in search of unique items they can not find elsewhere. STRATEGY 03 17
  • 18.
    ALDI's Current InstagramUpdated Version SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS 18
  • 19.
  • 20.
  • 21.
    Last year ALDIspent around $80 million on digital ads in total. We plan on allocating 25% of ALDI’s annual digital ad spend for this 6 month campaign. Thus, our digital advertising budget is $20 million. Of this $20 million, 50% will be allocated to Instagram and 50% to TikTok. We decided to split the budget in half between the two platforms because they have equal potential to reach our target market. TikTok and Instagram have the same user penetration rates of about 70% for 18-24 year olds (eMarketer, 2021). For the budget of the farmers' market pop-ups, we focused on the cost of booth rentals, staffing, products, and the rewards app. It costs roughly $500 to rent a booth at the farmers' market for the 6 month season. The cost for booth rentals would total to $12,500. The average store associate salary at ALDI is $15 per hour, and the typical farmers' market is open for 5 hours. Thus, staffing will cost $75 per booth per month, which is $11,250. There will also be $100 worth of product per booth per month, which amounts to $15,000. In addition, the rewards app will cost $6,000 to create. These four factors total $44,750, which led us to decide on a $50,000 budget for the farmers' market pop-ups. This budget accounts for miscellaneous expenses such as transportation and signage. In total, our campaign’s budget is $20,050,000. BUDGET 21
  • 22.
    To measure ourcampaign’s success, we have decided to use two different KPIs. Our KPI for Instagram and TikTok is the engagement rate. To calculate the ALDI USA Instagram account’s engagement rate, we divided the average engagement a post receives, including likes and comments, by the total number of followers. ALDI USA receives an average of 5,000 likes and 135 comments per post, and has 800,000 followers. Therefore, the account’s current engagement rate is around 0.64%. Our goal is to increase it to 0.75%, which is the average Instagram engagement rate for the FMCG food industry in 2021. As we are starting the ALDI USA TikTok from scratch, we hope to have an engagement rate of 2.90% by the end of the campaign. This is on par with the FMCG food industry’s average TikTok engagement rate in 2021. For the farmers’ market pop-ups, we will be measuring customer growth as our KPI. With the goal of increasing brand awareness, we hope to see the number of people buying from the pop-ups increase as the campaign evolves. We are aiming to achieve a 10% month-over-month customer growth rate. We will also track the percentage of customers who redeemed the farmers’ market reward at an ALDI store. By utilizing KPIs, we will be able to evaluate if our campaign is achieving its goals to build awareness and gain new customers. KPIS 22
  • 23.
    Since day one,we have always cared about the community. We started out as the Albrecht grocery store, a mom-and-pop grocer in a suburb of Essen, Germany. Shortly after World War II, the Albrecht brothers took over the store and made it the first-ever known discount store. The store’s affordable prices helped the community during a time of economic ruin. Decades later, ALDI has grown into a global grocery retailer, but our value of community has remained constant, which is why we have our ALDI Promise. Now, our first priority is to protect this planet that we call our home. Sustainability is something that we value deeply, and we feel a strong sense of responsibility toward our community. This is why we are the nation's leading sustainable grocer. Our affordability means that everyone can join us on this mission and be a part of the ALDI Movement. BRAND STORY 23
  • 24.
    By maximizing ouradvertising and promotional mix elements, our team plans to drive long term sales and revenue growth for ALDI. The focus of ALDI is on people and customers; therefore, the implementation of our social media campaign and pop-up stands will allow for consumers to gain a deeper understanding of ALDI’s product sustainability while taking part in a unique, memorable shopping experience. CONCLUSION 24
  • 25.
    https://www.ALDI.us/en/about-ALDI/faqs/store-stock-ALDI-finds- availability/#:~:text=does%20ALDI%20restock%3F-,A.,gardening%20essentials%20and %20pet%20accessories. https://www.statista.com/topics/1660/food-retail/#dossierKeyfigures https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/11/23/2339613/0/en/Global- food-grocery-retail-market-size-to-amass-USD-17-29-trillion-by- 2027.html#:~:text=Pune%2C%20India%2C%20Nov.,end%20of%20the%20analysis%20 timeline. https://www.zippia.com/advice/us-food-retail-industry-statistics/ https://corporate.aldi.us/en/aldi-history/ https://progressivegrocer.com/aldi-ceo-being-americas-fastest-growing-grocer https://querysprout.com/aldi-statistics/ https://www.aldi.us/en/products/ https://www.marketing91.com/marketing-strategy-of-aldi/ https://www.mbaskool.com/marketing-mix/services/16807-aldi.html https://www.grocerydive.com/news/grocery--trader-joes-sees-more-monthly- shoppers-than-whole-foods-study- finds/534426/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20report%2C%20Trader,with%204.9 %25%20for%20Whole%20Foods. https://www.indigo9digital.com/blog/traderjoesstrategy#:~:text=Today%2C%20appro ximately%2080%25%20of%20Trader,and%20goes%20directly%20to%20suppliers. https://www.traderjoes.com/home https://cdn.corporate.walmart.com/33/df/a80e565641f5ad6b1c2437fc4129/walmart- key-messages.pdf https://corporate.aldi.us/fileadmin/fm- dam/newsroom/Press_Releases/New_Data_Indicates_Shopping_at_ALDI_is_Simpler__ Faster_and_More_Cost-Effective.pdf https://www.socialinsider.io/blog/social-media-industry- benchmarks/#:~:text=FMCG%20Food,- The%20FMCG%20food&text=2.90%25%20average%20engagement%20rate%20on,av erage%20engagement%20rate%20on%20Twitter. https://thesmallbusinessblog.net/tiktok-vs-instagram/ https://www.pathmatics.com/blog/grocerys-top-3-digital-advertisers https://www.speakrj.com/audit/report/aldiusa/instagram/engagement-stats/#content REFERENCES 25