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Creating a Fully Integrated Retail Experience
Case Study: Brand Re-image, Flagship Store, Private Label Redesign and Marketing Support
January 2011
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“As our integrated retail agency, Watt brings together all of our brand touchpoints; from research, to
store design, to private label, to marketing and advertising.
This cohesive approach enables us to have a stronger brand voice and drives home our unique position.”
Anthony Longo
President and CEO
Longo Brothers Supermarkets
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Longo’s: Branding the Experience – Experiencing the Brand
Longo Brothers Supermarkets Inc. (Longo’s) is a family- Over forty percent of Toronto residents have shopped
operated grocery chain with 23 stores in the Metropolitan at a Longo’s recently, and over ninety percent of those
Toronto area. Longo’s has been a valued client of Watt shoppers report that Longo’s always meets or exceeds
International for more than twelve years. their expectations – a number unmatched by any of their
competitors. Longo’s is also rated “best” by Toronto area
Recently, Longo’s undertook an aggressive retail store shoppers in all critical “fresh” grocery categories and
expansion and remodeling program, and we are proud shopping experience-related attributes.
to be the Agency of Record for all of their research,
consulting, marketing and design needs. Grocery shoppers relate to and trust the Longo’s brand
and it has been our privilege to be their partner in the
safeguarding and building of this reputable brand.
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Challenge
In 2005, Longo’s undertook a branding exercise with More importantly, when we explored the meaning of this
their previous ad agency that resulted in a repositioning tagline with shoppers, almost none of them associated
of the brand, encapsulated in the new positioning line: “Adventures in Food” with “Fresh” – a key store selection
“Adventures in Food.” This effort was launched in 2006 influencer and one of Longo’s most critical competitive
as part of Longo’s 50th Anniversary celebration. points of differentiation.
Watt International led the retail design of Longo’s first In 2010, Longo’s assigned Watt as their comprehensive
“Adventures in Food” concept store in 2007. The store has agency of record. As the first assignment, Longo’s
since won numerous design awards, and is currently used as challenged Watt with the task of determining how to
a model for new store introductions and remodels in properly reposition the Longo’s brand to appeal to its
suburban areas. current shopper base, to attract new customers (especially
in the new markets where Longo’s was expanding), to more
As part of a research study we conducted in early 2009, we accurately reflect the Longo Brothers “story,” and to inspire
discovered that, despite the prominance of the tagline in and employees to deliver a truly branded experience that would
outside the store, only a small number of Longo’s shoppers be valued by its customers.
(8%) correctly recalled the “Adventures in Food” tagline.
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Objectives
The primary objective of our re-branding assignment was • A shopper experience and store design that reflected the
to determine and articulate a Longo’s brand position that new Longo’s brand positioning; and,
reflects their corporate vision, values, and strength in the
• A promotional/merchandising and integrated marketing
marketplace.
plan that would maximize profitable growth by
attracting new customers and retaining existing ones.
Once the positioning was established, our objective was
to translate it into:
All of this had to be achieved in a timely fashion as Longo’s
• A relevant, inspiring, and memorable tagline; was aggressively launching new stores. We also had to be
extremely cost conscious with a sharp eye towards
• An evolved corporate identity (logo development) and
bottom-line impact.
interior/exterior store communications;
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6. Longo’s Brand Re-Positioning
Longo’s Brand Re-Positioning
The addition of the leaves within the brand identity reinforces
the core proposition and provides a graphic element that can
The addition of the leaves within the brand identity reinforces the core
proposition and in other communications that can be leveraged in
be leveraged provides a graphic element vehicles.
other communications vehicles.
The new tagline captures the two core core strengths brand; freshness
The new tagline captures the two strengths of the of the brand;
and heritage.
freshness and heritage.
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New Flagship Store
Longo’s flagship store is
located in the lower level of
a new, upscale development
adjacent to the Air Canada
Centre, Toronto’s major
sports arena
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New Flagship Store
Active digital reader
presents daily specials
and features to customers
at the main entry point
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Elevator graphics reinforce
core brand impressions
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Seagrass accentuates the
authentic nature of the
space, while maintaining
focus on product
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Innovative programs that
connect communications
and service
A Living Wall adds
character and promotes a
positive corporate image
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Chalkboards speak to
authenticity and promote
product information and
value messages
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18. Bus Shelter
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a fresh tradition TM
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19. Billboard
Site Conditions
fresh is here
next left, at Bremner Blvd.
a fresh tradition TM
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Methodology
Our methodology is a disciplined, tested approach to brand and marketing planning. It is flexible by design and
highly collaborative to ensure we leverage our client’s corporate knowledge. We also build in various points of validation
throughout each stage of the process.
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Methodology
discover
The objective of this phase is to develop a detailed understanding III. Financial Data Analysis:
of the current state of our client’s business, store and competitive Watt utilized available transactional, financial, and consumer demo-
environment, and identify opportunities, challenges and graphic data to build shopping and behavioral profiles for each key
key strategic objectives. department. We analyzed variants in traffic flow patterns; variants in
retail volume mix purchased; product purchase profiles and product
For the Longo’s project, the activities during this phase included: clustering; and, consumer profiling and segmentation. This analysis
enabled us to derive an overall performance metric (a composite
I. Stakeholder Interviews: measure comprising consumer research, audits, and data analysis).
We conducted stakeholder interviews with the project team
members, key executives, and other Longo’s employees, to gain IV. Trend Analysis and Best Practices:
a deeper knowledge and insight to support the development Our market intelligence group generated trending analysis and best
of strategic opportunities for the Longo’s brand. practices reports, using relevant industry data available through our
proprietary research database.
II. Existing Material/ Research Review:
We reviewed relevant existing materials provided by Longo’s. This
included data from qualitative research groups conducted in 2003
and 2005 that led to the development of the “Adventures in Food”
positioning, as well as more recent Usage & Attitude and Trade
Market Analysis studies.
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Methodology
define
In this phase we developed and executed primary research to assist • Establish key metrics relative to in-store communications and
in determining current Longo’s brand perceptions among Longo’s branding that supports the Longo’s brand proposition.
customers and non-customers as well as perceptions of the Longo’s
brand in a competitive context. II. Competitive Online Research:
This quantitative study was executed using existing online panels in
This research project included: Longo’s trading areas and was designed to gain insights into:
• How shoppers see their main grocery store as
I. Store Intercept Research:
being different from others;
This is a two-step quantitative study executed through shopper inter-
cepts at several Longo’s retail locations. Wave 1 established baseline • How shoppers perceive other grocery stores as
measures against key metrics that were identified in collaboration being different;
with the Client Project Team and through insights obtained during
the Discovery Phase. Wave 2 will track performance after the new • How shoppers rank Longo’s competitive set on
brand repositioning initiatives have been implemented. different “Fresh” dimensions; and,
• Value perceptions to benchmark in a competitive context.
More specifically, this research was designed to:
• Measure awareness and comprehension of the current Longo’s III. Usage & Attitude Survey:
brand proposition and sources of that awareness; In 2009, Watt designed, executed, and analyzed the most recent
telephone–based survey for Longo’s. This allowed us to establish a
• Assess relevance and differentiation of the Longo’s retail offering benchmark to measure future progress on delivering the new
and experience, versus competitive alternatives; and, Longo’s brand positioning in a competitive context.
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Methodology
define (cont.)
IV. Brand Platform Development:
A critical deliverable of this project was a credible, differentiated, We developed key elements for the brand positioning platform
and relevant brand positioning platform for Longo’s that will using our proprietary BrandPyramid™ methodology, accompanied
support the Longo’s vision, provide a framework clarifying the by detailed explanations, which provided context to elements
value proposition to customers and employees, and serve as the contained in the brand platform.
filter for all decision-making going forward.
The final Longo’s brand platform was determined by collaboratively
applying a strategic filter to arrive at the most compelling solution.
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Methodology
define (cont.)
V. Experience Mapping:
Watt developed an analytical framework with the Longo’s customer We defined Longo’s strategic points of customer interaction,
at the center to ensure that the right product is supported by the audited the store, and determined the precise retail strategy to
right message delivered at the right time, at the right place, be implemented. This approach provides a measurable benefit
in the right way. to the bottom line.
Ask us for an
electronic copy of the
Experience Map: it’s one
of our most innovative
and effective tools!
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Methodology
design
Key design deliverables for this project are the brand identity II. Integrated Marketing Activity Planning:
elements, corporate brand activation, private brand, integrated For Longo’s, we are building the marketing activity plan from the
marketing activities plan, and retail design to reflect the new “store out.” That is, a compelling shopper proposition that is stra-
branded experience. tegically aligned with the brand pillars of the new Brand Platform.
This proposition starts with an in-store experience and uses multiple
I. Corporate Brand Activation: media to deliver the desired attitudinal and behavioral stimuli.
Brand activation is a process for delivering innovative ways to bring
the brand to life, internally within the organization. This process is There are four (4) primary integrated programs. These primary
designed to gain insight from the people who lead the Longo’s programming windows will be aligned with, and launched through,
organization across their respective areas to develop focused, Longo’s “Experience” magazine and supported by:
actionable initiatives that keep the brand “alive” and “on message.”
A. In-store programming (promotion, sampling, display);
This is realized through a series of Brand Activation B. Traditional media (radio, print, direct);
Workshops with Longo’s senior leadership team. The Workshops
identify where Longo’s is currently delivering internally on the Brand C. Existing Longo’s digital assets (Twitter, blogs and
Platform, areas for improvement, and opportunities to better deliver website); and,
on the new Brand Platform in the future. Following this, we facilitated D. Longo’s highly successful “Thank You” loyalty program.
Brainstorm Sessions with each departmental team. The scope is
similar to the senior leadership team session, but on more of
a departmental level.
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Methodology
design (cont.)
III. Retail Design:
Watt designed Longo’s new 48,000 square ft. store at Maple Leaf affordable, accessible food, and fresher, better quality products. It is
Square in downtown Toronto. Not only is this a very exciting and both urban and energetic, and fits into the downtown landscape.
high profile location, but it is the complete manifestation of Longo’s
new brand platform and corporate identity. IV. Private Label:
We worked with Longo’s to reposition and redesign their private
Aside from the unique condominium residences located in the two label program, including the development of an architecture that
towers perched on top of the 10-storey podium, Maple Leaf Square outlined the unique profile of each brand, and differentiated their
will also boast a major destination retail centre, a boutique hotel, a value and signature tiers.
daycare centre, and over 200,000 square ft. of office space.
We then created an in-store communications program – including
It’s at this exciting location where Watt has proudly designed Longo’s shelf talkers, end-aisle caps and signage – to educate customers and
flagship store. We’re also proud that this is a LEED certified, convey the quality and personality of the private brands. To ensure
environmentally friendly project. the consistency in the application of Longo’s new brands, we devel-
oped Brand Standards Manuals to outline graphic and packaging
Our design team has taken the new Longo’s brand platform and application guidelines.
created a shopper experience that is inspiring, engaging, and differ-
entiated from Longo’s competition. Longo’s new private label program delivers a better overall look
and feel of the product, effectively communicates tier quality, and
This is a landmark destination retail space that resonates with urban improves brand recognition, all of which will ultimately lead to
shoppers and condo-dwellers, and conveys Longo’s commitment to greater brand loyalty.
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Methodology
deliver
We are committed to delivering results that move our Clients’ Watt has created a Brand Style Guide for Longo’s new brand identity
businesses and support their brands long term through specific with guidelines to drive a common voice and design context to en-
success measures we create together with them. sure consistency across all touch points. Once the brand platform has
been fully executed and in the marketplace for an appropriate period
Activities typically undertaken during this Phase include: of time, we will utilize the benchmarks established in Phase 1 and 2
implementation support, measurement, concept revision, standard (financial data analytics and the various research efforts) to assess
development, and brand guardianship. ongoing brand performance and identify areas for improvement.
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36. Who is Watt International…and why you should care
Does your brand break through the noise? Getting into the hearts and minds of We are a truly integrated retail agency, with over forty years experience working in
consumers, and eventually their wallets, is challenging at the best of times. And if all the over forty countries around the world. Working collaboratively with our clients and other
pieces of your brand – your research, insights, strategy and creative – aren’t cut from the supporting agencies where existing relationships exist, we help uncover the most meaning-
same cloth, you’re fighting an even tougher uphill battle. ful insights, set the right strategies, and deliver results-oriented creative solutions across
every brand touchpoint. Through this integrated approach, our clients get single-source
The key is quite simple – get everyone to sing from the same song sheet. But if you’re management, efficiencies in account management, and a brand experience that’s
dealing with multiple consultants and agencies something eventually gets lost in translation. connected from the first insight to the last creative expression.
So if you’re finding that the pieces of your brand puzzle just don’t seem to fit, we’d
love to talk. Our single-source, best-in-class, integrated retail model works, and
we’d love to show you how.
we are retail.
Want to know more? contactus@wattintl.com
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37. Testimonials
“I haven’t come across another firm that “Your innovative thinking has “Watt has consistently delivered “The dedication, response times “[Watt] continues to deliver world- “[Watt’s] creativity and
delivers world-class research and strategy directly impacted our business high quality designs and has been a and quality of the work have class solutions that have given us an international experience make our
AND creative execution better than and our brand.” pleasure to work with.” been fantastic.” edge in the marketplace.” locations a success.”
Watt.”
“From the very first phone call to “The customer traffic has increased “You guys are the best…. You “They really listen and were very “The final product is an incredible “I would just like to thank [Watt]
the final product, our experience and we have experienced a 70% bring us new ideas, and challenge willing to work with us to help shopping experience....” for producing such an outstanding
with Watt was fantastic.” increase in sales.” us. Your work is really great.” achieve our vision.” store....”
“Watt enabled us to meet the “We could not be recognized for our “I believe that you have helped us “We are thrilled with the new “Watt is characterized by its “This achievement is a great
needs of our customers and efforts without Watt International’s create one of the best retail brand format that Watt developed for our collaborative culture and great example of Watt’s expertise in
maintain a leadership role in the creativity and dedication.” programs in the industry, and the Vintages Store…. Sales performance passion for their work.” designing retail solutions that
footwear industry.” results are proving this.” is exceeding all expectations.” appeal to customers….”
a fresh tradition™
“Watt’s superb combination of “We completely revamped the “[Watt’s] experience and “Their breadth of experience in retail, “We are very pleased with Watt’s “Sales performance and customer
attentive account service, smart store.… 99% of these changes are understanding of the retail commitment to a collaborative process work on creating our new concept feedback are very positive and store
strategic perspective and innova- directly based on your info and environment... puts them at the and creative inspiration are the foun- fresh format…. This is a unique AND operators say [stores] are easier and more
tive creative has earned them our insights! The response and sales forefront of shopper marketing.” dations of our successful relationship.” practical design with innovative profitable to operate than
loyalty and respect.” have been phenomenal!” ways to use very limited space.” previous models.”
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Questions?
Please contact:
Patrick Rodmell, President + CEO
Watt International
416.364.9384 x 324
prodmell@wattintl.com
