What started as a simple stand selling fresh fruit in 1940s San Diego, CA, expanded into a few open-air markets. Fast-forward to 1969, and the sons of Henry Boney, the man behind those fruit stands, endeavored to expand even more, transforming into Boney’s Market. The growth only continued from there until, in 2002, the Sprouts Farmers Market we know today was founded, still owned by the Boney family.
The Challenge
Expansion is still continuing today, with new stores cropping up across the United States. Dedicated to healthy food and sustainability, there are locations in 23 states.
Opening up a new store location can create opportunities for an expanded market and increased sales and a grand opening is an even better way to make a solid first impression. No one, however, will come to a grand opening event if they don’t know it exists.
That’s where Sprouts turned to Bloom Ads — they needed help getting the news of what could be a massively impactful grand opening in front of Tampa, Florida’s local community of health enthusiasts.
Bloom Ads would need to make sure that the grand opening pulled foot traffic and that those who came in would be encouraged to come back.
The Solution
Google Stack
As they did with their work with the 99 Cents Only Stores, Bloom Ads went up to bat with SEM and YouTube advertising. SEM, through well-placed advertising spend and thorough keyword research, would bring ads to consumers while they browsed. YouTube ads, however, would help expand that reach even further.
When they’re handled just the right way, a YouTube ad can be massively successful when the end goal is driving foot traffic. They boast the impressive statistic of being 84% more likely to catch and maintain a consumer’s attention than ads placed on broadcast television. Their ability to incorporate precision targeting made this advertising format the perfect way for Bloom Ads to further their mission to make Sprouts’ grand opening a success.
It would take precision targeting and high-quality content to really net the audience they wanted. An efficient, compelling ad message would be one that was relatable and appealing to the health-conscious market that comprised the ideal viewer demographic. They’d have a narrow window of time to get that message out – usually only 30 seconds or less.
Waze
When trying to drive customers into a grand opening event, Bloom Ads opted to get right into their cars when they were already on the move, using the Waze app for directions. With careful media buying expertise, a spot was secured that would keep potential customers on the pulse of promotions and offers from Sprouts while they’re already running errands or commuting. They’d also have a perfect view of where the store is, and how they could easily get there, thanks to the app’s directional focus.
This helped with precise targeting of customers, too – Sprouts specifically wanted to keep their reach to potential guests within a ten-mile radius of the new store. This provided just the right amount of space to know when and where Waze should display its message.
Meta
The new Tampa location would need a pre-grand opening strategy with real staying power. The messaging would need to be tailored to encourage visits on the day of the grand opening, and it would be crucial that that message was also directed at those who had shown enthusiasm for health and wellness. The perfect combination of pinpoint location and interest-based targeting would be found on Meta/Facebook.
Meta is preloaded with brand awareness ads, and ads placed there can target those whose interests and locations align with Sprouts’ target audience. Campaign retargeting saw the ads move up and down the conversion funnel when necessary.
The handy behavioral targeting additionally helped Bloom Ads segment those grand opening guests.
Streaming TV
Through the use of premium publisher content, Bloom sent out localized messaging to the Tampa market Sprouts was looking to seize. To enhance brand awareness within the health enthusiast demographic, it was necessary to place advertisements on programming that this particular audience was already tuning into. Thereby, Bloom Ads ensured that the appropriate groups were exposed to Sprouts’ message.
Display and OOH Advertising
Sprouts had already established that it wanted messages sent out to a ten-mile radius surrounding where the new location would be debuting. The media planning and buying specialists at Bloom Ads got busy setting up digital and static out-of-home (OOH) advertisements. These innovative advertisements were strategically placed in locations where potential Sprouts customers were likely to encounter them.
Additionally, Bloom turned to first-party audience metrics to build out lookalikes and retargeting campaigns. In just that simple step, we were able to massively broaden their reach and frequency. When customers had already checked out the Sprouts website, they’d form a targetable audience. Later, when they were browsing certain other sites, they’d find themselves greeted with a relevant ad for Sprouts. This would keep the brand at top-of-mind, raising brand awareness and, eventually, building the foundations of brand resonance.
The Result
Once the seeds of success had been planted for Sprouts Farmers Market’s new location in Tampa, it was time to see how they’d grow. Following the campaign, which gathered over 5M total impressions across multiple channels, foot traffic increased by 32%. From that foot traffic, Sprouts’ site went 170% over its anticipated click-through-rate benchmark and saw an increase in sign-ups to the tune of 65%.
A Grand Opening Game Plan
Bloom Ads is honored to have partnered with Sprouts Farmers Market for the opening of their new Tampa location. Together, we helped make their grand opening a smashing success by using a data-based advertising strategy and building a strong customer persona. The consumer persona could be used to target exactly the right audience and drive optimal traffic for the big day.
Looking to boost your brand awareness or ace a grand opening? Connect with Bloom Ads’ team of media planning and buying experts to see how we can help.
