October 22, 2012
Business 2 Community: Trader Joe’s Fearlessly Goes Where Others Will Not
Through a special arrangement, presented here for discussion is a summary of a current article from Business 2 Community, an online community focused on social media, marketing, branding and public relations.
Trader Joe’s describes its monthly mailer, The Fearless Flyer, this way: "A cross between Consumer Reports and Mad Magazine, The Fearless Flyer is kind of like a newsletter, a catalog and a bit of a comic book all at the same time."
The description goes on, "It’s our chance to give you loads of interesting (hopefully) information about our products. And along the way, we like to toss in some witty (we try) tidbits and even a few old-fashioned cartoons."
Introduced in 1970 as the Insider Report, its name changed to Fearless Flyer in 1985. It’s free and remains the primary form of advertising for them today. But it’s certainly not your average "grocery store mailer." It is written with personality and tells the description or story behind current special store products.
"Fall is here and we’ve pumpkin-ified every food group you could possibly imagine!" reads the "introductory" content from a recent fall Fearless Flyer (Oct. 9, 2012). "Pumpkin Soup, Pumpkin Chai, Greek Pumpkin Yogurt, Pumpkin Chocolate Mousse Cake… We’ve squashed it all in, along with many other treats and treasures (Organic Silver Dollar Pancakes, anyone?) Find it all at the place where great products always come with great prices (otherwise, what’s the point?)… Trader Joe’s."
The introduction to its Spiced Cider reads, "We’ve been selling orchards full of it for more than 20 years, and we anxiously anticipate its return, year after year. We are so truly happy when it comes back that we really need to share our joy. If we were in the same room with you, we’d share a glass; since we’re not, we’ll settle for sharing the news. And the joy."
Seven Trader Joe’s content marketing lessons:
- Fall in love with your products or services and share that love with your customers. Your love for them will be contagious.
- Use personality in your marketing. Generic is boring.
- Be descriptive. Paint a picture. Help your customers to experience your products or services in the way you describe them.
- Tell stories! Tell them about yourself, your business, your employees, your products and services, and even about your customers.
- Use scarcity. Part of the reason fans want to read the Fearless Flyer is to see if their favorite products are back or what new products have come out.
- Build a customer mailing (and emailing) list. Just because your product or service is always on your mind doesn’t mean it’s always on theirs!
- Actually use your customer mailing list!
Discussion Questions
Why does the The Fearless Flyer work for Trader Joe’s? Can other retailers use similar content approaches in marketing and messaging?
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The most important component of every successful brand experience is storytelling. Shoppers want to be surprised and delighted, and Trader Joe’s does that every time you visit their store. Fearless Flyer is an extension of their store and they use it to share the Trader Joe’s story and experience.
Brands and retailers alike should learn to ‘live’, tell and publish their brand essence for their shoppers across all of the channels. Brands that can combine both the art of storytelling and the science of omni-channel publishing to the digitally empowered shopper will reap tremendous rewards.
There are many retailers doing this, but on a much smaller scale, and Trader Joe’s does their flyer very well. It is informative and a fun read, plus it keeps the image in consumers’ minds when they want to escape from their regular boring shopping experience in most other stores they shop in. Imagine enjoying your shopping experience!
Stay close to your customers and watch what happens when you really give great service — and NOT lip service.
If a retailer has a theme or a persona that they can capitalize on, then they can use the same technique effectively.
To cut through all of the clutter in today’s “traditional” advertising, it is imperative to find new ways to communicate with shoppers. Trader Joe’s does a great job with this vehicle and other retailers who make their ads more unique, with flair and personality will certainly stand out from the pack.
The “Fearless Flyer” is simply an extension of the culture and personality that Trader Joe’s has built up over the years. The stores reflect the uniqueness, the products reflect it and the people in the stores put the finishing touches on the package. The Flyer is always interesting, encourages consumers to try new things and most importantly, sells the right products in the right seasons.
Other retailers should not try to copy this format, but develop one that reflects their particular culture and strategies.
There have been other similar content approaches among retailers. Remember The J. Peterman Company catalog? People generally like stories that are easy to read and relevant to them (generally interesting or significant in their lives). That’s why FSIs tend to be successful. It’s a matter of finding out what works best with your target for the purpose of engagement and influence.
The “Fearless Flyer” captures the quirky nature of the Trader Joe’s shopping experience and that’s the key to its success. There is a synergy that exists between the promotion content in the insert and the merchandising at the store that clearly works to bolster shopper engagement and sales. Can this work elsewhere? It is working at several retailers, including Michael’s and Costco. And more can emulate the success by simply creating a narrative that keeps true to their go-to-market messaging.
The Fearless Flyer is more effective for Trader Joe’s than it would be for a traditional grocer, for two key reasons.
1. Trader Joe’s core brand promise includes curating assortment for its shoppers so they are a trusted choice for content about the products they offer. Content from a traditional retailer that focuses on assortment and convince would be less influential.
2. The quirky/fun language of the Fearless Flyer is perfectly in voice for Trader Joe’s. It’s perfectly consistent with their in-store signage, website, etc. It would not work for a retailer with a completely different voice to adopt some of Trader Joe’s copy-writing.
It’s great to observe other retailers and to learn from their successes and failures, but the key is to understand why those tactics did or didn’t work for their specific circumstances. You can’t win by simply duplicating individual marketing tactics from other retailers.
With all due respect to the dissenters here, the answer is, “Of course other retailers can use it — and there’s proof.”
Decades ago when Loblaw launched President’s Choice — and instantly reversed its fortunes — it also purchased the rights to produce its own version of the Trader Joe flyer which it called, “The President’s Report.” At one point “The President’s Report” was the largest circulating Canadian-based publication in the country and clearly played a critical role in advancing The President’s Choice banner.
So again — based on the historical record — the answer is a resounding “Yes,” assuming a retailer has creativity, commitment and understands its market.
I’ve always been amazed at how often supermarkets agree about the importance of differentiation, but then don’t dare be different. Part of it is fear of change, I suppose, and part of it is because they let the culture be dictated too much by bean-counting MBAs who suffer from an abundance of gravitas. Those people are, by definition, colossally boring and also insistent upon inflicting their will on others. (When I used to work at companies with folk like that, I had a habit of sneaking up behind them and snapping their suspenders, then laughing and walking away. Really.)
Marketing should be about telling others who you are in a meaningful and understandable method. Adding personality makes one want to read and look forward to receiving the information. It certainly aids in getting customers in the door with a smile on their face which leads to the cash register going “ka-ching.”
Seems to me that is what it is all about. Earn their business by making it exciting and interesting to shop with you.
It works because it does not come too frequently, introduces new products, and is fun to read. Can you say the same about the other grocery flyers that come in the newspaper or in your mailbox?
The future of retailing is — Branded Content. Look at all of the media consumption venues, and opportunities to watch,interact, buy and share. And media is about nothing if not entertainment and information. Imagine where their Fearless Flyer can go in the future… Bravo Joe!
Others can and have done it previously with both Loblaw’s and Jewel Food Stores coming to mind. It’s a great vehicle for the consumer, assuming the retailer has that type of linkage, i.e. thought leadership with their customers, with the passion and commitment to food, the ability to keep the message relevant, AND the same fervor for offering truly new products on a consistent basis.
Trader Joe’s has a brand and a personality that extends that brand to make it relevant and appealing to customers. That TJ’s thinks about its customers is obvious in most things that it does. Their use of relevant content, even if it’s not highly targeted, is a notch above even mass targeted coupons used by the big traditional grocery chains.
All retailers can do this but, as Warren aptly and amusingly refers to in this discussion, most do not for reasons that generally defy logic (and imagination!).
While we risk sounding tired with our observation that the bar in retail is low, this is yet another example of how low the bar actually is and how much opportunity there is to be different, compelling and relevant for customers.
Establishing a memorable AND consistent personality for a retail brand is a key element to shopper loyalty. For those that try to outdo their competition with glossier product photos or lower prices will simply become another entry to the area landfill. Something that creates “buzz” and forms a long-lasting impression is precisely what Trader Joe’s has achieved. Well done.
The Fearless Flyer succeeds because of the combination of the right brand personality and a customer base that welcomes knowing about the products (not just deals).
On the personality of TJ’s, my favorite example is their current radio ad — perhaps the most memorable radio ad I’ve come across. In a deadpan serious voice, the announcer talks about how Halloween is coming and Trader Joe’s canned tomatoes are perfect for handing out to trick-or-treaters. The ad never cuts away from the joke, and it is a perfect play on stores chasing Halloween candy business. It all reinforces the TJ’s brand. Brilliant!
No wonder customers are impressed with the way Trader Joe’s does retailing. This has me wondering now; where is the content marketing going and what else can it do for retailers apart from bringing the customer back to the store?
I am not sure, there could be an analytics tool based on the response to the content of the news letter, that would help decide the merchandise and assortment planning better with respect to customer segments. I am sure I am not talking about the polls/surveys coming in the news letters. This could be something like giving customers the choice to prepare a virtual recipe based on the groceries available in the store and suggest what else they could make out of it, or understand what else they would like to have. Just thinking this could take the content marketing to the next level, giving customers a phenomenal experience and redefining the way grocery stores operate.
I guess I’ll be the designated curmudgeon this morning, and interrupt the TJ lovefest, but where is the hard data that the flyers “work”? (At least better than any other flyer does.) I certainly agree they’re cute and clever and an obvious extension of the brand’s quirkiness — faux though it may be — but at the end of the day, FF is still a flyer…and it ends up in my recycling bin. Oh sure, I may read it 10% of the time, as opposed to 5% — or even 0% — with other circulars, but I can’t recall having ever bought anything because of it. Perhaps I’m not really in their demographic, but if the only people who use it are already groupies, I’m not sure how successful we can call it.
There is no doubt that the Trader Joe’s circular is different from most others. There are a few like it; Sprouts, for example, uses some clip art from the mid-20th century, as opposed to the 19th. But it doesn’t feature the cartoon balloons, although it has plenty of product information. It would be great if all supermarket chains could project their brand like this. However, the Fearless Flyer doesn’t function all by itself; it’s part of a brand building process that encompasses stores, the associates, the mix, etc. There needs to be a personality to begin with.
It works for Trader Joe’s because it compliments and reinforces their experiential retail approach.
This approach is specific to their DNA; a Walmart would be unlikely to succeed with such an approach and when they depart from the expectations that their customers have of them, it shows in their sales results. They deliver get-in-and-out every day low prices, not experiential shopping.
What do you know, a retailer with personality! It works for Trader Joe’s because they made it work. Kind of sounds like a real frequent shopper program, not tiered pricing. Any retailer can do it, and more should if they want to be unique in the market place. Many retailers have elements like Bob the Baker or Joe the Butcher. What is required is a commitment and over-arching vision.
This is a great question! I spent a year working at Trader Joe’s while I researched my book “Build a Brand Like Trader Joe’s.” During that time, I definitely observed the Fearless Flyer’s impact on sales. That said, you might be surprised how small and geographically restricted the flyer drop is. While TJ’s is very secretive about such matters, I often had customers tell me, “I only live a couple of miles away! If I don’t get it, who does?”
The other big observation that I made was that Trader Joe’s launched with an insane crush of customers when it arrived in Kansas City — a market that, at that time, had not seen a single Fearless Flyer.
The lessons I take from this are…
1.) The flyer *supports* a cultural brand that is built in other ways.
2.) The flyer works because (to use a new-media term vis-a-vis old media) it’s really sticky. As an ad copywriter, I used to beat up clients who protested, “No one will read all that copy.” The truth is, the longer people spend with your piece, the bigger impression it makes. Now that web sites can measure that phenomenon, they suddenly care about how sticky your copy is. It always mattered, even though in a traditional media project like the Fearless Flyer, all you can do is send it out there and hope.
The proof it’s working for Trader Joe’s is that customers come in with the flyer, with items circled or highlighted, and point to them and say, “Show me where to find this.” They also repeat stuff they’ve learned, verbatim, from the flyer.
Having said all that, as a professional writer, I’d say that the authors and editors of the Fearless Flyer have enthusiasm going for them, but not much content expertise or writing talent. That all works in the context of the overall brand, but there are other companies that could take the same approach and come across as amateurish.
Consumers know when you are passionate about your own brand. Trader Joe’s does that extremely well. One of the other keys to successful marketing is knowing who your consumers are and providing information that will be relevant to them. Cabela’s comes to mind as another retailer that really knows their customers.
Number 5 is also is a vital component when it comes to direct mail, SMS or email. Don’t overdo it.
Today, consumers crave authenticity. Companies that can deliver a consistent credible voice will be viewed as organizations that stand behind their products and their customers. The use of Trader Joe’s newsletter is not a standalone endeavor either; it is an extension of the brand experience in store. As a result the newsletter, the in-store environment, and supporting details work together to engage consumers, bring them back, and leave them wanting more.