Source: Kroger
Kroger has introduced a website dedicated to sharing stories to reinforce its value — and values — to both customers and associates.
The site, www.krogerstories.com, will share “stories about Kroger's great people, innovative projects, and the ideas that are changing the way we eat, drink, and think about food.” Produced by both freelancers and Kroger associates, the multi-media site will feature long and short-form written content as well as video and photographic storytelling.
"We believe customers, associates and other stakeholders are increasingly making decisions about where to shop, where to work, and who shares their values based on how well they understand the ways a company makes a difference for their people, communities and the planet," said Jessica Adelman, Kroger's group vice president of corporate affairs. "And in this equation, we believe that stories — credible, authentic, human stories — matter more than perhaps anything else."
Kroger begins with a sizable potential built-in audience, with 8.5 million customers and 443,000 associates who shop or serve in its 2,796 stores under a variety of local banner names.
Some current stories focus on its in-store murals, sustainable seafood program and food-styling photo process. The site is also featuring profiles on Murray Cheese, its international foods brand, Hemisfares, and the retirement of its longest-serving associate.
Keith Dailey, senior director, external affairs at Kroger, told Supermarket News, “What I think is most interesting about a platform like this is that the stories will either perform or they won’t based on whether they’re a compelling story or not, and so for us, the simplest measure of success is, are people reading it and are they engaging with it, learning something new that perhaps didn’t realize.”
By comparison, Whole Foods' "Whole Story" blog features articles on food inspiration.
The "Walmart Today” blog seems similar to Krogerstories.com, with a mix of articles on innovation, heritage, employee opportunities and U.S. manufacturing to appeal to customers and staff. Target has two blogs — "A Bullseye View," aimed more at consumers and "Pulse," positioned for employees.