Food Lion Builds Brand Awareness

CAROL ANGRISANI

SALISBURY, N.C. — What began as an employee training tool has turned into a well-received Internet promotion for Food Lion's store brands.

The retailer's new “Matching Game,” available at foodlion.com, encourages shoppers to learn the names of Food Lion's brands. Winners receive a $1 Internet coupon for a private-label product.

The game operates in a fashion similar to traditional memory card games. It includes 12 “cards” that players can click to reveal a Food Lion brand. They then must click on another card to see if it reveals a match.

The game, which has received 90,000 hits since it launched last month, was initially used as a training program to familiarize employees with Food Lion store brands, said Food Lion spokeswoman Kimberly Blackburn.

Food Lion decided to use it on the consumer side to help promote its seven private labels — Food Lion, Healthy Accents, Home 360, Smart Option, On the Go Bistro, Nature's Place and Taste of Inspirations — several of which were introduced last year.

“We quickly realized that this was a fun and interactive platform that our customers could also benefit from,” Blackburn told SN.

Once all matches are found, a $1 print-at-home coupon is offered. Each week, a coupon is valid for a different brand.

“We really want people to try each and every brand,” Blackburn said. “We're convinced they will be satisfied and continue to purchase our private brands in the future.”