RESOURCEFUL RETAILERS

Carol Angrisani

CHICAGO -- Using newspapers, television and radio, supermarkets got the word out about their products and services last year.

Following are the winners of the annual Food Marketing Institute/Woman's Day Advertising Merit Award competition, which drew 265 entries from 88 stores. Also included are retailers that earned certificates of merit. Winners will be honored tomorrow at a luncheon during FMI's annual convention here.

Some of the winning entries, such as a rotisserie chicken campaign by Price Chopper, were aimed at spotlighting a specific department of the store.

"We're targeting Price Chopper as a destination point for meal replacement," said Joann Gage, Price Chopper's vice president of public and consumer affairs.

Newspaper -- Direct-Mail Fliers

1st Place:

Wild Oats Markets, Boulder, Colo.

Wild Oats appealed to consumers with this image, a cover for an eight-page flier used to highlight the opening of stores in San Francisco and West Hollywood.

Lisa Busch, creative director

"We chose this ad because we tend to play off our name. We like to do the unexpected and quirky. We push our marketing materials to the edge. This image tends to stand apart from the rest.

"The flier fit into the region quite well because people there tend to be open-minded. We wouldn't do it in every location. We plan to use it again in the more progressive areas, perhaps Arizona. "

As for winning, Busch said, "We're thrilled. It's great to suddenly be in the big leagues."

Newspaper -- Four-Color Merchandising

1st Place:

Tidyman's, Greenacres, Wash.

Tidyman's woke up its customers with an ad that pictured a hot, rich cup of competitively priced Folger's coffee.

Newspaper -- Newspaper Supplements

1st Place:

Fleming Cos., Rainbow Foods division, Hopkins, Minn.

Fleming made it easy for consumers to shop its stores by delivering paper grocery bags directly to their homes. "Now it's easier to bring home the savings," was printed on the bag.

The bag was placed on doorknobs of about 50,000 homes last fall. It contained the local newspaper, the Star Tribune, along with a Fleming Cos. bag stuffer. It was the first time the retailer ran such a promotion.

Harry Steen, advertising director

"The purpose of the project was to introduce Rainbow's new handle barrel bags into a specific market. The barrel bags contained an advertising piece that urged the consumers to come to Rainbow and fill up the bag. By delivering the newspaper inside the barrel bags and hanging it on residents' doors, it created an awareness of our new bags."

Newspaper -- Public

Service/Customer Service/Store Image

1st Place:

Bristol Farms,

El Segundo, Calif.

Bristol Farms compared a unique type of "grand opening" to new stores it opened in Westlake Village and Long Beach, Calif. Those stores opened last November and February, respectively. The retailer plans to use the pearl in the shell image for other store openings as well.

The image was the cover of a 20-page brochure inserted in newspapers and direct mail.

Jodi Taylor, director of marketing and advertising

"It was an exciting campaign and it really worked. We chose a clam because it's food related, and symbolizes something that's shiny, new and, especially, classy.

"The brochure was unique because every two pages featured a different segment of our store, such as meat, seafood or dairy. As you went though the book, it was like you were walking through our store."

Television:

1st Place:

Buttrey Food & Drug, Great Falls, Mont.

Buttrey used old photographs taken at some of its first Montana stores in television ads that celebrated its 100th anniversary last year. Both 30- and 90-second ads ran throughout the year. During one part of the festivities, store employees dressed up like grocers from 1896, complete with hats, bow ties and aprons.

Barb Murphy, director of sales and advertising

"The ads were very informative. We used old black and white photos that reflected the history of the company and then used contemporary shots that show how Buttrey operates today, concentrating on fresh and perishables.

"This helped remind them that we are a Montana company. We're local and we've been around a long time."

Magazine Advertising

1st Place:

Dominick's Finer Foods, Northlake, Ill.

Dominick's put a fresh face on the produce department.

Newspaper -- Black & White Merchandising

1st Place:

Price Chopper Supermarkets, Schenectady, N.Y.

Price Chopper fought back against Boston Market with an ad that publicizes its home-meal replacement program, Ready Meals. The ad campaign, launched in November and still running, has also been featured in an insert in the company's weekly circular, as well as on radio during rush hour times late in the week.

Joann Gage, vice president, public and consumer affairs

"The ad is part of a much larger campaign that includes billboards and in-store signing. We're targeting Price Chopper as a destination point for meal replacement.

"We're proud of the campaign because the message is so clever. It's received a lot of attention. A newspaper recently did a taste test of rotisserie chickens in the area and we came out No. 1, both in taste and price."

Radio

1st Place:

Fleming Retail Advertising Services, Oklahoma City

International Awards

International Newspaper

1st Place:

Woolworths, Auckland, New Zealand

International Television

1st Place:

Pueblo Supermarkets, Carolina, Puerto Rico

Certificates of Merit Winners

Newspaper -- Direct-Mail Fliers Wegmans Food Markets, Rochester, N.Y., and Stop & Shop Cos., Quincy, Mass.

Certificates of Merit:

Newspaper -- Four-Color Merchandising Central Market, Poulsbo, Wash., and Hollywood Markets, Troy, Mich.

Newspaper -- Supplements Wild Oats Markets, Boulder, Colo., and Associated Grocers, Seattle

Newspaper -- Public Service/Customer Service/Store Image Thriftway Food & Drug, Cincinnati, and Natural

Retail Group's/Sunsplash Market & Cafe, Naples, Fla.

Magazine Advertising Bristol Farms, El Segundo, Calif., and Star Markets, Honolulu

Radio Cub Foods, Stillwater, Minn., and Tidyman's, Greenacres, Wash.

Television Winn-Dixie/Atlanta, and Atlanta Piggly Wiggly Carolina, Charleston, S.C.

Newspaper -- Black & White Merchandising Dorothy Lane Market, Dayton, Ohio, and Fleming Retail Advertising Services, Oklahoma City

International Newspaper Sam Food Warehouse, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and All Azizia-Panda United, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

International Television Super 99, Panama City, Panama,

and Xtra Supermarkets, Carolina, Puerto Rico