Aldi set to kick off national ad campaign

Next week, Aldi plans to launch a new national advertising campaign that takes an amusing approach to the benefits of shopping at the hard-discount grocery chain.

Dubbed “Shop differentli,” the campaign kicks off on Sept. 17 with the first of a series of commercials designed to illustrate how Aldi delivers quality, selection and value to help customers save time and money. 

The lead-off commercial, titled “Child Seat,” shows a doting mother shopping in an Aldi store as she baby-talks to her adult son — sitting in the kid’s seat of the shopping cart — about how “precious” her Aldi Specially Selected olive oil is to her.

Other “Shop differentli” spots, zeroing in on the checkout counter conveyor belt, take an offbeat approach in highlighting Aldi’s fresh produce, meat and fish; high quality standards; quality guarantee; and awards garnered by its private-label products.

For example, the “Fresh Fish & More In-Store” ad shows a close-up of Aldi salmon products passing by on the belt at checkout with a sign that says, “Fresh Atlantic Salmon. Never Frozen,” when a bear paw sudden comes onto the screen and puts a container of honey on the counter.

Similarly, the “Aldi Twice As Nice Guarantee” spot pictures creepy vampire hands exchanging Aldi SimplyNature garlic hummus — in a puff of steam — for the classic variety at checkout, followed by the tagline, “Not Happy? We’ll Refund And Replace It.”

The multimedia campaign includes 30- and 15-second commercials on broadcast and cable networks, including streaming platforms and online video, along with social media and ads in print and across digital properties, according to Aldi.

“Our ‘Shop differentli’ campaign highlights the intentional differences our customers experience when shopping at Aldi versus other grocery stores,” Scott Patton, vice president of corporate buying at Aldi, said in a statement. “To us, low prices, high-quality products and a rewarding shopping experience are the result of the care we put in to everything we do.”

Aldi’s marketing push comes as the German retailer, whose U.S. headquarters is in Batavia, Ill., aims to familiarize more American consumers with its unique shopping model amid a major store expansion.

Aldi stores offer curated selection of private-label products — about 90% of the assortment — in a format that averages just 12,000 square feet and draws customers with hard-to-match, everyday low prices and a simplified shopping experience without promotional frills.

Now with about 1,800 locations in 35 states, Aldi has embarked on a $5.3 billion, five-year expansion program that will grow its store base by nearly 50% — including into new markets — and upgrade most of its locations. The chain also has begun a major product expansion in which 20% of items in every store will be new versus a year ago. The product rollout, slated to run through early next year, focuses on fresh, organic and easy-to-prepare offerings and will expand the selection of fresh food by 40%.

“Customers come to Aldi for the first time for the prices. They come back because of the quality,” Aldi U.S. CEO Jason Hart said in a recent interview with Supermarket News.