SAFEWAY PROMOTES '2-HOUR' TURKEY

JULIE GALLAGHER

PLEASANTON, Calif. -- Safeway here is distributing a 2-Hour Turkey recipe to promote the sale of frozen turkeys along with related items for preparing Thanksgiving's main course.

"We constantly listen to our customers in order to best address their cooking and shopping needs, and what we heard about Thanksgiving is how busy a day it is for them," said Michael Minasi, the retailer's senior vice president, marketing, in a statement. "The introduction of the 2-Hour Turkey recipe eliminates all-day cooking on Thanksgiving and gives our customers more time to spend with their family and friends."

The recipe, which can be used to prepare birds up to 22 pounds in two hours, was developed in the test kitchens of Menlo Park, Calif.-based Sunset Magazine as part of a custom publishing agreement the magazine has with Safeway.

As part of a one-stop merchandising strategy, the retailer displays the recipe's four ingredients -- Manor House frozen turkeys, weighing 10 to 24 pounds, Safeway coarse ground black pepper, Morton coarse kosher salt and Safeway Select Verdi olive oil -- in the frozen turkey area. Everything else that cooks need to prepare the turkey, including foil roasting pans, adjustable V-shaped racks, meat thermometers and oven thermometers, are displayed nearby. The takeaway recipes are displayed with the supplies at nearly 1,600 Safeway stores including Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Dominick's and Tom Thumb.

"Thanksgiving is one of the biggest holidays where family and friends come together to share great food," said Brian Cornell, executive vice president, chief marketing officer, Safeway, in a statement. "The 2-Hour Turkey recipe extends our 'Ingredients for Life' brand positioning, by offering solutions and the best overall shopping experience for our customers."

Cornell was the architect behind Safeway's ambitious, $100 million "Ingredients for Life" marketing and advertising campaign rolled out earlier this year.

"We don't talk about item and price," Cornell said, in an interview with SN last month. "[Ingredients for Life] is much more emotive- and lifestyle-based communications. We are communicating that we understand what consumers are looking for, and Safeway is a company that is changing to meet more of their needs."

Safeway Club Card holders save $3 at the checkout when they purchase all four of the cooking tools required for the turkey recipe. Before the company launched the recipe in the stores, it was tested extensively with customers, according to the retailer. Safeway is using testimonials from shoppers in radio, print and in-store advertisements for the recipe. They're also being featured in turkey marketing messages that appear on its Web site, www.safeway.com. "Fabulous results for very little effort," said Safeway customer Beth Newman of Silver Springs, MD.

"The biggest question consumers have about cooking a turkey quickly is, 'How does it taste?"' said Betsy Reynolds Bateson, contributing editor, Sunset Magazine, in a statement.

"The 2-Hour Turkey recipe exceeds all expectations and produces a moist, delicious and flavorful turkey with crisp brown skin. By following the simple recipe, even first-time Thanksgiving cooks can serve their guests an amazing main course."