Food Lion is giving away a truckload of free groceries to one neighborhood in Charlotte, and customers can make their case on the supermarket's Facebook page for their neighborhood.
The contest is open through Sept. 28. On Oct. 13, Food Lion plans to deliver groceries to residents in the winning neighborhood. The goods will be from the retailer's "my essentials" private label, and Food Lion said it expects to give away about 2,000 items.
The contest's official rules have a list of Charlotte area zip codes which are eligible for the contest. Entrants must describe why their neighborhood is special and deserves Food Lion groceries. Here are the judging criteria, if you're looking for a leg up: "The Judges will judge each Entry according to the following weighted factors: (1) theme: 40%; (2) creativity/originality: 20%; (3) emotionally engaging: 20%; and (4) overall impression: 20%."
Food Lion will also be donating $20,000 to local non-profits as part of the promotion.
The Salisbury-based grocer is in the midst of an effort to rebrand and overhaul its Charlotte-area stores. From a story we ran in July: "Food Lion, owned by Belgian grocery giant Delhaize Group, has dropped
prices on 6,000 items, increased product variety and introduced fresher
produce in 269 stores in the Carolinas, including 27 in Charlotte. Food Lion lost market share in the Charlotte region last year,
falling from 19.2 percent of the market to 17.7 percent, according to
data from Chain Store Guide. The company also closed more than 100
underperforming stores."
So you have to go to Fakebook in order to participate? Um, how about NO. We are not all mindless lemmings and cling to social media. How about an alternate way for people to actually get involved in somthing like this?
ReplyDeleteEssentially, Food Lion is buying Facebook likes and social-media buzz for the cost of a truckload of food?
ReplyDeleteI'd rather see them spend a portion of the cost of that truckload on quality creative documentation of direct charitable giving. The creator of that content gets paid for their work, the charity gets more food to help those who really need it, and Food Lion gets higher-quality documentation of their community work, worth more than Facebook likes and posts motivated only by a contest. Display real community engagement, not social-media vapor.
Further, the idea that people would rally on Facebook to prove that their neighborhood is the hungriest, or the greediest, is a bit tone deaf.
Give the groceries to those who need it; pay someone to document and publicize the charitable community work.
Using contests for basic sustenance is something out of “Hunger Games,” not a strong marketing strategy.
I actually attempted it enter...my zip code is listed as eligible but when I try to enter the form says it's not...UGH
ReplyDelete