whole foods market
they were our oz. doers of good, worth the journey, and very, very green. they made us more passionate, intelligent, and courageous about our food. and they believed in the watsons. and so it was that we began a partnership with not one, not two, but three regions of whole foods market — and did a whole bunch of work that put us on the map.
when gotham became the emerald city.
using urban streets as our landscape, including billboards, in-store signage, train posters, and pedicabs, we set out to reach people where they live — and shop.
we painted the town whole foods green with disruptive, whimsical messaging as pure and honest as the brand’s offerings. with short, quippy lines that were quick and easy to read, we drove our messaging home to even the busiest passersby. we made them smile. we made them think, and, most of all, we reminded them what value really means. the stunning green designs jumped off of every medium, creating a look that was both conspicuous and beautiful. and the tagline summed up every message with a call to action: shop like you deserve it.™
the watsons took over times square, covering sidewalks with bio-friendly stenciling for new yorkers who had a pre-smartphone penchant for looking down. and we branded pedicabs, giving shoppers who spent over $50 on groceries, free rides home. we also ran the campaign on food blogs and nyc-centric sites.
the results? whole foods’ tribeca store experienced the brand’s biggest opening, messaging was adopted by the mid-atlantic region, they received press coverage for the campaign and pedi-cabs, and there was an increase in basket size among all existing stores in the region.
we had the next campaign on the bag.
next, we reached into our bag of tricks for something special. and as it turned out, the bag was all we needed. there’s no better proof of promise than a person with a bag full of groceries, so we shot consumers with bags featuring messages about value and quality. the campaign was seen on out of home that reached audiences where they lived, worked and walked in new jersey and manhattan. and, with life imitating art, the campaign was such a hit whole foods decided to feature the campaign's headlines on the bags they provide to their customers upon checkout – thus creating thousands of walking billboards all around town.
the campaign was such a success that it made its way to the windy city. having recently opened their third largest store in the world, we adapted the ooh campaign, shooting at iconic locations like the fullerton street el stop and the biograph theater. the new campaign converted chi-town shoppers into living, breathing testimonials.
helping new yorkers stay prepared.
to raise the profile of their holiday prepared food offerings, the watsons created a campaign for the northeast that included out of home, digital and print in time out new york.
APPetizing cheese.
does asiago go with honey or jam? is it best to get a semi-soft, mild, or a sharp spreadable? and did you know that to make a proper cheese board you need to have 4 different types of cheese? we teamed up with whole foods market’s mid-atlantic team to design an app that let’s you know exactly what kind of cheese you need based on pairings, texture, and type.
users could customize their own cheese boards or shake the app for a handcrafted board from the brand’s amazing cheesemongers. it even featured cheese profiles for 72 cheeses. pairings could be shared on social, and users entered to win yummy, cheesy prizes. now, that’s something to smile about.
doing their share over the holidays.
we created a tv campaign for whole foods’ midwest that brought back the kinder, gentler spirit of the holidays. the three heartwarming tales proved that sharing really is caring. handling concept, writing, producing, and editing — we and our incredible cast and crew (and very cool client) helped whole foods market spread some powerful holiday cheer.