Publix is the largest employee-owned company in the United States. It's no secret that they arecrushing their competition year after yearIn terms of net margin, they are the most profitable grocery store in the United States.
Would you be surprised if I told himresounding successis marketing?
More specifically, it is because of the way they are usedBrand.
Kroger is falling behind with a 1.6% net margin in its stores, even Whole Foods and Walmart are falling behind with sky-high net marginssolobelow 4%.
Publix is the clear leader among grocery stores in terms of net margin at 5.6%.
What is Publix's secret?FAT-Marge?
Brand.
Here's a refresher on the brandif you need it
The main takeaway is that there is more than meets the eye to you that you have little faith in the brand.
A good brand is aboutto know who you are forYunderstand how to send them a message.
it's not aloneBold graphics or smoke and mirrors is a good markgreat message
How the Publix brand helps:
AfterDie Harvard Business Review,average supermarket chainsaround 14% of your turnoverprivate label products.(That would be Publix Brand or Walmart Brand Stuff.)
There are a few things that can change this.
In recessions, it can increase as much as 17%.
It is usually between 14-15%.
Publix brands account for up to 20% of its sales.
Already fascinated?
Let's break down what it is with Publix that gets them overlookedgeneric productsofpowerful business tool.
publixstarted with his clientYhe saw an opportunity.
Publix acknowledges thathow they thought customers viewed "generic products".hadmuch changedhow they approached their strategy for their private label division.
"We really don't trust the customer to look at a box of canned goods and say, 'Oh, that looks like the national brand, it must be [more] good,'" says Cox. And the more the definition of generic is stretched, the more true it is. In some ways, he argues, his store brand could be as viable as Gap or Pottery Barn, retailers that have made a name for themselves by selling their own products rather than bundling products with famous names from others. "These are seen as trusted brands that people identify with and think are high quality," she says, "so why can't supermarkets do the same?"Tim Cox, head of Publix's internal creative services department, told the New York Times
Publix's success stemmed from ain-depth knowledge of your customersand their shopping habits.
Instead of imitating popular national brands andbegso you buy them with pathetic"Me too!"Focus Publix has developed products that people usereally want to have in their kitchen.
The first thing you expect to see about the layout ishow much they had the customer in mind.
This packaging was obviousdesigned around it will look better the more of your brand you buy.
A pantry full of Publix products is truly a treat. It's colourful, fun and looks amazing!
It is not surprising that its packaging hashas won many design awards.
Choosing the black and white Publix logo (as opposed to their green trademark) was the right choice, as it allowed them to create oneconstant and noticeableIt looks with any color combination.
Allows Publix great flexibility in photography and the ability to chooseHigh contrastColor combinations in each situation.
The fact that most of the packaging is white also helpsstand out on shelvesfrom competing brands, who often choose solid primary colors for their packaging.
Publix has successfully created a brand that is trustedacross all product categories, throughout the store.
for me andthousands of other buyers,if we haveno preferred brand in a categorywe would do itI prefer to buy the Publix brandas aunmarked brand name.
“We believe that there are three ways to differentiate yourself: service, quality and price. You have to be good at two and the best at one. For us, service comes first, then quality, and then price.” —Todd Jones, President of Publix
by Publixall cultureconfigures your generic products to be considered successfulreliable.
Unlike Walmart's "always low prices," Publix took care of thatpeople first From the beginning.
From the bulldozers that help you get to your car (beyond all Publix competitors) to the painstaking detail that isemployee ownedCompany - if you could trustany businessTo bring you quality ingredients, these guys are it.
All you have to do is come to FloridaSee the full power of your brand in action.(Or just search for #pubsub).
More than half of Publix's 1,000-plus stores are in Florida (755),prevent the penetration of competition in our market.
Kroger, Aldis, and Walmart have tried (and continue to try) to unseat Publix as Florida's favorite supermarket chain.
None were successful.
It's common to see people shopping with their beloved Publix reusable bags, even at Walmart. It's like a status symbol here.
Another Publix gold minedeep understanding of who they are fortook her to her brand Greenwise.
Greenwise products are some of themhigher margin in the store.
They cater to shoppers looking for organic and all-natural options, something that is becoming increasingly important to millennials as they surpass Generation X in market size.
This mark provides important information aboutwhere Publix sees itself in the marketplace,Yyour marketing strategy.
In trying to unseat Publix as the king of Florida grocery stores, Walmart frequently uses aprice comparison strategy.
For example, they will place newspaper ads in target markets showing a Publix receipt versus a Walmart receipt asking readers"see for yourself".
Publix has a big onemarcoto the Walmart challenge.
EllaNeverThey want to compete directly on price.
They may try to modify their buying strategy, but Walmart will still be oneMuch higher volume buyers.
Also, they could never provide the level of service they do if they compete on price. Their spectacular margin allows them to fully staff their stores, provide excellent training and staff to spend moneyso long with you until your problem is fully resolved —instead of trying to solve your problem that wayfastas possible.
Instead, Publix likes to keep competing.total value of the shopping cart.
This fits perfectly with the promotion of their generics.
Publix argues that you can getthe same qualitythan brand names at a lower price, orbetter quality for the same price.
While not all item prices at Publix are the lowest, they believe you'll have ita better basket for the same pricewith you.
Walk into any Publix and you'll find that the Publix brand is pricedlowthe leading brand, and often yoursGreenwise organic products are the same price (or less).
This marketing of its generic brand wasvery successfulwhat isAllow Publix to develop a business model similar to Trader Joe's.
Now Publix could implementgreen markets,an organic market who focuses on selling their Greenwise private label products!
Publix's understanding of its customersInterested in the eco lifestyle trendIt shows in their product offering, like their reusable bags, which come in a variety of cool patterns.
One strategy that Publix used with great success wasGive away a free Publix brand productwhen buying oneDirect competitor of recognized brand.
This drew more people to try Publix brand products and helped build trust.equate to the Publix brandconthe brand in the mind of the customer.
Why would they challenge you to try their brand?And if they weren't behind?
Publix has also usedloss leaderwith great effect.
Many people know that Publix accepts coupons from all of their competitors like Walmart, Kroger, Aldis, Winn-Dixie, etc. (If you did not know it, now you do).
Publix creates aloss leaderin its pharmacy department, which has made it thefastest growing department in the organization.
They offerlibre14-day supplies of six generic antibiotics and 30-day supplies of high blood pressure and diabetes medications.
One of the newer programs being introduced at Publix is thisapronBrand. It comes in several flavors:
one is theApron Simple Food Stationsin various Publixes (Publixi?) in the south zone.
These stations offer in-store cooking demonstrations with arefrigerated display casenext to team member with ingredientsright at hand.
There are also recipe cards for the food cooking in front of you:
This team member also hands out essays, there is a PA announcement in the store when the food is ready, which brings people to the station.
I have also seen them do somecontent marketingWith this configuration there are someSchürzen's Simple Mealscookbooks I've seen.
The important lesson here that you can apply to all of your marketing isconsistency in the message.
Do you notice how exactly the recipes are cooked? It wouldn't be as powerful without that keystone.
In your email marketing? use onecall to actionthat reflects thatexact subjectthe content to which it links.
Generate leads with Facebook Ads? Connect thetitularFor himexact wordingyour Facebook ad.
Consistency in message is importantand can even showconversion increases.
the other is calledcooking school apronthat's in a handful of stores.
it is a storeclass experiencewhich offers lessons likeGrilled Fish 101YA Vegetarian's Journey Through India –all with natural, store-bought ingredients.
Publix has learned that education is a very powerful form of marketing.
It's an incredibly powerful way to increase store visits.
test your assumptions
The attitude of the peoplethey change over time.
Not just for decades, but for years or even months!
At least once a year you must ask yourself"Why do I market the way I do?"
if your answer isbecause it has always been done that wayyou may have to...
Get to know your customers better
Take your guess andquestions!
As simple as that.
Look, why did Publix develop its generic products like it used to?
Because theysupposedPeople did not trust generic drugs.
So they pretended that people didn't trust generics, particularly by trying to "borrow" credibility by designing products that looked like brand name products.
in publicaskedyour customers "Hey, is it true that generic drugs scare you?"
Guess what?They found out they were wrong!
By letting go of the idea that "no one wants to buy these products," they were able to go in a new direction and create something that people would want to own.
You make assumptions like this all the time in your business.
Write down at least 3 assumptions you make about your business andquestionsa past or current customer your prospect.
You may find out you are wrong and find an opportunity like Publix did.
even if yousoloFind out that you are right, that is also important!
Ask year after year whyOne day you may wake up and realize that you are wrong.
A useful question you can ask your customers"What happens to other people like us?"
Getting people to tell you what they don't like about others in your industry or similar products is a good way to test your assumptions as well.
You can use the information you get from these exercisesCreate a meaningful picture of who your customers are,YUse what you found in your own marketing strategy.