BR INTERVIEW. LaDoiPasi aims to keep things authentic through new image campaign

Geanina Ghiculescu, head of retail marketing at Metro Cash & Carry Romania, and Ana-Maria Balan, creative director at Porter Novelli Romania, tell Business Review about the new image campaign for the LaDoiPasi retail chain and the retailer’s expectations from it businesswise.

By Anda Sebesi

What can you tell us about the new image campaign for the LaDoiPasi retail chain, “Suntem de-ai locului?” Why did you launch it and what are its messages? 

Geanina Ghiculescu: This campaign is the next step of the LaDoiPași rebranding initiative we started in 2017. We established a new brand positioning, launched the new logo and turned the customer into the “hero” of his or her home. At the time we focused on letting people know about the main attribute of the LaDoiPasi network, its proximity, both physical (close to their home) and emotional (paying close attention to the client’s needs).

The “Suntem de-ai locului” campaign reveals the other side of the network and draws attention to the people behind it: what it really means to be a LaDoiPasi entrepreneur. We show how owners relate to locals and how they build up the familiar feeling in their stores.

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Ana Balan: Keeping things authentic was the main goal throughout the entire creative process. So, we visited several LaDoiPași stores to immerse ourselves into the brand’s universe. We talked to the store owners, to the customers and observed how they interacted. One of the first things we noticed is that you could not tell the customer from the store clerk. The entire mood was friendly and quite intimate. You could see they were close and knew each other very well. They all came together as a team, as a local collective. This is how we came up with the idea to present the store as a hub, where members of the community come to socialize. In this new scenario the owner becomes the host.

This new campaign brings an innovative approach to the market by showing how important entrepreneurs are for the franchise. Could you tell us more about this?

Ghiculescu: This new approach aims to highlight the way in which entrepreneurs are invaluable to both the franchise and their community. All of our partners work hard to develop a healthy business, as well as building a long-lasting relationship with their clients. As such, their stores become community hubs where people connect. The relationship between entrepreneurs and community members is very important for us and fundamental in driving stronger customer loyalty.

Balan: The ambivalence of the brand gave us the first strategic clue. LaDoiPași means both a convenience store and a meeting place for members of the local community.  The creative idea tells the brand’s story through a series of three TVCs that focus on the close relationship between LDP owners and community members. “Suntem de-ai locului” showcases three stories in the life of the community. We captured everyday situations where the owner has a leading role in the narrative. The owner knows everybody and shares their passions: movies, fishing or football. The physical space of the store becomes a mise-en-scène for all these daily stories to unfold. It becomes a melting pot of human interactions, the heart of the community.

What are your expectations for this campaign in terms of business?

Ghiculescu:  The campaign aims to attract new entrepreneurs to grow their small businesses within the LaDoiPași network. Sharing our partners’ success stories is a way of showing how the franchise supports the local convenience stores. Through “Suntem de-ai locului” we also want to grow loyalty and increase engagement with our brand, by bringing into the spotlight our partners and their efforts to create a familiar environment.