The Challenge
Despite being a pioneer in online grocery and a household name in New York, FreshDirect faced declining brand awareness in a highly competitive market. Many consumers either did not know the brand or excluded it from their shopping consideration, often due to perceptions of higher pricing. Competitors investing heavily in advertising threatened FreshDirect’s position.

 

The Opportunity
FreshDirect had the chance to reassert its leadership by dramatizing its unique value proposition — unmatched freshness — through a bold brand campaign. This was an opportunity to strengthen consideration, boost customer acquisition, and reinforce its premium positioning.

 

The Strategy
To reignite the brand, we executed a 360° integrated marketing campaign:

• Created iconic TV commercials dramatizing FreshDirect’s freshness promise, with fruit “picked” and fish “caught” only after the customer order.

• Expanded reach across channels (out-of-home, social, CRM, and digital) to maximize frequency and impact.

• Forged strategic partnerships with the NYT and NY Yankees to link FreshDirect with influential cultural touchpoints.

• Aligned messaging across all platforms to deliver a consistent narrative of freshness, convenience, and premium value.
   

The Results
The campaign reached over 2 million consumers and delivered tangible impact:

• +20% brand awareness lift, boosting FreshDirect into the active consideration set of grocery shoppers.

• Annual revenues exceeded $650 million, showcasing the campaign’s impact.

• Over 60K new customers were acquired, reinforcing FreshDirect’s leadership as the go-to premium online grocer.