Meijer: "Nobody's There"

The Distillery Project (TDP) has completed its second annual community campaign for Midwestern retailer Meijer. The creative is running on online video and social media in the six states where Meijer has more than 258 supercenters - Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. It will run through October 31.

Meijer has always been about providing families with the essentials, such as groceries and jobs. But for decades, it has also quietly supported countless essential programs and organizations in the communities where it does business. Today, Meijer’s commitment is to a much broader understanding of what’s truly essential to create and maintain healthy, vibrant relationships with those communities.

The events of 2020 unleashed a desire to lead with purpose and to highlight the real stories, people and businesses that are at their core. The real difference in Meijer’s giving strategy is its accessibility: The company takes a more grassroots approach by empowering its store directors to fund the local initiatives that matter most to each community, whether that’s cleaning up a beach or helping teachers buy educational supplies.

Each :15 or :30 ad highlights work being done in local communities and connects it back to people making purchases at Meijer stores. Meijer customers are thanked for their loyalty, which makes the outreach possible.

“Dream Big,” for instance, shows how shopping at Meijer’s supports Boys and Girls Club and Girls Who Code.

“Nobody’s There” opens with an empty park bench during a rainstorm, then shows homeless people safe and warm in beds at shelters.

“Meijer is a beloved regional retailer that has always been deeply embedded within the communities it serves—its Midwestern values and humble origins are woven into the brand’s character,” explained John Condon, chief creative officer at TDP. “Above all, Meijer is a good neighbor who believes that all charity starts at home.” TDP is Meijer’s AOR.

A privately owned and family-operated company since 1934, Meijer pioneered the “one-stop-shopping” concept. They have evolved through the years to include expanded fresh produce and meat departments as well as pharmacies, comprehensive apparel departments, pet departments, garden centers, toys and electronics.