Prisma has lowered prices permanently

Prisma has been operating in Estonia since 2000. There are a total of nine Prisma stores in Tallinn, Tartu, and Narva. In the coming years, Prisma Peremarket plans to expand vigorously into several regions of Estonia. Food prices have been the subject of debate for years: aren’t they too high compared to neighboring countries, especially considering the wage level of the Estonian people? Can quality food be affordable? Are discount campaigns necessary or is it possible to reduce prices permanently instead, saving campaign-related costs? Prisma showed that this is exactly what is possible. A full shopping cart from Prisma has been steadily among the most affordable for the last six months.

GOALS

• To show that Prisma is the retail chain with the least expensive grocery offerings in Estonia
• To talk to its daily customers and bring in new ones
• To get extensive and earned media attention
• To raise brand awareness
• To raise the debate on food prices and gain wider public attention

STRATEGY

The campaign was strategically divided into two categories: the unbranded pre-campaign
and the branded campaign.

The aim of the unbranded pre-campaign was to raise the issue of food prices. A large part of many families’ budget goes towards food. We wanted to find out how much money people spend on food, what proportion of their budget is spent on food, how Estonian people feel about food prices, and how they make their preferences.

We started with a Kantar Emor survey, where we specifically asked people for their assessment of food prices and the amount their family spends on food. It turned out that more than half of the respondents considered food prices too high. With this information we moved on to various family and food forums, where we raised the same questions – are groceries too expensive in Estonia, and whether people prefer stable favorable prices or temporary discount campaigns. The answers quickly revealed people’s expectations towards retail chains.

The branded Prisma campaign started on January 18, 2021, and involved all types of media: print and outdoor media, radio and television, as well as social media. During the branded campaign, the change in Prisma’s pricing strategy was covered in media. Thus, Prisma’s visibility was very high across all media channels.

CREATIVITY AND INNOVATIVE APPROACHES

As an innovative approach, we used various forums and food groups – simply to uncover the mood and preferences of our target group. We also conducted a Kantar Emor survey, which helped us with statistics. It was also useful to highlight these numbers and illustrate our statements with statistics in the media coverage. This certainly increased the credibility of the messages. After the end of the campaign, we also included food podcasts, where Prisma employees shared tips on how to save on food costs, but at the same time eat healthy and high-quality food.

RESULTS

During the month of the campaign, there were 40 different news stories in Estonian media, reaching almost 250,000 people. Prisma took the floor in six podcasts and forums. There were 46 different pieces of media coverage in earned media in total.

Meta team

Riin Härma Senior Consultant