NYT: The specialty grocer Trader Joe’s is coming to Manhattan in a few months, but will not be advertising its opening.
Instead, the company that has inspired cult loyalty by offering low prices on fresh produce, packaged and frozen foods will stick to its bare-bones marketing approach: sending direct-mail flyers to residents in the neighborhood. (In this case, the first Trader Joe’s in New York City will open on 14th Street near Union Square sometime in March or April.)
But while Trader Joe’s is inevitably associated with its Southern California roots, the online grocery service FreshDirect is trying to ward off its latest rival by introducing an advertising campaign next week playing up its local status.
In a series of commercials to run on channels including the Food Network, NY1 and CNN, FreshDirect is counting on the power of New York personalities to lure customers. Each commercial features a New York celebrity receiving a FreshDirect package at home and making small talk with the deliveryman.
The company was founded in 1999 and primarily serves Manhattan, but has expanded to include parts of Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, New Jersey and Westchester County. In the summer, the service reaches to the Hamptons.