WEST CALDWELL, N.J. -- Kings Super Markets here will be a test site for the Canned Food Alliance's February promotion, called "Homemade for Me."
February is National Canned Food Month, and Kings will be monitoring performance of canned food during the promotional period, said Amy Winn, a spokeswoman for the Washington-based alliance.
Winn told SN that this is the first time the alliance is monitoring results at store level. As reported in SN, this year is also the first time the organization is making an effort to reach consumers at the point-of-purchase, or the store. Also new is a promotional spin that emphasizes the role of canned foods in creating meal solutions.
"We are doing mailings to consumer representatives in supermarkets across the country," Winn said. "The first mailing went out in October, and provided retailers with information on recipes and [promotional] tips and ideas. We've just sent out a 'No Cook Summer' mailing. The theme for the mailing in the spring is 'Cooking With Kids,' and the summer mailing will be a holiday theme."
The alliance mailed promotional kits to about 300 retail chains, according to Winn. To gauge response, the organization will do some telephone sampling. It is also asking retailers to send in summaries, photos and other written representations of promotional efforts undertaken during Canned Food Month. The author of the best response will be rewarded with an invitation to participate in the next Canned Food Advisory Forum, usually held in May or June.
In the meantime, the alliance is working closely with Kings to create a successful month-long promotion in its stores.
Melanie Barnard, another alliance spokeswoman and a Bon Appetit columnist, will make two appearances at the Kings' Cooking Studio, at the Hillsdale and Short Hills units, to demonstrate how to make appetizers and desserts using canned ingredients. The tentative theme of the cooking sessions is "Great Beginnings and Endings," Winn said. Officials for Kings declined an interview with SN.
February promotions will be geared for the supermarket's upscale clientele. According to Winn, Kings will be demoing recipes and sampling every weekend in February. Canned foods will be featured in the store circular, as well as in Kings' natural-food newsletter, "Kings Naturally."
In addition, the alliance with provide informational copy for the newsletter, telling how studies have found canned foods to be nutritionally equivalent to fresh and frozen counterparts.
The alliance will also furnish Kings with special signage and banners for its displays, which tout the promotional logo, Homemade for Me. To give store-level managers an incentive to push Canned Food Month, Kings and the alliance are sponsoring a display contest. Winners will receive Kings gift certificates.
