A brand familiar to almost everyone in the Tri-State is getting a new look.
Cincinnati-based grocery chain Kroger Wednesday released its new logo and plans to transform its brand, and it's offering free grocery pickup - normally a $4.95 fee - through Jan. 1, 2020 to celebrate.
"Kroger's new brand launch is a unifying framework for our seamless shopping experience that is designed to deepen our connection with customers and associates today and into the future, support our business transformation and provide an elevated creative approach," says Mike Donnelly, executive vice president and chief operating officer in a statement.
The new logo is an updated version of the original, featuring the word "Kroger" with the tails of the elongated "K" and lowercase "G" meeting at "O."
The grocery is retaining blue as its primary color, but is adding a new tagline meant to present Kroger as an "egalitarian American brand": Fresh for Everyone.
"Kroger chose 'Fresh for Everyone' as our leading brand message because it is inclusive, clear and memorable, and supports our vision of serving America through food inspiration and uplift," Donnelly says.
Kroger worked with DDB New York to redesign the company's look.
A mass media advertising campaign is also launching. As part of that, Kroger is creating animated characters it says will keep Kroger "fun and relatable." They're called "Kroji," a mashup of "Kroger" and "emoji."
"The Kroji animation features a loveable cast of characters to represent Kroger customers, associates and communities in an inclusive, relatable, optimistic and fun way," the statement says.
While the new branding will be rolled out nationwide with all of its brands using the "Fresh for Everyone" tagline, the company's other grocery entities such as Dillons, Harris Teeter and City Market will continue to operate under the existing names.
You can watch video of the new Kroji below.
