Freshness is one of the most frequently used words in supermarket communication. It usually refers to fruit, vegetables and product quality, telling customers what they can expect to find on the shelves. Sri Lankan supermarket chain Keells has decided to give the word another meaning. Freshness can also mean preparing something for dinner for the first time, making a healthier choice while shopping or surprising someone close to us with a small gesture of kindness.
This idea forms the foundation of the new brand platform Keep Life Fresh, developed for Keells by independent agency Hulsbosch. The collaboration includes a new brand strategy, positioning and integrated campaign, with the aim of extending the relationship with customers beyond grocery shopping itself.
The starting point was consumer research that revealed a shared desire for progress, regardless of people’s different circumstances. Progress does not always have to involve major life milestones. More often, it can be found in small decisions, new experiences and the feeling that everyday life can be just a little better than yesterday.
These are precisely the situations that form the basis of the new communication. Discovering unfamiliar ingredients, preparing a different meal, choosing healthier food or spending time together around the table are all ways in which a supermarket can play a role in customers’ lives, one that does not end at the checkout.
As Nilusha Fernando, Head of Marketing at Keells Supermarkets, explains, the brand has long been built around freshness, quality and innovation. Consumer research revealed an opportunity to connect these existing values with the broader human desire for progress, however big or small. The new platform therefore aims to demonstrate that, beyond providing fresh products, Keells can encourage people to try something new and feel good about the choices they make.
For Hulsbosch, the key challenge was to preserve what the brand was already known for while changing the way it communicates that value. Freshness is no longer simply a functional product benefit, but an idea that connects food, experiences and everyday opportunities.
Marcel Wijnen, Creative Director at the agency, points out that this broader understanding of freshness enables the brand to build relationships with people that go beyond the contents of their shopping baskets. Rather than communicating exclusively what the supermarket sells, Keells wants to show what people can do with the products they buy and how those choices influence their everyday lives.
The new strategy has been translated into a television commercial and an integrated campaign connecting products, emotions and experiences. At the same time, Keep Life Fresh becomes a longer-term communication platform on which Keells can build future activities, while keeping freshness at the heart of the brand.
The change is primarily one of perspective. Products remain the reason customers visit the supermarket, but the new communication pays greater attention to what happens after the shopping is done. A meal prepared in a different way, discovering a new flavour or sharing dinner with family gives tangible meaning to the promise that freshness can represent more than the quality of groceries.
For Keells, this is a way to turn a familiar strength into a broader brand story without moving away from its core business. After all, while major improvements in life often take time, some of the smaller ones begin with a simple choice at the supermarket.
