How Grocery Outlet's Marketing Pro Takes the Brand to New Markets
Grocery Outlet Bargain Market CMO Layla Kasha joins the TWIG Podcast to discuss her zigzagging journey to a career in marketing, how the food retailer shares its brand in new markets, why failing forward is important to professional growth, and more.
She kicks off the episode by explaining Grocery Outlet’s independent-operator model and how it’s a cost-efficient opportunity for people who want to own a business.
“Grocery stores take an incredible amount of money and expertise to build, find sites, all the things you need to do," notes Kasha, "and so it's a beautiful marriage of entrepreneurial spirit and the backing of a corporate brand and all of the bells and whistles that you really need to be successful.”
Operators can still be independent, however. "They can still be themselves, hire people they want, sell what they want, and be a part of the community they want to be in," she adds.
In her role, Kasha oversees the company's overall brand strategy, as well as the success of new stores and emerging markets across more than 520 locations nationally. That's no easy feat, considering that Emeryville, Calif.-based Grocery Outlet is rapidly growing across the United States. Kasha talks about the challenges in establishing brand recognition in areas that might not have heard of the company. As mentioned, the product assortment on shelf isn't the same at every independent Grocery Outlet operator's store.
“I think when you're dealing with those kinds of marketing challenges where ... there's so much [that's] different, you have to focus on what makes you special. And then that's the thing that you key in on," she says. "‘OK, this is the thing that's gonna set us apart and that we can talk about. And that's what we're gonna key in.’ I'm not gonna key in on the fact that it's not all the same assortment. The way I spin that is you never know what you're gonna find."
While acknowledging the clean shopping experience and best prices in town, Kasha prefers to focus on the actual people of the business: "I mean, we have 'outlet' and 'bargain' in our name. We better have a good price. That's table stakes, right? But what you get that, [what] you don't think you're gonna get is the friendly service, the heart of the people that work there, how proud they are of their business, and the unique way that they position their business when they're in it every day. You don't get that from a lot of other chains – not just grocery, but anywhere."
Watch the complete podcast episode as Kasha delves into female entrepreneurship, networking tips, and valuable marketing and communications lessons like “failing forward.”
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Progressive Grocer’s podcast focuses on the trends, topics and interests that move women forward in grocery retail. If you have an idea for a TWIG podcast topic, contact lpetrak@ensembleiq.com and/or ecrowe@ensembleiq.com.
