Publix Campaign Honors Island Heritage

Publix Super Markets is honoring the heritage of its many Caribbean national customers in South Florida by celebrating the Independence Days of the Bahamas, Barbados, Haiti, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago.

"A large part of our consumer base in South Florida is made up of customers from the West Indies,'' said Kimberly Jaeger, the Lakeland, Fla.-based chain's manager of media and community relations. "We respect and appreciate that they are extremely proud of their home country's culture and history. We wanted to highlight each island's Independence Day as we know it is a time for cooking, celebration, and reflection.'

Jaeger added that the campaign emphasizes that many of the foods that are part of those island nations' culinary customs are available at Publix.

The grocer's ad campaign is appearing in local Caribbean and African-American publications. In the first series of ads, each of the islands' flags was created with island produce. The second ad series, Icons, features produce, plants, fruits, seasonings, and spices of the islands available at Publix. The campaign will run through 2009.

"Someone is working hard at Publix and understands the importance of cultural nuances within American culture," noted attorney Marlon Hill of the Jamaican Diaspora Southern United States, and a member of the Caribbean Bar Association, which awarded Publix its 2007 Corporate Citizen award. "Other companies should take note."
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