Giant lures SG tourists to Johor outlets during Raya weekend with OOH campaign

DFI Retail Group leveraged the long weekend and Singaporeans flocking across the causeway for leisure and shopping to draw traffic to its stores via an OOH campaign. The retail group, which manages the Giant chain of stores on both sides of the causeway, made a giant impression by placing three billboards within a 4km radius of the nearest Giant hypermarket: Hypermarket Leisure Mall, Giant Hypermarket Plentong, and Giant Hypermarket Southern City.

At the same time, it also handed out a SG$10 Giant voucher to the first 1,000 consumers who spend RM100 at any of each Giant stores in Johor Bahru. The SG$10 vouchers can be used at any Giant Singapore store. Consumers have until 31 May to redeem their vouchers.

While the company does not reveal the monetary value of its campaigns, DFI's Southeast Asia marketing director for food, Lee Yik Hun, told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that it firmly believes in investing in its customers as they are the company's main priority. Hence, DFI believes this campaign is "the right and relevant thing to do".

One of the ways to remain relevant in the eyes of consumers is to stay on top of the trends and developments that impact how customers shop. "Singapore and Malaysia are closely linked, not just because we share a border, but also because we share family and professional ties, along with our great love for food and shopping. After two years of border closures, we knew that there would be a pent-up demand for travelling to Johor," Lee explained.

With operations in both countries and Singaporeans flocking to Johor Bahru not only for leisure but also to save, Lee said Giant wants to help them save no matter where they are.

"As we always do, we put ourselves in the shoes of our customers. We knew there would be a demand to cross the causeway to see friends and relatives or just to shop. At the same time, the rising cost of living and inflation continues to affect many Singaporeans. Singaporeans often look for bargain deals when they travel to Malaysia. Therefore, our challenge was, how do we help our customers and meet this demand?" he said.

According to Lee, the team regularly speaks to customers on both sides of the border and realised that many remain loyal to Giant whether they are in Malaysia or Singapore. Hence, the campaign felt like the "natural and right thing to do", not only as a good branding campaign for stores in both countries, but to also serve customers as best as Giant can, Lee said.

Digital might be an extremely popular medium among advertisers but OOH is still going strong. Dentsu's global ad spend forecast report predicted OOH to grow 2.8% in APAC and 12.8% globally this year. In this current marketing landscape, Lee said there is no one platform that triumphs all others. To effectively reach Giant's varied audience, the brand leverages a full spectrum of platforms, from social media to traditional media, and even OOH advertising.

"In particular, in targeting Singapore customers in Malaysia, an old-fashioned billboard captures our messaging perfectly, and perfectly positioned, to inform our customers that a Giant store is that a few minutes’ drive away," he said, adding:

It may be an oldie, but still certainly a ‘goodie’ in that it effectively communicates what we need it to.

When asked why Giant decided on the distance of 4km, Lee explained that it wanted to give drivers time to make a decision and 4km meant they had to exit within the next one of two turns. According to him, this is just the right time for customers. "Placing the signs too early may be counter-productive as drivers may forget and be distracted by others things," he added.

At the end of the day, Giant's main aim is to communicate to customers that the brand is always here for them. It also wants to build brand loyalty through this OOH campaign. "If we can also drive sales and market awareness in the process, then that's a bonus," Lee said.

Staying true to 'Lower Prices That Last'

Giant's latest OOH activation is part of its overall Lower Prices That Last campaign born out of the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to help Singaporeans and Malaysians tide through trying times. The national conversation in Singapore, for example, is moving towards rising costs due to year-on-year inflation and Singapore's impending GST hike next year. Giant runs a senior citizens programme which offers a 3% discount every Monday to Friday in Singapore.

Giant's parent company, DFI Retail Group, has also launched its own brand products such as Meadows and Yu Pin King. For Meadows, in particular, Lee told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE previously that Meadows was created as a result of thousands of taste tests conducted with consumers. Launched in August 2020, the initial rollout had over 250 products that were carefully sourced from suppliers globally. The range has since expanded to 800. 

"We wanted to build an offering that would provide our customers with a clear point of differentiation with an exclusive range of products aimed at lowering the cost of their shopping without sacrificing any of the quality. With Meadows, customers can expect prices to be about 20% lower than national brands of the same quality," he explained then. Meadows is available at 7-Eleven, Cold Storage, Guardian and Giant, while Yu Ping King is available at Cold Storage and Giant.

Related articles:
DFI Retail group's stores reopen after the peak of the fifth wave
DFI Group names new brand marketing head
DFI hunts for North Asia comms lead, looks to grow team for yuu Rewards
DFI Retail Group promotes Kelly Lim to SG marketing head for health and beauty
Why Giant ditched its inconsistent orange-green for a fresh green logo