Rimi - A giant in the gutter

The Norwegian grocery store chain Rimi have recently been in the media due to a quite interesting marketing stunt. Rimi allowed customers to pick up a coupon at their stores which allowed them the purchase of two tickets to a Justin Bieber concert. As Rimi's market share has been steadily declining for the past ten years, this seems more as a desperate stunt for publicity than a thoroughly strategic campaign. How come? Rimi have changed their strategy from being a low-price chain (looong time ago in consumers mind), to a more family centered strategy where they offer consumers a quick and affordable shopping experience. In Rimi's eyes this allows consumers to spend more time doing more important things, such as spending time with your family.

How is this consistent with the marketing campaign? The marketing campaign in my mind is more targeted towards a younger crowd, which is inconsistent with the more mature family segment they are currently targeting. In so, their marketing stunts should be more targeted towards things that matter for this segment. Such things could be in-store child-care, special deals on family products, quantity discounts et cetera. AC Nielsen and Trond Blindheim correctly address that the things that matters in the Norwegian grocery market are location, price, parking and a wide assortment. Rimi has yet to address these variables to a clear extent and most definitely have imprecise associations. It is sad to see the past years marketing efforts by Rimi as it clearly shows a lack of knowledge within the fields of marketing and strategy.

Shape up!!