TORONTO, July 24, 2014 /CNW/ - Metro Ontario is kicking off its 2014 summer campaign with an integrated program of strategic partnerships, print advertising, in-store events and online initiatives targeting people who love food. The campaign highlights Metro's ongoing commitment to local food and local growers.
Metro Ontario will be the exclusive grocery sponsor of the inaugural Taste of Toronto Festival which kicks off today and runs until Sunday, July 27th at Fort York and brings together chefs from across the city. Metro's on-site presence will include the Metro Market & Lounge and Metro Master Class. This is the first year the global festival has a presence in North America with Toronto selected as the first site. Established in London, England, Taste festivals are now present in several major world cities including Sydney, Dubai, and Milan.
"Our summer campaign is a celebration of fresh, local flavours. We wanted to reinforce our ongoing commitment to local food, local growers and sustainable procurement strategies," said Nancy Modrcin, Senior Director of Marketing for Metro Ontario Inc., "The Taste of Toronto Festival is just one of the ways we are helping showcase the best Ontario has to offer."
The Metro Master Class will be an interactive, hands-on area where Taste visitors have the opportunity to prepare, cook, and sample dishes using fresh Ontario produce. Culinary experts will take guests through recipes step-by-step and teach them how to prepare restaurant quality dishes in their homes. The roster of participating chefs includes the Harbord Room's Cory Vitiello, Bosk's Damon Campbell, and Top Chef Canada winner Carl Heinrich to name a few.
The Metro Market & Lounge at Taste of Toronto Festival will be an oasis within the festival where guests can stop to replenish and then shop at a virtual pop-up market for fresh local ingredients to complete featured recipes developed exclusively for Metro. Purchased items will be available for pickup upon exit from the festival grounds. The Metro Market & Lounge will include a lounge where visitors can relax with refreshments like fresh pressed local juice, herb and fruit-infused water and local Ontario produce.
At store level, Metro will continue its partnership with Foodland Ontario by holding a series of in-store Mini Festivals to celebrate new seasonal produce until the end of August. Each Mini Festival will proudly spotlight the offerings of Ontario's agricultural heartland. The festivals will be supported through in-store signage, in-store sampling, weekly print and digital flyers and content on metro.ca. Featured local produce will be put in the spotlight as it comes into season.
To give a face to the campaign, Metro has partnered with culinary personalities and bestselling authors of How to Feed a Family: The Sweet Potato Chronicles, Laura Keogh and Ceri Marsh. Former fashion and style editors, Keogh and Marsh will act as ambassadors for the brand in broadcast and print media, and share new recipes and tips for how to incorporate fresh, Ontario produce every day.
Online, the entire campaign will be supported in a dedicated Taste Summer themed section of Metro.ca which will feature new recipes, tips, and special offers each week. The site is an easily accessible source of inspiration for creatively incorporating more Ontario produce into everyday meals all summer long. The site will also showcase information about Taste of Toronto, and the ongoing mini festivals taking place in store for the remainder of the summer.
The launch of Taste Summer kicked off on June 25 with an intimate dinner for Canadian media at Toronto's Wychwood Barns. The evening was hosted by the Metro Ontario team and celebrity chef and co-owner of the Harbord Room and THR & Co., Cory Vitiello. Dinner guests included House & Home's Suzanne Dimma and Eric Velland, Zoomer Magazine's Suzanne Boyd, FLARE's Cameron Williamson and Chatelaine's Claire Tansy. The event featured custom recipes by Vitiello inspired by local Ontario produce and Taste Summer.
All public relations and event planning related to Taste Summer was led by Toronto-based agency Arts & Communications.
About Metro Inc.
With annual sales of over $11 billion and over 65,000 employees, METRO INC. is a leader in the food and pharmaceutical distribution in Québec and Ontario, where it operates a network of more than 600 food stores under several banners including Metro, Metro Plus, Super C and Food Basics, as well as over 250 drugstores under the Brunet, The Pharmacy and Drug Basics banners.
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Image with caption: "Metro Inc. (CNW Group/METRO INC.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140724_C1562_PHOTO_EN_4476.jpg
SOURCE: METRO INC.
A&C: Rachel Walters, Sr. Account Manager, [email protected]; Daniel St. Germaine, Account Manager, [email protected], (416) 966-3421
About METRO Inc. With annual sales of more than $20 billion, METRO Inc. is a food and pharmacy leader in Québec and Ontario, providing employment to more than 97,000 people. Its purpose is to Nourish the health and well-being of our communities. As a retailer, franchisor,...
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