Metro Ontario to Celebrate Canada's 150th with Homegrown Food & Music

Grocer dials up sponsorship and experiential efforts to connect with local communities

TORONTO, Feb. 6, 2017 /CNW/ - Metro Ontario is kicking off a 150^th celebration campaign that will include a cross-province series of local events that will bring a uniquely Canadian themed food and music experience to seven cities in Ontario.  The Homegrown Tour will reinforce the grocer's commitment to local communities, local food and local talent – all ongoing areas of focus for the Country's third largest grocery chain.

Metro will officially launch the campaign at this year's JUNO Awards, taking place in Ottawa to commemorate Canada's sesquicentennial.  The grocer has come on board as the official volunteer sponsor of this year's show.  "Local talent relies on homegrown events and promotion to grow and flourish," says Nancy Modrcin, Vice-President of Marketing.  "Metro Ontario is incredibly proud to support the hundreds of Canadians that volunteer their time to support this important cultural event".

Metro will begin executing its Homegrown Tour during JUNO week, aboard the JUNO Express, a VIA train that will transport JUNO Award nominees and music industry members to Ottawa from Toronto.  Travellers will be treated to an on-board food experience hosted by Metro.  This will then be followed by a series of pop-up dinners and concert events in 6 additional cities across Ontario through Spring and Summer.

"The best celebrations in life always include food and music," says Modrcin. "And this year, Canada has a lot to celebrate." 

In addition to the Homegrown Tour, Metro will boost its focus on local sourcing in 2017 by highlighting key Canadian products in stores and across various media channels.  A 52-week content plan is already underway on Metro's owned digital platforms and will be ramping up in early Spring through Canada Day.

"We made a conscious decision this year to boost efforts to connect with communities across Ontario in a hyper local way," says Modrcin. "Every event we host will be a reflection of the unique neighbourhood that we're in. We want our customers to tell our story because it's their point of view that matters."

Metro has assembled a team of strategic communications partners to manage the year-long campaign, which includes Publicis Toronto for mass and digital advertising efforts, Touché Media for media planning, ent! Marketing for music-related event production and Veritas Communications for PR. Veritas, who won Metro Ontario's Food Basics business in 2016, was invited to join the 150th strategy team following its strong start on the grocer's discount business.

SOURCE Metro Ontario Inc.

Katie MacKay, Veritas Communications, [phone], [email protected]