UniFirst Launches First National Brand Campaign in 86-year History

Uniform services leader shines a spotlight on real-life, frontline workers with Always Deliver

WILMINGTON, Mass., March 1, 2022 /CNW/ --  UniFirst (NYSE:UNF), a North American leader in providing customized business uniform programs, facility service products, and first aid and safety services, is launching its first national brand campaign in the company's 86-year history. Entitled "Always Deliver", the campaign honors everyday frontline workers who work hard to support their families and to keep businesses up and running. The campaign will launch during the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament with a 60-second commercial on CBS, TSN, TBS, TNT, truTV and everywhere it is live streamed, on March 17 at 7 pm EDT/4 pm Pacific; with additional 30-second spots running during the tournament through March 20.

The commercial is being supported by an integrated, multimedia campaign in select U.S. and Canadian markets with Always Deliver ads appearing on broadcast and cable networks, connected TV platforms, terrestrial and satellite radio, print publications, and digital formats including social media and digital display.

UniFirst created Always Deliver in partnership with Boston-based advertising agency Allen & Gerritsen. The campaign comes at a pivotal time when the entire world is still navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic, which served, in part, as an inspiration behind its theme of paying homage to essential workers who always deliver for their customers. Always Deliver features real-life workers and actual UniFirst employees, not trained actors or professional models, to help tell the story of the grit, integrity, and perseverance it takes to get the hard work done and the uniforms and services UniFirst provides to help them succeed. 

The television commercial, directed by Michael Marantz and produced by M SS NG P ECES (Missing Pieces), opens with uniformed service workers in a variety of industries, including delivery staff, energy workers, automotive technicians, healthcare professionals, and food service employees, getting up at the crack of dawn to go to work and ending the day at home with their families. It ends with UniFirst's promise: "You Always Deliver for your customers and your family and that's why UniFirst Always Delivers for you."

"At the heart of Always Deliver are the hard-working uniformed workers we serve, and they include both our own staff and our customers. They're the real stars here," said Steven Sintros, UniFirst President and CEO. "The COVID-19 pandemic reinforced what we already knew—our work is essential because we serve 'essential workers'…always delivering the uniforms and services they need that allow them to do their jobs. We're with them every step of the way."   

This campaign is part of UniFirst's ongoing brand evolution initiated approximately two years ago to support the evolving needs of its more than 2-million uniform wearers long term. The company redesigned its Route Service Representatives (customer delivery staff) uniforms for an updated, contemporary look and then redesigned its fleet of vehicles across North America. This multimedia brand campaign targeting uniform decision-makers is the next step in that evolution.

"Our brand evolution demonstrates our commitment to making investments that support our long-term vision of becoming universally recognized as the premier uniform service provider in the industry," said David Katz, UniFirst Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "This multi-media brand campaign tells the story of not only who we are, but why we do what we do and who we do it for."

This milestone also has special meaning to Cynthia Croatti, UniFirst Executive Vice President and daughter of company founder Aldo Croatti. "My father would be so proud to see us honor the worker in such an impactful way," said Croatti. "Aldo was a true visionary and founded our company based on the very premise that we must always focus on our customers—the workers we serve."

Broadcast times for the March Madness basketball games when the Always Deliver commercials will air are as follows:

• 3/17 @ 7 pm EDT/ 4 pm Pacific on CBS/TSN, TNT, TBS, and TruTV
• 3/19 @ 12 pm EDT/4 pm Pacific on CBS/TSN
• 3/20 @ 12 pm EDT/ 4 pm Pacific on CBS/TSN

The broadcasts will also be live streaming on Apple TV, Hulu, Roku. YouTubeTV, FireTV, NCAA.com, BleacherReport.com, CBS Sports, and on the March Madness app.

For a preview of UniFirst's upcoming debut of its Always Deliver commercial, visit https://unifirst.com/company/videos/alwaysdeliver/.

About UniFirst
Headquartered in Wilmington, Mass., UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF) is a North American leader in the supply and servicing of uniform and workwear programs, as well as the delivery of facility service programs. Together with its subsidiaries, the company also provides first aid and safety products, and manages specialized garment programs for the cleanroom and nuclear industries. UniFirst manufactures its own branded workwear, protective clothing, and floorcare products; and with 260 service locations, over 300,000 customer locations, and 14,000 employee Team Partners, the company outfits more than 2 million workers each business day. For more information, contact UniFirst at 800.455.7654 or visit UniFirst.com.

SOURCE UniFirst Corporation

Asit Goel, Vice President - Marketing, 978.658.8888