• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, October 26, 2023

ORLANDO, Florida: Who needs turkey when you can have stuffing? To celebrate findings that America prefers Thanksgiving side dishes, Shipt is opening a two-day pop-up restaurant with Michelin Star chef Charlie Mitchell, offering New Yorkers free tastes of stellar stuffing.

The event is based on research that 51% of Americans would rather have a Thanksgiving without a turkey than a Thanksgiving without the sides. Shipt cares, of course, because its role is to make everything about prepping for a holiday easier: On average, people complete three shopping trips to make Thanksgiving dinner.

And a Thanksgiving pop-up fits nicely with Shipt’s recent activations at college tailgates.

Chief marketing officer Alia Kemet, speaking at the Association of National Advertisers' Masters of Marketing conference, told attendees how vital such experiences are for challenger brands. Equally important is telling stories in ways that are authentic to the brand.

In many ways, Shipt might not seem like much of a David-versus-Goliath story. It is owned by Target and operates in 5,000 cities, covering about 80% of the U.S. But in a universe dominated by the likes of Instacart, Uber and DoorDash, Shipt needs to find different ways to break through.

“It’s about how you resonate and differentiate yourself against those powerhouses,” Kemet said at the event, which was livestreamed. “This brand started with that human connection, using tech as an enabler, and that's not something we will abandon. I believe that more and more people will care about connecting as humans, and you're seeing that happen.”

She pointed to Netflix's recent announcement that it would open a store as another example. “We have to make sure Shipt’s technology is enabling those experiences, those connections and those moments.”

For Shipt, that meant developing a deep empathy for how busy folks are these days. “It’s not so much whether they are men or women or have kids. It’s about the fullness of their lives," she said. "These people have a lot going on and spend time pouring themselves into others. They seek structure, and they seek control.”

That’s driven the company’s commitment to make customers' lives easier with every delivery. And because Shipt customers value both the ease of digital ordering and think shopping has become too impersonal, “our customers have an opportunity to build a relationship with their shoppers, and they rely on them. They have a trusted, familiar face to deliver essentials.”

Advertising explains all that to potential customers.

Kemet pointed to the company’s recent ad campaign starring someone who is extra busy: actor/writer/entrepreneur/producer Issa Rae. “She’s also committed to underrepresented communities. And this is something that is in our DNA.”

To build buzz in a culturally relevant way, she said, “we wanted to tell a story with a like-minded partner.”

So far, the campaign lifted unaided brand awareness by nine points, aided awareness by five points, and purchase consideration by three points.

“Challenger brands use storytelling. They use grassroots efforts to connect with their audiences in authentic ways,” Kemet said. “We don’t have the budget of some brands. So it's important to know who's the right consumer and engage with them in the right ways.”