Fresh for Everyone / Kroji

Read the campaign story

Kroger announced Fresh for Everyone on 6 November 2019, alongside a refreshed visual identity developed with DDB New York. Animated Kroji characters represented shoppers, associates and communities, while food imagery retained a recognisably physical role. The company described the work as a shared framework across its retail banners, which would keep their existing names.

The launch release listed a broad media rollout and positioned the characters within the larger shopping experience. It documents the intent and components of the system rather than a controlled campaign result. This case treats subsequent Kroji advertisements as continuations, not additional campaign families. The promise of access remains a brand commitment whose delivery would need separate operational evidence.

Editorial interpretation: a character system can make organisational complexity easier to recognise without forcing every local brand to look identical. The important design decision is the relationship between the repeated cue and the changing context. If viewers recognise the same friendly visual language but can still identify their own store and the relevant offer, the system may provide coherence rather than merely adding another layer of decoration.

Editorial interpretation: inclusion is also a practical design problem. Showing many kinds of people does not explain whether someone can afford the basket, reach the store or use the checkout. A useful adaptation would connect representation with a concrete service route and then test comprehension across different access needs. The characters should help people navigate the offer, not be treated as evidence that the underlying experience already works for everyone.

Define what stays constant across the system

Create a short set of rules covering character proportions, food presentation, tone and the relationship to local branding. Then show examples that deliberately vary the shopping mission. This exposes whether the identity can carry both routine information and a more emotional message. Consistency is useful when it reduces recognition effort; it becomes costly when it prevents a store from communicating a genuine local difference.

Let characters clarify a real shopping task

Assign each execution a task such as understanding pickup, locating a product category or comparing a clearly described option. Avoid making personality the only content. A memorable animated shopper can still leave viewers confused about what the retailer offers. Test whether people can describe both the character’s situation and the practical next step, rather than celebrating recognition of the animation style alone.

Audit the gap between represented and served

Ask operational colleagues which groups face friction in the experience being advertised. Review accessibility, language, price disclosure and availability before presenting a broad invitation. This is not a demand that one advertisement solve every service problem. It is a way to ensure the welcoming tone does not conceal a known barrier that the campaign could explain honestly or help the organisation address. Include a version without characters to check whether the visual system improves understanding rather than simply attracting attention.

A small test for another brief

Proposed adaptation: create a small illustrated cast for three versions of one store-service explanation, keeping the service facts identical while varying the depicted shopping situation.

Measure unaided brand recognition, understanding of the service and whether the illustrated situation feels relevant. Record access questions separately and pass practical issues to the responsible team before expanding the campaign.

Stop if characters stereotype customers, obscure price or eligibility information, or imply universal service access that the business cannot provide.

• Use an accessible static alternative to animation.
• Preserve the local store name and clearly state service conditions.
• Recruit voluntary adult reviewers with different shopping routines, without inferring sensitive traits.