Some Canadians are puzzled by Loblaw’s partnership with Marvel, a promotion that gives shoppers a pack of four trading cards that feature famous characters for every $25 customers spend online or in stores. Canadians are poking gun at the “gimmick” in light of increasing grocery prices and an ongoing boycott of the retail giant.
The move has inspired several memes online slamming the grocery giant for this stunt when many Canadians struggle to afford food. Shoppers can collect the cards in an album, which costs $5, from stores under the Loblaw umbrella, including Shoppers Drug Mart, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, and Loblaws.
One expert says that while the campaign is a way to incentivize parents to buy into marketing geared towards children, Loblaw is also making an effort to appeal to shoppers looking for deals.
Expert: ‘Leveraging the insatiable interest in children’ is questionable business ethics
Daniel Tsai is a professor of business at University Canada West and Toronto Metropolitan University. He says the partnership between Marvel and Loblaw does pose some questions when it comes to business ethics.
“Typically they’re trying to get parents to buy the $25 threshold in order to get the cards for their kids,” he tells Yahoo Canada. “It’s an indirect marketing tactic geared towards parents through leveraging the insatiable interest in children.”
Tsai notes that in Quebec, the Consumer Protection Act prohibits any commercial advertising aimed at children under the age of 13. However, this type of marketing isn’t unheard of. McDonalds, for example, will partner with movie studios and release toys related to movies with their Happy Meals.
Will Marvel cards get people to buy more at Loblaws? Expert isn’t so sure
For as much criticism as Loblaws has received this year, Tsai points out that the company is attempting to make good by expanding their footprint with budget-focused stores. The company is piloting an ultra-discount grocery store across three Ontario cities, which feature a limited selection of in-house No Name and President’s Choice brand products in smaller spaces.
“They think that’s the way to address some of the flack they’re getting for having really expensive groceries at some of their flagship Loblaws stores,” Tsai says. “They’re trying to address it through market differentiation, by creating alternative brands that the public can identify with to see that as a low-cost alternative to high-priced Loblaws stores.”
He sees the Marvel and Loblaw partnership as an attempt to encourage more people to be interested in the products of both companies. Marvel, which is owned by Disney, has seen a number of box office bombs in recent years.
But Tsai is skeptical about how much of an impact the campaign will have on customers.
“Is (the marketing campaign) going to work? I don’t think it’s going to be a big driver for their sales,” he says. “What would be a driver for (Loblaw) sales is if they cut their prices back.”
He also doesn’t think there will be a huge incentive to collect the cards, unless the customer is an avid collector.
“For the most part, Pokemon is known as the card you want to collect,” Tsai says. “The Marvel card isn’t an incentive for the average Canadian to go into Loblaws and spend $25 on overpriced meat or bread.”
The Marvel card isn’t an incentive for the average Canadian to go into Loblaws and spend $25 on overpriced meat or bread.
On the subreddit Loblaws is Out of Control, many users expressed their bewilderment at the Loblaws Marvel trading card gimmick.
“I can’t have a plastic straw or bag, but Loblaws can print off a bazillion useless cards and hand them out like they’re something of actual value,” user PuzzleheadedDraw6575 wrote.
“High in fibre,” surnamefirstname99 joked in another thread.
“When I saw these, I thought they were a promotion or had discount codes or something,” International_Hair91 wrote. “Nope. Just a marketing tool.”