Case study: Boyer's Food Markets
Surrounded by Giant. Still growing three times faster.
How an 18-store value grocer in coal-country PA grew at 300% of the industry pace, with one grocery advertising agency running the ads every month.
The client
Shop fast and save money, in towns a big chain also wants.
Boyer's Food Markets runs 18 supermarkets across eastern and central Pennsylvania, from Pottsville and Shenandoah out to Berks County. Their promise to shoppers is plain: shop fast and save money. They sell groceries, not a lifestyle, and they win on price.
That is a hard place to stand. In most of their towns the other choice is a Giant 15 miles away, a Weis, an Aldi, or a Walmart Supercenter. Boyer's came to Weber, a grocery advertising agency in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, wanting a brand that could hold its ground against all of them and a weekly ad program that actually moved product. We started working together in 2011.
18 stores · Eastern & central PA · Client since 2011
The challenge
A value grocer lives and dies by the weekly ad.
A value grocer lives and dies by the weekly ad. Miss the drop, miss the week. But Boyer's needed more than a circular on time. They needed a brand that told shoppers why to drive past a bigger store and a steady drumbeat of print and media that kept the deals in front of households all over the coal region and Berks. The competition was bigger, louder, and better funded.
Out-spend Giant? Not happening. Out-work them? That we can do.
What Weber did
What does a grocery advertising agency actually run for a supermarket?
For Boyer's, it means owning the brand and the weekly ad together. We built the brand first. Then, every month, we design the ad, plan and buy the media, and manage the whole run as their single point of contact, so the drop stays on schedule and the value story stays tight.
The work
- Helped develop the Boyer's brand from the ground up, so "Shop Fast & Save Money" meant something at the shelf, not just on a sign.
- Built and ran a recurring monthly free-standing insert program, the weekly grocery circular drop that puts Boyer's deals in households across all 18 store trade areas.
- Kept the brand consistent across every promotion, from Pick 5 Meats to Freezer Bundles to Dine-In Deals, so the value story reads the same in every town.
- Handled signage, supplies, and stock so the look stays tight from the insert to the store door.
- Stayed in the work as the audience shifts, including a current push to bring younger shoppers into the stores.
No mark-up. No rush charges. One team that has run this account month after month for years, so nothing starts from scratch.
The result
The brand held its ground against the big chains, and Boyer's grew. Not by a little.
15 years
One team running the account, since 2011.
National
Grand Master Marketer and Creative Choice awards for the marketing work.
18 stores
One consistent value brand across eastern & central PA.
"From the very beginning, we found Weber Advertising to be great at follow-through and in just flat out getting what we needed done. They were instrumental in developing our brand and since we've started working with them, we have averaged growth that has outpaced the industry average by 300% over the last five years. We've received national industry awards for our marketing efforts."
Media & deliverables
What we make and manage for Boyer's.
- Brand development and identity
- Monthly free-standing insert (FSI) print program
- Weekly ad and promotional creative (Pick 5 Meats, Freezer Bundles, Dine-In Deals)
- In-store signage
- Supplies and stock
- Ongoing audience work (current "attract younger shoppers" push)
Industry
Grocery & retail
Services
Branding & design · Direct mail · Printing & signage · Media buying & management
Partnership
Since 2011
The next chapter
A good account is never finished.
The 300% did not come from one big campaign. It came from showing up every month for years without dropping the ball, then changing the work as the town changed. We are still in it. Today we are helping Boyer's bring a younger shopper through the door without losing the value customer who has trusted the brand for a generation. Same job as 2011, new front door.
Why this matters for you
If a bigger competitor opened down the road, you already know the feeling.
Maybe a chain out-spends you ten to one, or your category keeps getting louder and more crowded. You cannot win that fight with a bigger checkbook. You win it the way Boyer's did: a brand that gives people a real reason to choose you, and a promotion that lands on schedule so the deal reaches the right household the week it matters.
That is the part most agencies skip, and the part we like. We do not run one campaign and disappear. We learn your business, own the calendar, and stay through year fifteen, knowing the account cold so nothing starts from scratch. One team that knows your story beats four vendors who keep asking you to explain it again.
We Get Stuff Done. Then we keep getting it done, month after month.
What this project used
Here is the work behind the Boyer's growth. Follow any thread to see how we run it, and how we could run it for you.