Aldi turns to social influencers for new holiday promotion

A leading discount grocer is introducing a “Charcuterie Board of Directors” as part of an omnichannel marketing program.

Timed for the holidays, Aldi is debuting an omnichannel charcuterie shopping service that includes a significant social media component. Customers who want to shop and buy items to create a pre-meal charcuterie appetizer platter can obtain virtual advice from the new Aldi “Charcuterie Board of Directors.” This panel of seven charcuterie experts, who are all well-known food industry experts with large social media followings, will provide board-styling guidance through stop-motion videos, virtual demonstrations and an array of build-by-number templates, which can be found at aldi.us/charcuterie.

After consulting the Aldi charcuterie influencer board, customers can then purchase the needed items on the Aldi website for curbside pickup. In the store, customers can consult a "Charcuterie Board Must-Have" shopping guide and look for tags on an assortment of cured meats, cheeses and add-on charcuterie items.

Customers can also share their charcuterie boards on social media, and mention @ALDIUSA and use the hashtag #ALLALDI for a chance to earn the Charcuterie Board of Directors stamp of approval. Aldi is partnering with the visually-oriented social media platform Instagram to promote the Charcuterie Board of Directors on the official Aldi USA and Charcuterie Board of Directors Instagram pages.

Influencer marketing is a rapidly growing trend. According to recent data from eMarketer, U.S. influencer marketing spending will rise by 33.6% in 2021 to $3.69 billion, marking its strongest spending growth in the industry since 2019. Growth is expected to continue in double digits until 2023, when spending on influencer marketing campaigns will approach $5 billion. And Instagram is the leading influencer marketing platform, reported eMarketer, which estimated that Instagram accounts for roughly half of the market

By encouraging shoppers to share their own charcuterie creations (and possibly win a “stamp of approval” for their efforts), Aldi is also tapping into a trend of consumers trusting other consumers over social influencers. A recent consumer survey from visual content platform Stackla shows 79% of respondents say that user-generated content, such as images and videos from other consumers, highly impacts their purchasing decisions. But only 9% say the same for content produced by influencers. The survey also found that 72% of respondents say photos and videos from real customers are the content they most want to see on e-commerce sites when making purchasing decisions.

"Whether someone is looking for tried-and-true pairings for their first board or is a confident foodie who wants to experiment with new combinations, our aim is to inspire board builders of all experience levels with impressive, approachable, affordable ideas," said Kim Brazington, the “Cheese Queen” on the Aldi Charcuterie Board of Directors and Aldi Buying Director for cheese. "The Aldi team has curated charcuterie must-haves that are easy to spot in stores this season. With a few tips, a little inspiration and a wide selection of cheese, meats and other grazing essentials throughout our aisles, Aldi has what shoppers need to build boards they'll be proud to serve."

With more than 2,100 stores across 37 states, Aldi is on track to become the third-largest grocery retailer by store count by the end of 2022.