H-E-B launches campaign for its Texas-only home delivery service

Since 2000, the population of the state of Texas has grown by 43% and H-E-B is out to let all those new residents know that—along with barbecued brisket and top-flight high school football—they’ve also gained a Texas-only home delivery service.

H-E-B—all of whose 327 stores are found in the Lone Star State—acquired the Austin-based Favor home delivery service in 2018 and put it to work for its customers. Following the acquisition, Favor CEO Jag Bath also assumed the title of chief digital officer at H-E-B.

Favor’s new ad campaign for the service, entitled “How Texas Orders In,”  focuses on new Texans sharing what they’ve learned since moving to the state.

Three 30-second TV spots have begun running on television across all major Texas markets. In one called “Ghost Town,” a recent arrival learns there’s nothing but tumbleweeds moving up and down her street on Saturdays during football season. Those along with a Favor runner who hands her a package and says, “Quiet around here, huh?”

Outdoor executions with the tagline “FAVOR, How Texas Orders In” also cover the state. Billboard themes include, “Welcome, New Texans. No State Income Tax = Extra Guac,” and “Proudly Unavailable in 49 States.”

Texas has gained close to 10 million new residents since the start of the century according to Census.gov. That's more than any other state and almost three million more than Florida, the next biggest population-gainer.

“Over the past few years, there's been this constant conversation in Texas about all the people moving to the state. Everyone has an opinion about whether it's a good thing or not, and they're always quick to share it," said Justin Ralph, creative director at Preacher, the Austin-based agency that created the Favor campaign.

"Having some fun with that and letting newcomers tell us about what they've learned so far allowed us to both introduce Favor to a new audience and connect with Texans through these funny truths that anyone who's lived here a while can relate to,” Ralph said.

Favor operates in more than 200 cities across Texas. It’s 100,000-plus runners have delivered more than 75 million orders to date.