President’s Choice has added a cross-country tour to its ongoing “Eat Together” efforts as it continues to focus its marketing on connecting over shared meals.

Throughout May and early June, the Loblaw private-label brand travelled across Canada with a communal picnic table, making several stops to encourage people to share a meal and spend time together. The tour culminated in Halifax on June 14 for PC’s third “Eat Together Day,” at which point it had already served more than 3,000 meals.

The tour was intended to help the brand connect with even more Canadians across the country, says Cheryl Grishkewich, VP of marketing at President’s Choice. “It’s been met with such a positive response that we’re looking to continue this activation throughout the year.”

“We continue to see a growing trend of isolation and loneliness in Canada,” Grishkewich says. “Our recent research uncovered that more than 50 per cent of Canadians eat more than two meals alone each day. We know the negative implications of people eating alone and we want to do what we can to get Canadians back to the table, to share a meal with the ones they love.”

The first “Eat Together Day” was held in 2017 and saw more than 250,000 Canadians participate. This year, as in the past, customers were invited to attend a BBQ at select Loblaw grocery stores or to simply enjoy a meal with a friend or family member. Participants were then invited to share their experiences on social media.

When PC launched the campaign’s third John St.-led film earlier this year, putting greater focus on little moments, it invited Canadians to commit to eating more often with other people throughout the year by taking an “Eat Together” pledge. To date, more than 450,000 people have taken the pledge, according to Grishkewich. And as part of an added charitable element, the company donated $1 to PC Children’s Charity, which supports school-based student nutrition programs across Canada, for the first 250,000 pledges made on its website.

PC launched the Eat Together concept in 2017, shifting away from product-focused marketing towards work with more emotional heft. Based on the original insight that sharing meals leads to greater happiness and other benefits, last year’s effort focused on shifting behaviours at work, where many eat in isolation.

This year’s campaign was supported with media and community partnerships, as well as an earned media and social push, with Citizen Relations on PR.