Knit, the AI-native research agency, partnered with McCormick to create a proprietary study of how today's grocery shoppers define value. After reviewing the data, we proposed an integrated campaign for Knit to create an impactful PR moment. The findings were counterintuitive in places, as shoppers weren't simply optimizing for the lowest price, they were managing risk, and their willingness to trade down for a cheaper option varied by category, from meat and produce to pantry staples.
Our goal, in collaboration with Knit's marketing team, was to conduct an earned media push that could carry the findings into the trade press, generate real anticipation for the companies' joint webinar, and send leads to a gated landing page for report downloads.
THE CHALLENGE: MAKING A RESEARCH STUDY INTO THE STORY
Knit, the AI-native research agency, partnered with McCormick on a proprietary study digging into how today's grocery shoppers actually define value. The findings were counterintuitive in places, as shoppers weren't optimizing for the lowest price so much as managing risk, and their willingness to trade down varied sharply by category. That's a nuanced argument to land in the press. MAG PR's job was to translate the key survey findings, drawn from 537 grocery decision-makers and a supporting set of AI-moderated video interviews, into a story that trade and vertical outlets across grocery, CPG, food and beverage, and packaging would want to run, and to do it on a timeline that built anticipation for the companies' joint webinar rather than competing with it.
THE SOLUTION: A DATA-LED MEDIA CAMPAIGN TIMED TO THE WEBINAR
MAG PR built the pitch around the study's most interesting findings: 64% of shoppers say something other than price is their single biggest driver of a purchase decision, fresh categories like meat and produce see just 19% of shoppers willing to trade down versus 45% on pantry staples, and 72% will drive to a second store to save $25 to $30. Liam Hickey, Knit's head of research, served as spokesperson, giving reporters category-specific color on why shoppers treat a bad call on dinner very differently than a bad call on paper towels.
The team pitched the release across grocery, CPG, and food trade press at global scale, timing outreach so coverage would land and build in advance of McCormick and Knit's webinar. MAG PR didn't organize or host the webinar itself; the campaign's job was to generate earned media buzz ahead of time, giving the research a public presence that made the webinar feel like the natural next step for anyone following the story.
THE RESULTS: TARGETED VERTICAL BRAND AWARENESS
The campaign secured coverage across a wide swath of MarTech, grocery and CPG trade press, including:
MediaPost
Supermarket Perimeter
Grocery Business Canada
Canadian Packaging
Abasto
Refrigerated & Frozen Foods
Commercial Baking
RetailWit
WholeFoods Magazine
RetailWorld Magazine (Australia)
The spread put the research in front of grocery retailers, packaging suppliers, and CPG marketers, positioning Knit and McCormick as credible voices on shopper behavior even before the webinar doors opened. The virtual event turned out to be Knit's highest-attended webinar to date, and the company also saw a bump in report downloads.