In celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary, President’s Choice (PC) wanted to celebrate not just what food is, but what food does for people. Eating together is a simple and universal way for people to connect. Today we live in a society where technology and cultural tensions are increasingly pulling us apart from one another, and we all need more connection. So, on January 1st, 2017, PC embarked on its mission to gather Canadians back to the table with the launch of a short film that depicted the power of eating together. It quickly became the most shared piece of promoted content on the Facebook platform in Facebook Canada’s history.

Recognized as one of Canada’s most trusted brands, PC wanted to encourage Canadians to share a meal and enjoy the benefits of doing so. The question and challenge then became: how could the #EatTogether film go beyond digital sharing and lead to more meaningful action?

Today, over 40% of adults report feeling lonely, a very staggering statistic. Loneliness is said to be one of the biggest health epidemics faced today – it’s more deadly than smoking and obesity and has massive impacts on mental health. At its root, loneliness is the subjective feeling of having inadequate social connections. Humans are inherently social beings, yet as we grow up, our lives become more individualized. Today, even eating has become a solitary activity. In fact, 42% of meals eaten are eaten alone (up from 38% in 2012). With eating together declining, and the rate of loneliness rising, the team challenged ourselves to play a role in helping to solve the social issue of loneliness one shared meal at a time.

We were meant to eat together. Food has always been a powerful way to connect with people. And good things happen when we do. We reduce isolation and loneliness and truly connect, because nothing brings us together like eating together. Heading into the second year of the campaign, a point of view about eating together needed to be established, and so another short film was created that was meant to be shared and generate conversation. The 90-second film aired on December 29, 2017 and again during the New Year’s Eve countdown to ring in the new year – a time when families and friends gather to reflect on the year and make resolutions for
the year ahead. The film captures moments of a young woman’s life from the time she was a baby to her first job. The simple everyday moments as she grows up show her connecting with others through food – a stark contrast to present day where she finds herself, and everyone around her, eating a hurried lunch alone at their desk. The film closes with a provocative message: “We grow up eating together. Why do we stop?”

The team then challenged themselves with a question - how to get people to start? In order to generate action, Canadians needed something to rally behind, so in 2017 the first National Eat Together Day was created. The inaugural initiative was supported by a series of challenges and events across the country with a mission to get Canadians back together at the table. To promote this year’s events, local filmmakers were enlisted to create short films depicting the power of eating together.

The #EatTogether initiative is about a brand’s ability to create an impact on behaviour, not move cases of product. Therefore, traditional business ROI measures were not tracked. #EatTogether galvanized both Canada, and the client’s entire organization — a first for President’s Choice and Loblaw. Eat Together Day on June 29th, 2017 resulted in thousands of Canadians posting
their own #EatTogether moments on social media. As an organization, over 500 stores and 71,200 colleagues participated across Canada. The film exceeded every KPI set for it on every channel – Facebook and Instagram reach and views, YouTube, and TV. The #EatTogether hashtag was quite powerful with a reported total of 1,269 posts on open profiles alone. Eat Together also trended nationally on Twitter for nine full hours.