Building Community Trust & Driving Same Store Sales for Big Bear Supermarkets
Big Bear Supermarkets was a leading Midwest food and spirits retailer operating 72 stores in Ohio and West Virginia. The company sought to enhance its reputation as a community-focused, caring brand and improve employee morale, customer loyalty, and sales growth. The food retailer partnered with Rosica Communications to develop and implement a cause marketing and strategic PR program designed to humanize the brand and connect it more deeply with customers and employees alike.
Rosica created strategic partnerships linking Big Bear with respected nonprofits including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Stefanie Spielman Foundation for Breast Cancer Research, and the Children’s Hunger Alliance. These causes amplified goodwill, reinforced trust among customers, and underscored Big Bear’s commitment to social responsibility. One promotion and PR strategy we developed for the Stefanie Spielman Foundation for Breast Cancer Research partnership was “Light Up the Night…in Pink.” Every Big Bear Supermarket merchandised and sold pink lightbulbs in September and October. Then, on the last night of October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we urged purchasers to “light up the night in pink” by placing pink lightbulbs on their porches, in windows, and in floodlights throughout Ohio. The profits from all light bulb sales were donated to the Stephanie Spielman Foundation. This PR initiative garnered tens of millions of media impressions and positioned Big Bear as a caring Ohio corporate citizen as TV cameras and photographers captured entire neighborhoods lit up in pink.
Rosica launched a grassroots community relations program that combined in-store promotions, creative signage, and customer-focused events to strengthen local community member engagement. Our team developed and executed dozens of media events annually, highlighting cause marketing partnerships, employee relations initiatives (e.g., publicizing their long time, committed employees; 100 of which worked at Big Bear for more than 20 years), and in-store culinary demonstrations.
Rosica also established a partnership with festival organizers to launch the first annual Big Bear Hot Air Balloon & Music Festival, featuring performance artist Susan Tedeschi and more than 150 hot air balloons. The event served as a vibrant community touchpoint that generated extensive media coverage, increased public awareness, and created a positive community connection for the brand.
Through strategic and creative media relations, Rosica secured interviews for Big Bear’s leadership and department heads, ensuring a steady stream of positive press across television, radio, digital, and print outlets. The campaign delivered more than 225 positive TV segments annually, along with over 125 feature newspaper stories and multiple radio interviews.
The sustained exposure and authentic community engagement paid off. Big Bear saw same-store sales rise for three consecutive years in key markets, staff engagement and retention improved, and awareness of the Big Bear Balloon Festival soared. The campaign not only elevated the company’s public image but also demonstrated how authentic community partnerships and cause marketing can drive measurable business outcomes.
