Whole Foods emphasizes 'values' in first national ad campaign

Whole Foods Market, searching for a way to increase sales growth and shed its "Whole Paycheck" reputation, has launched its first national advertising campaign, dubbed "Values Matter."

Whole Foods (Nasdaq: WFM) has disappointed investors with consecutive quarters of slow same-store sales growth and lower than expected earnings per share. Its stock has lost more than 43 percent of its value, down from a high of $65.24 per share in October 2013 to $39.94 per share at the end of last week. Now, it is trying to position itself against a new generation of organic grocers such as Sprouts Farmers Market, Trader Joe's and others that have been able to offer organic groceries at lower prices.

There are roughly 10 Whole Foods stores in North Texas.

Led by Jeannine D'Addario, global vice president of communications for the Austin-based organic grocery chain, the campaign is the result of a partnership with New York-based Partners and Spade, which came up with the branding, and Austin-based ad firm GSD&M, which is handling media strategy and placement. D'Addario had only joined Whole Foods in August. By that point, the campaign had been conceptualized, but significant work was still needed to get it off the ground and into the airwaves, Internet and presses.

"The heavy lifting had been done, so to speak, before I got here," said D'Addario, who previously led campaigns for Stanford Children's Hospital and Disney. "The team pulled off the rest in four weeks time. It was everything from the commercials themselves to extended storytelling with our vendors…the culmination of all of it has been really amazing."

Michael Theis is the Austin Business Journal's digital editor.