Exclusive: Inside Casey's New Brand Identity
Casey’s General Stores is emphasizing a new mantra in its first major brand campaign since 2020, when the convenience store chain overhauled its visual identity for the first time since its inception.
Launched on May 1, “It’s Not Crazy, It’s Casey’s” was designed to position the retailer as more than a typical gas station and highlight the significant growth in its physical footprint and its food business.
The Inspiration
“This is one of the largest and most channel-comprehensive campaigns we have launched at Casey’s,” Steph Hoppe, Casey’s vice president of omnichannel marketing, recently told the Path to Purchase Institute.
“We want to own the fact that Casey’s is a gas station, but that category doesn’t limit our locations from also serving high-quality products, creating unexpected food innovations and hiring team members that connect on a personal level with our customers and give back to the community."
Casey’s conducted several rounds of market research and listened to shoppers across “Casey’s Country” to evolve its marketing strategy and succeed in a more “personalized, guest-centric and digital-forward environment,” Hoppe said.
“This campaign was created to inspire curiosity and provide latitude for future Casey’s innovations,” she added. “We want to provide our customers with the consistent items and loyal relationships they receive at their local Casey’s, while also implementing new experiences that enhance their store visits. … Our goal for this launch is to find ways to bring new guests in who desire a personalized guest experience and present new reasons for our loyal guests to love us all over again.’”
The Activation
The campaign will run in 58 local markets this summer, with placements across broadcast, digital, streaming, social media and owned platforms. The retailer is also rolling out in-store signage and displays to correlate with its new brand positioning.
“Casey’s continues to innovate from a digital marketing perspective,” including the launch last year of its retailer media network, Casey’s Access, Hoppe said. The network allows CPG brands to leverage the retailer’s shopper data to deliver relevant promotions, offers and marketing content across digital and in-store touchpoints.
Casey's Recent Growth
- Acquired 11 EZ GO convenience stores from Love's Travel Stops, adding to its store count in Nebraska and Oklahoma in late 2023.
- Entered Texas with the acquisition of 22 Lone Star Food Store locations from W. Douglass Distributing Ltd.
- Entered a deal to acquire 63 Minit Mart and Certified Oil convenience stores from EG America.
- Entered new cities, including Knoxville, Tennessee; Lexington, Kentucky; and Oklahoma City.
- Grew private label, with more than 300 items in 31 categories, and limited-time and exclusive products.
- Expanded prepared foods, such as a new sandwich menu.
“We knew our customers and brand partners were seeking a deeper, more personalized experience, and we feel strongly that this is what our ‘It’s Not Crazy, It’s Casey’s’ campaign will also provide,” she added.
To bring the campaign to life, Casey’s collaborated with its agency partners: Tombras, a full-service advertising agency based in Knoxville, Tennessee; Kelly Scott Madison (KSM), a Chicago-based independent media agency; and FleishmanHillard, a public relations and marketing agency based in St. Louis.
Casey’s Recent Growth
"The last time we made this big of a shift toward contemporary convenience was in October 2020 when we changed our brand identity nationwide and updated our logo for the first time since 1968,” Hoppe said. “The refreshed, more simplified look of our branding rolled out across Casey’s Country and our online channels. We wanted our external branding to match the contemporary experience we were building on the interior.”
Since 2020, Casey’s has grown its store count from 2,200-some to more than 2,600 and entered new cities and states (see sidebar). With all these changes, Hoppe said “it’s the perfect time to introduce enhancements to our locations.”
Last June, Casey’s introduced a three-year strategic plan focused on five key initiatives: to grow its store count, accelerate the food business, enhance operational efficiency, enhance its community first culture and strengthen its financial situation, Hoppe outlined.
“We believe the ‘It’s Not Crazy, It’s Casey’s’ campaign will help us continue looking toward the bright future of our brand with our continued promise of craveability, connection and convenience to our guests.”