Kroger kicked off a four-week campaign celebrating Latin flavors ahead of Cinco de Mayo.In stores, signage on endcaps, refrigerated displays and aisle displays (stocking products from Kroger’s new Hispanic-inspired private label Mercado and national brands including Unilever’s Hellmann’s) used a “Latin Flavors: Vibrant Tastes, Fresh Possibilities” message and a QR code to direct shoppers to a promotional page within Kroger.com. The page hosted recipes for dishes, including empanadas with pork & potatoes and garlic lime fajitas, that incorporate products from brands such as MegaMex Foods’ Herdez, Gruma’s Mission and Goya Foods.The campaign heavily focused on sampling, with tables and carts set up weekends through May 7 to offer tastes of Mercado soft drinks, Grupo Bimbo’s Takis, quesadillas made with Mission, and Kroger’s Murray’s cheese. The displays employed the QR code and Latin Flavors message along with Cinco de Mayo balloons. Stanchion signs spotlighted Murray’s cotija and queso fresco and encouraged shoppers to “try new bites all month long.” Kroger enlisted influencers to develop the recipes, and they spotlighted the sampling events on Instagram."This event is a celebration of a culture and flavors that inspires togetherness and a passion for food," Dan De La Rosa , Kroger group vice president of fresh merchandising, said in a statement. "We hope to curate an experience that promises to spark a new culinary adventure, making Latin American recipes approachable no matter your skill level and introduce new foods, spices and products we know customers will love.”Email ads linked to the promotional page as well as a separate Cinco de Mayo page showcasing drinks that hosted essentials and products used to make salsa, tostadas and Mexican-style street corn. Spotlighted brands included Tajin, Proximo Spirits’ Jose Cuervo, Dart Container’s Solo and Kroger’s Simple Truth private label.Associated displays were present throughout the store. In the produce department, Mission floorstands were positioned near pallets of avocados. Herdez salsas were stocked on floorstands in the Mexican food aisle. Mission chips and salsas were stocked on floorstands using a “Let’s Cinco together” message to encourage shoppers to pair the products with Constellation Brands’ Modelo. In the liquor department, floor clings for AB InBev’s Cutwater canned margaritas encouraged shoppers to “crack open Cinco de Mayo.”