Marketing Specialist - Exclusive Brands

WHO ARE WE?

• We are a long-standing organization dedicated to supporting grocery retailers across the Intermountain West for over 85 years.
• Our company prioritizes our team members, their families, and the communities we serve.
• We proudly partner with local organizations to fundraise, donate, and sponsor various charitable activities and events.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM?

• Comprehensive Benefits: Health, dental, vision, life insurance, 401(k), vacation, and sick leave for eligible team members. Some benefits have waiting periods (e.g., vacation accrual, 401(k), tuition reimbursement).
• Perks & Discounts: Team member perks and 10% off groceries.
• Flexible Work: Hybrid schedules available for select positions, combining in-office collaboration with remote flexibility.
• Tuition Reimbursement: Support for continued education.
• Career Growth: Opportunities for advancement within the company.
• Daily Pay: Access earned wages more frequently.

JOB SUMMARY

A primary focus of this position will be supporting and growing Associated Food Stores’ exclusive and owned brands, working closely with TopCo, a member-owned company that develops and markets a portfolio of Own Brands for independent retailers and wholesalers, including Food Club, Crav’n Flavor, Simply Done, TopCare, Wide Awake, and Full Circle Market, to align with overarching brand strategies, priorities, and campaign development. This individual will help translate broader exclusive brand strategies into effective marketing programs for AFS retailers, developing campaigns that strengthen brand awareness, communicate value, support merchandising initiatives, and ultimately drive sales.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Exclusive & Owned Brand Marketing

• Work with exclusive and owned brands, helping develop and execute annual and seasonal marketing strategies that build awareness, trial, loyalty, and sales.
• Work closely with TopCo to align Associated Food Stores’ exclusive brand marketing with overarching brand strategies, positioning, priorities, and campaign development. Help translate TopCo strategies and national campaign direction into effective, locally relevant marketing programs for AFS retailers and shoppers.
• Partner with TopCo on campaign planning, creative resources, product priorities, new product introductions, and other marketing opportunities to maximize the impact of exclusive brands across the AFS retail network.
• Develop integrated marketing campaigns supporting exclusive brands across advertising, in-store signage, merchandising, digital channels, social media, email, eCommerce, and other customer touchpoints.
• Partner with merchandising, category management, procurement, and other internal teams to connect TopCo and exclusive brand priorities with AFS merchandising plans, promotional events, seasonal initiatives, and retailer opportunities.
• Develop clear brand messaging, value propositions, campaign themes, and customer-facing communications that differentiate exclusive brands and communicate their benefits to shoppers.
• Coordinate the development and adaptation of marketing assets, including advertising, signage, digital creative, photography, video, product content, retailer materials, and other campaign elements.
• Ensure TopCo brand standards, positioning, and campaign direction are consistently represented while adapting marketing programs to the needs of AFS retailers and local markets.
• Work with retailers to increase awareness and adoption of exclusive brand marketing programs and provide tools that make programs easy to activate at the store level.

Retail & Digital Marketing

• Develop and execute marketing campaigns that support corporate and independent retailers across multiple channels.
• Manage retailer email marketing initiatives, including campaign planning, content development, copywriting, deployment, and performance measurement.
• Support retailer social media programs by developing content calendars, campaign concepts, promotional messaging, and engaging content for platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
• Translate in-store promotions, merchandising programs, seasonal events, and product offerings into effective digital marketing campaigns.
• Coordinate website and eCommerce marketing content when appropriate to ensure campaigns are represented consistently across the shopper journey.
• Collaborate with retailers to identify opportunities to strengthen their marketing efforts and better connect with local shoppers.

Campaign Management & Content Development

• Manage marketing projects from concept through execution, coordinating timelines, creative development, approvals, asset distribution, and campaign launch.
• Write and edit marketing copy for advertising, email, social media, websites, promotional materials, presentations, and retailer communications.
• Partner with graphic designers, photographers, videographers, agencies, vendors, and other creative resources to produce high-quality marketing materials.
• Maintain marketing calendars and project timelines to ensure campaigns are delivered accurately and on schedule.
• Support photography, video, recipe, product, and lifestyle content development as needed for marketing campaigns.

Measurement & Optimization

• Monitor campaign performance across relevant channels and provide reporting on key marketing metrics.
• Use campaign results, customer engagement data, and retailer feedback to identify opportunities to improve future marketing programs.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of email, social media, digital advertising, promotions, and other marketing initiatives against established objectives and KPIs.
• Stay current on grocery marketing, consumer trends, digital marketing practices, social media platforms, and emerging marketing opportunities.

Retailer Support

• Serve as a marketing resource for independent retailers, providing recommendations, campaign materials, and best practices that help strengthen their local marketing efforts.
• Develop presentations, marketing guides, campaign toolkits, and other resources that help retailers successfully activate Associated Food Stores programs.
• Provide training and guidance to retailers on marketing programs, social media, email marketing, and other available marketing resources.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

• Highly organized, proactive, and detail-oriented with the ability to manage multiple marketing projects and deadlines simultaneously.
• Strong understanding of brand marketing, campaign development, promotions, and integrated marketing communications.
• Ability to translate business, merchandising, and sales priorities into compelling consumer-facing marketing campaigns.
• Strong writing, editing, communication, and presentation skills.
• Experience coordinating creative projects including design, copywriting, photography, video, advertising, and digital content.
• Working knowledge of email marketing and major social media platforms, particularly Facebook and Instagram.
• Comfortable reviewing marketing performance and using data to evaluate campaign effectiveness and recommend improvements.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with merchandising teams, retailers, designers, vendors, leadership, and other internal partners.
• Two to three years of experience in marketing, brand management, retail marketing, digital marketing, advertising, communications, or a related field preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, advertising, communications, business, or a related field preferred.
• Experience in grocery, retail, consumer packaged goods, food marketing, or private-label/owned-brand marketing is a plus.
• Photography, video, content creation, marketing automation, or digital advertising experience is beneficial but not required.

Associated Food Stores is an equal opportunity employer. We prohibit unlawful discrimination against applicants or employees based on race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.