Albertsons' Plated and Birchbox Collab on Instagram

Albertsons Cos.-owned meal kit company Plated and New York City-based beauty subscription service Birchbox recently staged an Instagram giveaway cross-promoting categories both companies serve up: facial care and food.

One randomly selected winner received a $100 Plated gift card, a six-month subscription to Birchbox and a six-month subscription to Birchbox Man. Consumers entered from Jan. 21-24 by following both Plated and Birchbox on Instagram and tagging three friends in the comments section of the Jan. 21 giveaway post. Concurrent Facebook and Twitter updates from Plated sent consumers to the Instagram post, which provided offer details while directing users to a post on Plated’s Morsel by Plated blog for further details.

This isn’t the first time Birchbox and Plated have joined forces for a giveaway. In fact, Plated for some time now has been running a “social giveaway series” and tapping unique partners. Birchbox had previously participated in May for a Mother’s Day giveaway. Other partners have included California-based Drybar and premium Italian shoe seller M. Gemi. Morsel by Plated has a “Giveaways” tag that lists sweepstakes and collaborations with different brands, professional chefs, etc.

Plated isn’t the only unlikely friendship Birchbox has brewed lately. On a much larger scale, Birchbox made headlines in October after announcing a partnership with Walgreens that brought Birchbox retail experiences to select Walgreens stores.

Albertsons also has been cross-promoting Plated with other brands and categories in stores. Earlier this month, for instance, P2PI spotted that a typical refrigerated display for Plated meal kits this time was surrounded by two case stacks of Josh Cellars wine. An accompanying account-specific stanchion sign offered up pairing suggestions for specific meals under a “Let’s get together for dinner” message.

NOTE: Path to Purchase Institute members can view more images of Albertsons' social media efforts at p2pi.org. Members also have access to more than 2,700 images and 200 articles of marketing and merchandising activity at Albertsons Cos., along with a full Retailer Profile outlining the chain’s operations and strategies.