Supermarket War Heats Up With Gag Order
Mega Super has been using bold television
commercials against rival supermarkets,
targeting the Wal-Mart chain of supermarkets
in particular, which forced Wal-mart to seek
relief of the courts, filing a "recurso de
amparo" to protect its Palí discount chain
of supermarkets, the target of Mega Super.
This week the Mega Super television
commercials have been toned down against
Palí, not mentioning the store by name as it
had been in the past, as the supermarket
chain adheres to a gag order.
A judge decided to issue the order as a
preventive measure while an investigation
continues.
Wal-mart claims that the Mega Super
commercials are deceitful as the two chains
locked horns in a publicity campaign to
attract market share.
Mega Super uses the slogan "El súper con
alma de ama de casa" (the supermarket with
the soul of the homemaker) and the Palí
slogan "Paga el doble de la diferencia"
(pays double the difference).
Wal-mart says that due to the Mega Super
commercials it has been forced to out ¢190
million colones over the last two months to
clients who took the chain to its word,
finding lower prices at other supermarkets.
The success of the Mega Super commercials
has been to the presentation of Jaime Gato
Castro, a well known theatre actor, who
dresses up as a woman (average homemaker)
claiming to the the general manager of the
supermarket chain, working for the people.
The publicity has been running on national
television for two months, some ads
mentioning Palí directly, supplanting doubts
on the part of the customers that the Palí
chain has the lowest prices in the market.
This is the second time that Wal-mart has
gone to court charging unfair competition.
Wal-mart in Costa Rica operates, in addition
to the Palí, the Mas X Menos and Maxi Bodega
supermarkets and the Hypermas mega stores.
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Jaime Gato
Castro is the voice and the success behind
the Mega Super television commercials in the
supermarket war. |
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