Beyond the Snack Aisle: Why Creators Love Trader Joe's (HBBIP #49)

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I am not here to tell you what the best Trader Joe’s snack is. This is not that kind of blog post, and I’m not trying to start a civil war. But I am here to tell you that there are plenty of creators with Strong Opinions on this whole snack topic. In fact, some of these creators go so far as to devote their entire lives to it.

But first, let’s set the stage—or the table, as it were. Show me a graph!

SharkNinja EMV: 2018 - 2023

That is certainly a graph.

Here we see some pretty healthy and consistent growth for Trader Joe’s over the years. The brand’s first jolt comes in 2020, an era which was better grocery stores than it was for pretty much anything else. Indeed, Trader Joe’s then took a step back in 2021, when grocery stores were no longer the only places where anyone could go. But you can only keep a good thing down for so long, and the brand recaptured momentum in both 2022 and 2023, surging to new heights.

A funny thing happened on the way to the two buck chuck: a discrepancy emerged between CreatorIQ’s key metrics. Not in terms of Trader Joe’s’ creator community, which kept a pretty even pace with EMV:

Trader Joe's Community Size: 2018 - 2023 

Instead, this discrepancy came through in the brand’s content volume. Check it out:

Trader Joe's Content Volume: 2018 - 2023 

2020 proved Trader Joe’s’ peak in this metric, with 85.6k posts mentioning the brand throughout the year. This figure just barely edged out Trader Joe’s’ 85.5k posts in 2023, a year when Trader Joe’s enjoyed 8.0k more creators, and roughly $80M more EMV.

In other words, Trader Joe’s was being mentioned a ton in 2020, but these posts came from fewer creators, and weren't translating into digital engagement.

Here’s how Trader Joe’s learned to do more with less—and then, eventually, get back to more:

Trader Joe’s Is a Lifestyle (Brand)

When I tell you that Trader Joe’s is a way of life, I’m not trying to be flippant. I am telling you in no uncertain terms that there are a lot of people out there who base a sizable portion of their identities around Trader Joe’s. Also, a (hopefully) disproportionate number of these people are on social media.

Whatever you make of this, and whatever it bodes for Our Society, you have to admit that it’s pretty great news for Trader Joe’s.

Here’s a look at the brand’s top 10 EMV-drivers from August 2023 to July 2024:

Top 10 EMV-drivers from August 2023 - July 2024

I don’t have any data to back this up, but believe me when I say that it’s not common for multiple of a brand’s top 10 earners to have the name of the brand in their name. In fact, it’s more than just the obvious three on this list, because Natasha Rochelle is better known as @traderjoeslist on her social handles.

This isn’t owned media, by the way—these are four folks who, of their own volition, entered the surprisingly competitive “use my account to document the goings on at a popular American grocery chain” space.

As you might be able to surmise, Talia, Natasha, New, and Obsessed—that’s what I call them for short—all offer tips, tricks, hacks, and roundups dedicated to Trader Joe’s. Each creator puts her own spin on this genre, but the relentless focus on Trader Joe’s sets these creators apart from other food and lifestyle creators who often post about the brand.

There are plenty of sneakerheads who love Nike, and plenty of makeup gurus who swear by Rare Beauty, but I can’t recall seeing a phenomenon quite like this one before. Brand-specific accounts for those companies don’t usually rank at the top of their respective categories, indicating that Trader Joe’s occupies a special place amongst digital consumers’ hearts, minds, and For You Pages.

Speaking of FYPs…

The (Continued) Power of TikTok

One big reason why Trader Joe’s was able to grow its online presence despite being mentioned in fewer posts was—you guessed it—the transformative power of TikTok.

While I could wax poetic about everybody’s favorite short-form video app, this is another case where numbers say a thousand words:

TikTok Metrics and YoY Change for Trader Joe's

Instagram Metrics and YoY Change for Trader Joe's

Here are some metrics for Trader Joe’s from August 2023 to July 2024. There’s a lot to unpack, so here’s a listicle within a listicle:

• You will note that the YoY values for TikTok are all much higher than those same values for Instagram.
  
  • In fact, Trader Joe’s saw 7% fewer Instagram posts compared to the prior 12 months, and a 14% drop in impressions from that platform.
• Despite claiming roughly one quarter of Instagram’s creator community, and less than one third of Instagram’s content volume, TikTok was responsible for more impressions (1.2B!) and engagements.
• This chart demonstrates TikTok’s unmatched viral reach, indicating why the platform is being increasingly adopted as a means for maximizing the returns on brands’ creator campaigns.

Like any good recipe, TikTok helped Trader Joe’s do more with less. And speaking of recipes…

Recipes For Everyone

One of the key content trends for Trader Joe’s, on TikTok and Instagram and pretty much everywhere else, was recipe posts.

The four creators mentioned earlier—you know, the ones with “Trader Joe’s” in their handles—were obviously big on the recipe game. But that ethos also extended to much of the rest of the grocery chain’s top 10 earners, and beyond that set to the brand’s community at large.

For example, Mia Syn of @nutritionbymia gained traction by sharing a series of 5-ingredient meals prepared using exclusively Trader Joe’s items. Carissa Stanton of @broccyourbody put her own spin on this formula with her series “20-Minute High Protein Trader Joe’s Dinners.” Meanwhile, Chris Petrellese of @consciouschris taught a master course on “Lazy Trader Joe’s Meals.”

Taken together, these creators demonstrate the strength of Trader Joe’s’ digital strategy: a household name known for affordable prices, creative snacks, and top-tier frozen food is going to absolutely crush it on social, where everyone is looking for the next low-effort, high-flavor food trend. And with social media increasingly reflecting real life (eek!), these strengths also prove why Trader Joe’s is poised to extend its dominance in the grocery space for a long time to come.

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