»  Retail Activation

I had the privilege to be part of the round 2 judging panel in Chicago for the soon to be announced Shopper Marketing Effies. It was a nice opportunity to step away from daily work and not only review some great case studies, but dialog with fellow SM'ers about the work and the industry.

After investing a good amount of time reviewing a diverse group of case studies, I came away from the experience with four thoughts:

1. No one has the corner on the insights.

Insights aren't exclusive to one organization, category or brand. Insights don't have a preference towards organizational size or scale. While these may seems obvious, reviewing cases from both large and small companies was a refreshing reinforcement. I know this first hand, having moved from a large international ad agency in Chicago to a small agency in Charlotte two years ago. And I've loved the change, as I still deal in the currency of actionable insights. In fact, insights are even more valuable and critical here, as our work speaks louder than our brand.

2. A great insight doesn't need explanation.

While there were specific regulations as to what each case study should or shouldn't include, it was amazing how easy it was to pick out the great projects. They had the great insights and told a coherent story that was almost intuitive to arrive at. They didn't need a lot of further explanation or selling - their story wrapped up insights into powerful explanations of shopper behavior. Meanwhile, other cases used statistics, strategy or story to overcome their insight gap. 

3. Relevant Insights + Powerful Activation = Great Shopper Marketing.

SM has expanded beyond the four walls of retail. It is physical, it is digital, and it is experiential. And because of this, the litmus test of a great SM campaign is the combination of insights + activation. Too little of one of these causes the campaign to crumble. The work that ends up delivering the results we promise finds the perfect marriage of a relevant insight and powerful activation. Both have to hit the mark.

4. It is an awesome time to be a Shopper Marketer!

If you are looking for the ability to do the same thing continuously for the same result, a career in shopper marketing is not for you. Shopper Marketing is a career in constant evolution: the retailer pendulum continues to swing back and forth, economic pressures continue to shift shopper behaviors, and evolving technologies continue to change the path to purchase. All of this adds on layers of challenge and opportunity - it is truly a great time to be part of this industry! 

Pew just released analysis of how shoppers shopped during the holidays. While it should come as no surprise to regular blog readers that technology continues to shift shopper behavior, this study in particular illuminates just how shopping experiences are changing.


The highlights:

• 50% of US adults used their phones while they were in the store
• 52% used their phone for one of these three reasons charted above
• 33% used their phone to look up product reviews or compare prices
• 20% decided to make their purchase at an online retailer vs. in-store

The implications are pretty far reaching. The path to purchase continues to be fluid - it is no longer about activities that happen in physical locations (ie research at home) but more about what information is accessed and how it influences the purchase. Shoppers continue to evolve their approaches to purchase, allowing information (reviews, pricing, etc) to influence their purchase decisions like never before.

Have you changed the way you approach retail activation? As shopper engagement continues to migrate into a customized blend of physical and digital, it is essential that marketers also blend their approaches. After all, with studies like these it is becoming impossible to ignore the fact that the phone is the shopper's best friend. It should also be a marketer's best friend.

Talk about retail activation and employing shopper technology! European grocery chain Tesco has 'opened' a virtual supermarket in a South Korea subway station where the items are just pictures lined against the walls of subway stations. Riders can simply snap an image of the QR codes placed on each product to add it to their shopping cart, then they checkout and then have items delivered to their home by the end of the day.

This video explains Facebook commerce (f-comm) in a pretty simple way. As shopper marketing expands beyond the walls of traditional retail to include digital shopper marketing, the fundamentals of understanding shopper behavior to create a positive shopper experience is still critical to retail success.

While brands and retailers are still trying to figure out how to use Facebook, this video proves there is a lot of opportunity for creating meaningful shopper engagement through social media.  



Looking for a partner to help you determine if you should enter f-comm or help you differentiate your f-comm from your m-comm? Reach out to bg - we believe not all comms should be treated equally. In this digital age, we are an equal comm opportunity shop that loves helping clients navigate the new world of retail activation.  

I focus a lot of these blog posts on how the intersection of technology and marketing is reshaping marketing in general and retail marketing specifically. At bg, we fundamentally believe you can't (and won't) stay relevant unless you understand how shoppers are adapting their behaviors to new technology. It is a fascinating and evolving world, and mobile continues to emerge as a key part of this. Not a surprise given that it is the device in more shoppers hands in more places for more of the day than any other.

While I have spent time focusing on how to integrate mobile into your marketing plans, I think it is important to step back and ensure we are taking a broad view of mobile. As this article points out near the beginning, mobile includes a lot more interaction than purely a purchase. As Rosen defines it, they include "using one's phone to facilitate any part of the shopping experience -- from comparing products, evaluating prices, and selecting where to buy, to sharing product photos, tweeting price details, and actually completing the transaction. The mobile shopping experience can also include activities post-purchase, such as returning or servicing a product." 

The mobile usage funnel gets smaller the closer to a purchase you get. But that doesn't mean the end point is where you should focus your efforts - it is important to see mobile with a broad lens. Shoppers are using mobile for a variety of activities, and most of the time they vary by trip type, product or category. We no longer live in a one-size-fits-all marketing world and given this, it is critical to understand how, when and where your target is using mobile.

Wondering where to start? It all comes back to your shopper insights - how well do you know your audience? How and where are they getting their information? Where are the other influences or considerations? Given how differently shoppers are approaching retail and using different tools like mobile, it is critical to have a bedrock of understanding and a partner that can help convert these insights into initiatives. Give us a call and lets get started.

It should come as no surprise that smart phones are quickly becoming a part of regular life. As smart phone penetration has increased, the usage has evolved - they are no longer just communication devices, they are connection (web, social networks) and purchase devises as well. 

Here are some pretty staggering points from the Performics 2011 Mobile Search Insights Study:

• More than 50% of all smart phone users search the web on their phone at least once a day.
• 49% of smart phone users have made a purchase with their phones in the last 6 months.

Consumers are searching and purchasing from phones more than ever before. How should this impact your approach to retail marketing? Interestingly, when the report broke down search activity, it shed some light into how consumers are using their phones and what information they are seeking:

• 84% look for local retailer information (phone, address, hours)
• 82% find online retailers
• 73% find a specific manufacturer or product Website
• 71% learn about a product or service after seeing an ad
• 68% find the best price for a product or service
• 63% search before purchasing offline in a store or from a catalog

These facts should serve as a foundation for a deeper exploration of shopper insights. Mobile allows immediate access - to information, reviews and purchase - and shoppers continue to integrate mobile into how they shop. Given this, you should be looking for opportunities to integrate mobile into your retail marketing today.

Not sure where to start? Give bg a call - we would love the chance to help you build a relevant mobile strategy.

 

Sure. The practice of shopper-centric design extends far beyond the aisles of a retailer. Think bank customers, hotel guests, attorney clients, etc. Ideally, wherever "shoppers" interact with your brand and have the opportunity to "make a purchase."

I spent a few days last week at a Marriott Courtyard in Birmingham, Alabama last week, and was thoroughly impressed with how this leading global hotelier has redone their public spaces in a way that now injects fun, style, and functionality into what once were bland, cold, transitional spaces you hurried through on your way to your room or out the door.

IDEO, a brand design agency, is responsible for the facelift, and based their designs on five guest-enabling brand principles that were uncovered through conversations with guests. Namely, focus on working smarter and anticipating needs; instill pro-activity to let personality shine; enable guests to feel comfortable in public spaces using subtle gestures; provide options and a sense of control; and aim to help guests feel refreshed, refueled, and recharged.

To that end, a large screen called a "Go Board" provides easy access to such relevant information for guests as weather, traffic conditions, local restaurant recommendations, and flight information. Dedicated boarding pass print stations allow guests to head to their next destination prepared. A redesigned cafe with three modes of service provides an inviting place to eat, offering healthier, modern food throughout the day and a lively atmosphere for cocktails in the evening. Welcome podiums replace the antiquated and alienating check-in desks to allow for more direct and personable interactions between staff and guests. And flexible seating and work areas allow guests to easily move furniture for a variety of uses.

Nice job!

 That's a great question. And to answer it quickly and correctly, here's my two cents.

Traditional marketing (OOH, TV, Radio, Print, etc) falls under the general category of "push" marketing. That is, retailers, manufacturers, and brands pay big agencies a lot of money to push a message into the consciousness of the consumer. Think Superbowl ads.

Here at birdsong gregory, our boutique retail marketing-focused agency has found a more effective and budget-friendly way to influence consumer behavior: pull marketing. 

Unlike it's monolithic, broadcast cousin, pull marketing puts the recipient of the message (a highly-targeted "narrowcast" demographic") in control of deciding whether to act. 

Think about it. Since people are very resistant to any messages that they see as (pushy) advertising, the beauty of pull marketing activities is that they encourage a prospect to seek you out and find out whether you have something of value to offer them.

Unlike it's heavy-handed, loud-mouthed cousin, pull marketing uses the law of intrigue and natural attraction.



 

This is part 1 of a quick (but) comprehensive look at successful brands and companies who are bringing traditional shopper marketing into the new frontier of digital media.

 

Here at birdsong gregory, we're actively trying to develop strategies for our clients that use the power and pervasiveness of the digital media to drive awareness and shopper engagement  levels in advance of the store visit. Obviously today's consumers don't enter a store as blank slates. Rather, they're saturated with commercial messages everywhere they look and enter a retailer's doors with existing product preferences and favorite brands. 

 

And increasingly, shoppers are looking on the Web before or after they enter bricks and mortar.

 

As far as we can tell, some of the first online shopper-marketing executions started back in 2001 when leading-edge retailers like HEB.com and Walmart.com began to syndicate branded content (recipes, health tips/tools, seasonal articles, and so forth) – all sponsored by packaged-goods companies – onto their sites.

 

Retailers liked this strategy because it made their websites stickier and added relevant functionality. And brands liked it because it placed a quality, online brand message, along with related content, in front of consumers at exactly the right time. 

 

It was powerful stuff, because it gave the packaged-goods brands a leg up in the online shopper marketing space when nobody else was sharing digital content with channel partners. For example, perhaps a consumer might not click a link to a box of cereal, but they certainly would click a link for useful recipes and content about how to be a great parent and give your kids a fast, nutritious breakfast — sponsored by the General Mills’ Box Tops for Education program.

 

Stay tuned for part 2 . . .

The A.P. Moller - Maersk Group is a worldwide organization with about 120,000 employees and offices in around 130 countries. In addition to owning one of the world’s largest shipping companies, the compnay is also involved in a wide range of activities within the energy, shipbuilding, retail and manufacturing industries. To develop its Health, Safety, Environment and Quality Annual Report, the Charlotte office of Maersk Logistics USA asked our advertising agency to come up with an effective way of communicating this company’s remarkable commitment to a safe environment for employees, partners, and the global community. Our solution was to create an effective communications piece with plenty of marketing savvy and brand integrity. On a side note, the Charlotte Ad club awarded this project a Silver ADDY in 2008.

To learn more about the branding, marketing, advertising, and design services our agency offers, please visit birdsong gregory online, contact Jim Cusson at 704-332-2299, or stop by the next time you’re in downtown Charlotte.