Page 2 - Retail Marketing | Birdsong Gregory

P&G's Push into F-Comm

Monday, June 27, 2011 by Jared Meisel

As retail marketing evolves, talking about how retailers are changing has been easy. I have already spent time contemplating the role of retailers and talking about how they continue to evolve.

What hasn't seen as much evolution is the role of manufacturers in all of this change. The creators of brands and products now find themselves competing with their retailers for shelf space and dollar share. Even worse, as retailers evolve their brands, manufactures now compete with retailers for shopper share of mind as well.

While this is not to say that manufacturers have been sitting back or standing still, retailers have led this round of evolution with manufacturers observing and learning. Why? For one, manufacturers have more to lose as they risk angering retailers by sidestepping retail outlet to sell direct to shoppers. And yet, as brands seek to stay relevant, it is essential to be where their customers are.

Which brings us to Facebook, the worldwide phenomenon that it is. Based on the scale of the audience and share of time Facebook continues to amass globally, manufactures have been dipping their toes in the water, testing out different f-comm (Facebook commerce) models. P&G has just announced the creation of new Facebook commerce pages for Tide, Gillette, Olay, Gain, Covergirl, Luvs and Febreeze, complete with product information and purchase capabilities.

P&G is viewing these pages as "live learning labs," further ways to garner shopper insights and e-comm experience. While it will be interesting to see how this evolves (will this be the tipping point for other manufacturers to dive into f-comm) what remains to be seen is how shoppers will respond. While it may be convenient to purchase products on facebook, mixing friends and brands has yet to prove a sustainable business for most manufacturers.

The Lowely Barcode Becomes a Star

Monday, June 27, 2011 by Jim Cusson

As reported recently in The Wall Street Journal, the once staid barcode is suddenly getting a bit of flair. It seems that granola, juice and olives packaging are sporting barcodes that integrate famous buildings, blades of wheat and bubbles into the ubiquitous black and white rectangle of lines and numbers. This evolution of package design to include the barcode is a way for consumer-goods companies to better connect with customers. And while the the trend is popular with smaller companies, even one of the world's largest food companies, Nestle SA, is trying out vanity barcodes on its smaller brands.

The Journal reports, "Barcodes are what allow retailers to track products through their stores and change pricing without needing to retag every item. Every retail barcode number in the U.S. and 107 other countries is assigned by GS1, a nonprofit standards organization created in the early 1970s when barcode technology entered the retail landscape. A company applies to GS1 for a barcode number specific to that company. It then creates (or hires a firm to create) the barcode to match that number."

Do you have a novel vision for your next barcode? Contact Shopper Marketing agency birdsong gregory and let's chat.

Selling or Helping?

Thursday, June 23, 2011 by Jared Meisel

Are retail employees supposed to sell products or help shoppers?

A retailer's lifeblood is sales and therefore every retail employee needs to sell products. Your retail marketing should be oriented to sell-through. But there is a difference in the answer to this question that results in a short term (sales) or long term (service) focus.

Apple's retail stores are as oriented towards service as they are sales. In fact, a quote from their training manual reinforces this: "Your job is to understand all of your customer's needs - some of which they may not even realize they have."

Said another way, your job is to help shoppers. And through that help, based on having relevant products, the solution could be a sale. But the employee's focus is not a sale, and as a result, Apple's stores provide a richer shopping experience.

Now Here's a Fashionable Use for QR Codes

Wednesday, June 15, 2011 by Jim Cusson

Digital Life on Today posted an article this week about a very novel use of QR codes for marketing. While it seems that some people wear their passion on their sleeve, Jessica Stuart had hers printed on a silk-and-linen dress.

Described as a "... bigtime-TV-producer-cum-digital-entrepreneur." Stuart started a firm that specializes in "short form, multi-use content," and she provided a demonstration of what that is than at the recent Webby Awards. A winner of two awards for a video she created for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, she wore a dress that was printed with QR codes that played the video when the the codes were scanned by those attending the event, by using their smartphones.

QR codes are mobile bar codes that are just starting to bubble up in mainstream commercial ventures. With QR — which stands for "quick response" — codes, shoppers can use their cellphones to swipe the code to buy items, shop or even watch product videos.

The codes "are popping up not only at hipster events like the annual South by Southwest music and digital conference and festival in Austin, Texas, but also in mainstream corporate marketing," noted Jonathan Blum in a recent Entrepreneur.com article. "TAG Heuer, Macy’s, and the car-maker Mini now sell using QR codes. Some uses seem rather mundane: Retail giant Sears went as far as to place QR codes in a recent mass-market tool catalog.

M-Commerce Revolution

Monday, June 13, 2011 by Jared Meisel

The world of commerce has exploded, expanding from the traditional store to include e-commerce (internet), s-commerce (social) and m-commerce (mobile). Pour on the fuel of personal payment options (Paypal, Google, Facebook, Square, clearXchange, etc) and you have a multi-dimensional retail marketing revolution that is no longer bound to place or time. What an awesome time to be a growing shopper marketing agency!

The above info graphic from Microsoft's Tag does a great job of bringing to life the adoption of m-commerce.

Creative Effectiveness

Wednesday, May 18, 2011 by Jared Meisel

What is creative effectiveness? How do you judge it?

While these are relevant and important questions to ponder, they have been asked and answered countless times in countless ways. Interestingly, the famous international advertising award show Cannes has just (finally) announced their intention of bringing the perspective of effectiveness into their judging. The new Creative Effectiveness award will be judged 50% based on sales results the creative delivered, while the other 50% will be made up of strategy and the idea. While long overdue, this is a sign of the times we marketers must embrace.
Marketing spending is crunched.
Technology is bringing about constant change.
Results and measurement can no longer be an afterthought.
Shopper scrutinizes every product decision.
Retailers are building private brands to compete for every dollar.

It is the new reality and in this reality, creativity that embraces the challenge to evolve will thrive. This new reality evens the playing field, forcing agencies to embrace change. It favors the nimble and the curious - regardless of size. It is in this new reality that bg thrives. While we bring a heritage of creativity, we are purpose built to connect our strategy with best in class execution vendors.

As a retail marketing focused shop, the idea of creative effectiveness is not a new one. We firmly believe that the strategy, the resulting idea and ultimately the creative output must leverage shopper insights. Why? Because without an understanding of your audience, their needs and resulting behaviors, you are creating noise. And in today's noisy economy, who wants to spend marketing dollars on noise? Not our clients.

So what is creative effectiveness? It is about creating relevant work. Work that embraces and thrives in today's new marketing reality. It is work we love developing and delivering for our clients.

Why Will the Future of Retail Still Have Bricks?

Monday, May 16, 2011 by Phillip Atchison

Because we're social animals. That's why. And no matter how fast a network we have at home. Or however many QVC channels. Or how convenient it is to order a kayak while wearing pajamas, just because it's increasingly easy to shop online, doesn't mean we'll stop going to the mall.

Indeed, for most retail sectors, a physical store can serve a fundamentally different function, giving consumers the ability to see, taste and touch the products in a way that is impossible online. Think of prime retail spaces like an Apple Store. Or Nike Town. Or the Disney Store.

The shopper marketing challenge for retailers in the future will be to figure out a way to play up the strengths of a bricks-and-mortar store while incorporating new technology and consumer trends into the experience. From interactive video screens to a smaller, carefully cultivated selection, here's an interesting article from The Street about ways that retailers can remain relevent as online commerce continues to grow.

Bloom Grocery's Fresher Message Hits the Road

Thursday, May 12, 2011 by Jim Cusson

It can be a difficult task to break a shopper's loyalty to a particular retailer – especially a grocery store. So when our client Bloom launched its brand refresh in the Norfolk and DC markets, our strategy was to lure as many folks back into Bloom with compelling offers, based on shopper insights, and also bring a taste of the new Bloom into the community. In addition to a direct mail campaign with coupon offers, billboards, radio and agressive digital and print advertising, the mobile unit pictured above will show up at local events in the market (with the giant shopping cart in tow) and sample an array of the new products found in Bloom. We'll also be distributing coupons that direct people back to the store for free products. Check out more of the work we deliver around Shopper Marketing at www.birdsonggregory.com

Express on Facebook

Wednesday, May 11, 2011 by Jared Meisel

As another sign that retailers are looking for ways to adapt and adopt new technologies, Express has announced they will make their whole clothing catalog available on Facebook. As Jim Wright, SPV of CRM and e-commerce at Express explains, “If you look at what's happening today, top-down marketing and driving people to places to transact has changed. We need to be where customers are having their experiences and sharing information. We need to take down the barriers preventing a shopping experience.”

Did you catch that important shift? Retailers can no longer afford to wait for shoppers to come to them - they have to be where their shoppers are. Technology, in this instance Facebook, has brought about the means for retail marketing to evolve beyond the traditional four walls of the store. The result is a whole new world of retail.

The article goes on to quote Patti Freeman Evans, VP and research director at Forrester Research as saying experimenting with social commerce is valuable for retailers even if it doesn't drive direct sales. Why? Because retailers “get insight into customers that are much more intimate. Retailers can pull those insights and turn them into analytics and use those analytics on their website to make recommendations to customers based on friends' purchases.”

The implications are far reaching. You have to be where your shoppers are to get the shopper insights you need to stay relevant. Even if that means being willing to experiment with new ways of being where your shoppers are.

B2B Shopper Marketing

Tuesday, May 10, 2011 by Phillip Atchison

No, this isn't about how to sell more Chivas Regal to a business traveler in an airport duty free shop. It's about acknowledging that the basic principles of shopper marketing – relevance, convenience, understanding what consumers really want – also apply to many B2B environments.

Take conferences for example. If you think of the attendee as the shopper and the conference organizer as the retailer, how can a host organization make the experience better for their guests?

How about taking that 300 page conference program (with its two keynote speeches, seminar schedule, speaker bios, restaurant guide, etc., etc.) and turning it into an app I can download to my tablet? Think about it: no heavy tome to lug back home, instant engagement through live updates and twitter feeds, and a huge savings in printing costs for the folks putting on the event.

The NYT had an insightful article about this exciting trend recently. Check it out.

Evolving to Relevance

Thursday, May 5, 2011 by Jared Meisel

Retail Marketing continues to evolve. Retailers have become manufacturers, creating brands and products to sell in their stores. Manufactures as retailers, looking to create more direct interactions with shoppers. Based on this, here are two interesting examples of manufacturers blurring the lines beyond their traditional roles.

Pepsi's Social Vending Machine:
This new execution from Pepsi mixes the lines of retailing, manufacturing and social media. As the video shows, you can purchase or gift a drink as well as explore ways to get involved with their Refresh project. Will it result in more sales? Increased brand engagement? Stronger brand preference? Maybe, but more importantly, the ability for shoppers to interact with products and as a result, for Pepsi to gain shopper insights from those interactions can be priceless.

P&G's Art of Shaving Store:
While not a new execution, I had my first visit recently and came away impressed. From the merchandising to the store employee training, it is obvious P&G has invested a lot into making this store work. And while it may or may not be successful, the learnings, interactions and sampling the Art of Shaving provides could be a differentiating factor as P&G looks to evolve the men's grooming business.

There are many examples I could pull from, as evolving roles continues to be a trend changing marketing. While the implications are many, the central focus for retailers and manufactures is the same - relevance. In today's shifting landscape, having an opportunity to engage consumers and gain shopper insights is critical to keeping your store and brand relevant.

A Broader View of Mobile

Monday, May 2, 2011 by Jared Meisel

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.

Don't Forget the Pickles

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 by Phillip Atchison

Most shoppers look for the iconic cigar chomping Vlasic stork in the pickle aisle, but lately, thanks to a new instore ad campaign for one of America's most popular pickle brand, you can find the stoutly billed Groucho Marx-imitating bird in other parts of the your supermarket. Like next to ground beef in the butchers case. After all, what goes better with a hamburger than a nice crisp dill pickle? Research shows that a majority of burgers are served with pickles, and as grilling season gets underway the timing is good.

Along with shelves and grocery carts, vinyl ads also will appear on supermarket floors, while displays near the pickles themselves will dispense coupons and recipes. Along with this in-store advertising, which will run through September, the new Vlasic campaign includes recent ads in print magazines like People and Dash and on websites including FoodNetwork.com.

Vlasic, a brand of the Pinnacle Foods Group, spent $7.9 million on advertising in 2009 and $8.4 million in 2010, according to the Kantar Media unit of WPP. Eric Hintz, vice president for marketing at Pinnacle, declined to reveal the exact cost of the new campaign, but said marketing expenditures in 2011 would increase by double digits over last year.

As a Charlotte based shopper marketing agency, birdsong gregory is experiencing this trend firsthand and is excited about how retailers and product brands increasingly understand the importance of being relevant at the shelf.

According to a recent survey by the GMA and Booz, 55 percent of brands plan to increase spending on shopper marketing by more then 5 percent annually over the next three years, which is more than those intending to increase spending on social media (52 percent), Internet advertising (41 percent), print media (14 percent) or television (7 percent).

Some other examples of fun instore marketing juxtapositions:

To promote its soy and teriyaki sauces, Kikkoman dispenses recipes for marinades and coupons from a shelf display in the meat section during grilling season and places turkey brining recipes in the poultry section before Thanksgiving.
In an instore Valentine’s Day promotion to encourage using M&M’s in recipes, the Mars brand recently placed displays in the bakery aisle at supermarkets with cupcake recipes featuring the candies.

Tomorrow's Media Consumption, Today

Tuesday, April 12, 2011 by Jared Meisel

Want a preview of what media consumption will look like in the future?

In this world of media fragmentation, consumers are adapting and adjusting how and where they consume media. And while there is no denying today's media landscape is a lot different than it was even 5 years ago, it is becoming harder and harder to predict what it will look like in the future.

Which is why this presentation from the Kaiser Family Foundation is so interesting. It provides a fascinating look into the media habits of kids ages 8-18. This group represents tomorrow's target shopper insights and the findings should interest any marketer who wants to be on the leading edge of trends.

Some particularly interesting insights:

We live in a connected world. While not a surprise, it will be interested to watch the changing realities of an "always on" generation.
Mobile will continue to become the primary way media is consumed and shopping is completed.
While the role of a phone is still primarily to connect, what they are connecting to has changed. Talking on the phone is out, accessing content is in. (pg 10)
While total media consumption is up, how the media is consumed represents a significant shift. Media is consumed based on convenience - live events are on the decline as this group accesses what they want when they want. (pg 6 & 12).
71% have a TV in their bedroom (pg 44).
Majority have no rules about the amount of time spend with certain media (pg 45).

The implications of such media consumption will be far reaching, impacting how traditional and retail marketing approach their audience. The implications for your plans today:

1. Understand these new media channels, especially mobile. I wrote a previous post on Integrating Mobile as a helpful reference.
2. Gather better shopper insights. The best way to build relevant marketing is to use relevant insights. Get out, observe, understand and integrate.
3. Begin building an understanding of the new realities surrounding consumer purchase paths. No longer one size fits all, these many paths to purchase require customized, nimble solutions.
4. Test and Learn. There is no better way to learn than from doing. With media, the ability to target and test can be customized based on your budget and needs.
Start futurizing your plans today. At bg, we are equally passionate and curious about how marketing continues to evolve. We would love to put our knowledge to work for your brand.

Integrating Mobile

Monday, April 4, 2011 by Jared Meisel

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.

The Many Paths to Purchase

Tuesday, March 29, 2011 by Jared Meisel

In-store marketing has always been about understanding and engaging shoppers on their path to purchase. And yet technology continues to act as the change agent, bringing new levels of innovation to retail. It has forever evolved the traditional path to purchase. Given the changed retail reality we all face, I found this to be a fantastic article that challenges much of the commonly accepted philosophies on why shoppers make the decisions they do.

The article boldly states there is no longer a traditional path to purchase. Meaning there is no longer a linear purchase process - there are added dimensions and layers to how consumers get, interact with, and give information. And these interaction points can influence or change a shopper's approach to purchase. It is no longer about tracing a shopper along a path leading to a store for a purchase. As Mark Prichard, CMO of P&G says, you have to "follow the consumer. And the consumer is becoming more and more engaged in the digital world.”

Shoppers are becoming increasingly channel- and commerce-agnostic. Said another way, they care more about the what than how they get their what. Given this, how are you evolving your approach to them? Here are three initial ideas and I would love to hear your thoughts as well.

1. Question your assumptions. Really seek to understand how these new retail realities are shifting your shopper's behavior. Not knowing or not being sure are no longer acceptable.

2. Follow your shopper. Find, gather, and utilize shopper insights in new and different ways. Shoppers are not taking a traditional approach to the store. Your insights shouldn't either.

3. Integrate your strategies. Social, mobile and shopper marketing should no longer be treated as divergent strategies. Shoppers use them seamlessly and marketers must start viewing them as different avenues by which you can communicate to the same target.

Ultimately, with an ability to purchase anywhere at anytime, a shopper's path no longer is a journey to a brick & mortar store. Each shopper can take many different paths at different places at different times. As shopper marketers, it is time to embrace the many paths to purchase.

Kraft Meal Planning Kiosk Tells You What to Eat

Wednesday, March 2, 2011 by Jim Cusson

A recent post from Advertising Age sheds a little bit of light on a planned in-store kiosk from Kraft to take shopper marketing to a new level.

Using a consumer's list and shopping history (derived from scanning your loyalty card and/or shopping list), it regurgitates suggested recipes and adds new items to the shopping list that are needed to cook the meals. Kraft has not deployed it anywhere yet, but is in discussions with unnamed retailers about possibly launching it soon.

"Shoppers struggle with 'What am I going to make?' every single night for dinner," said Don King, Kraft's VP-retail experience. "This is designed to try to help that process go smoother." Along the way, it drives more purchases at the store, including more Kraft brands.

The kiosk also includes a small camera that scans an image of the shopper's face. Using video analytics technology, the machine derives a basic profile -- such as age and gender. Now if the kiosk could only come to my Charlotte home and cook for my family!

From the blog at birdsong gregory, a Charlotte, NC shopper marketing and advertising agency.

Designed for chaos?

Monday, January 31, 2011 by Jared Meisel

When it comes to retail, your brand is built on everything the shopper experiences - from the products you offer to the cleanliness of your bathrooms. Given this, what does this floor plan of a typical Ikea say about their brand?

What's striking is that while the Ikea brand is all about giving customers the tools for organization, the design of the stores doesn't let shoppers make navigation decisions. Instead, the layout carefully creates an orchestrated customer pathway.

The Daily Mail article got Alan Penn, director of the Virtual Reality Centre for the Build Environment at University Collect London to comment, and he compares Ikea's strategy with retail parks designed to keep customers inside as long as possible. "In Ikea's case, you have to follow a set path past what is effectively their catalogue in physical form, with furniture placed in different settings which is meant to show you how adaptable it is."

Taking a shopper insights approach to retail has resulted in most retailers going towards an open, inviting environment. Ikea's stores seem like a step backwards, seemingly ignoring in-store marketing. Ikea's retail design is one way to ensure their shoppers see their full variety, but it makes me wonder if this strategy could hurt them in the long run. What other trips are they missing out on with their own, preordained, retailer-centric store layout?

What do you think? Is Ikea's strategy the right approach for their industry? Or is it a design desperately needing an updated, shopper marketing overhaul?

Expanding Market Share

Friday, January 28, 2011 by Ben Gelnett

Unfortunately it's not always as simple as having a great product or service and telling people such. It can take years and dedication to a particular approach to break through and reach the desired effect you are hoping for. Nike is perfect example of a brand that seems to constantly have its finger on the pulse the market but in the early 2000's couldn't break into the skateboard market. This was during a time when the X-Games still hadn't truly taken off yet and addressing skateboarders on their own level seemed about as easy as a 720 Bullflip. So what did Nike do? They customized the product to fit the specific needs of the target audience, they associated themselves with the leaders and in that industry (ie. Paul Rodriguez and Lance Mountain) and partnered with retailers that are seen as tastemakers in the industry. Although this was not an overnight process, Nike has continued to gain prominence amongst the skateboarding elite and sneaker-heads alike by showing that they actually care about skateboarding. This is accomplished in part by dealing with the market on their own terms and continuing to push the product in a way that addresses the tastes and desires of that particular consumer.

In short, R&D and focus groups won't always tell you everything you need to know about a particular market. Sometimes you have to roll up your sleeves and actually be there. Experience what they experience and speak to them in their own language. In an era of smart phones and even savvier shoppers, connecting with customers in a way that is relevant is more important than ever. What's your approach?

Does your brand look better naked?

Monday, January 10, 2011 by Jared Meisel

In an age of over-designing the brands and products around us to help them stand out at retail, this is a refreshing look at the power of simplicity. While it is important to note this was an exploration in simplicity and not a packaging design conducted by Antrepo4, the implications are no less relevant to our everyday.

Shopper marketing is a discipline in distillation. When shopper insights are employed correctly, SM boils down a product, brand or offering to its most relevant essence. Packaging is one of the most powerful SM tools available, allowing differentiation on the shelf of competition. The next time you get started on a packaging assignment, instead of going down the well worn path of incrementalization and evolution, consider the implications of simplification.

Ask yourself: What would my brand look like stripped down? Does my brand look better naked?

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