At times we have the opportunity to share knowledge we have gained or stolen from other clients to solve problems. One of those problems is creating the marketing to move products to sell while building a brand to retail. In MediaPosts "Turn Consumers Into Shoppers", the differences between brand and retail marketing and how to trace the process with your clients with six questions to guide their effort....
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1. What is the brand's and the retailer's key source of differentiation?
Most marketers believe that differentiation is the "engine" of any successful brand effort. While true, differentiation can't stop with an understanding of the brand's equity.
Today, the retailer often has a bigger draw, a bigger voice and more control than the brand. The new goal is to create communications, products and packaging that serve both the brand and the retailer. For example, Kashi has actually created different products to target different segments at Bashas' supermarkets.
2. Where is the purchase decision made?
Knowing where this decision is made connects the brand to the consumer and shopper in a relevant way. This requires investing in the necessary research to gain that knowledge -- not only in home, but also quantitative, ethnographic research in store.
3. Who are the targets pre-store versus in-store?
The consumer is often not the shopper: Consider a mom who buys energy drinks for her teenage son. Communications can introduce a brand to both mom and her son, motivate trial with the son and lead mom to the category in a store, while convincing mom that this is the brand to buy.
This requires insights about the mom, the son, the brand and the retailer. It requires an understanding of barriers and bonds to trial and to purchase. It also demands that brand managers uncover where and when to best reach the mom and the son, which is most likely in different places and at different times.
4. What is the desired brand experience and how do we maximize participation?
It takes a great brand idea to recreate a brand's essence and serve up an experience that people recognize as true to the brand and relevant to their lives. A great engagement strategy ensures that people come across that brand experience again and again and are enticed to become loyal users.
5. What is the role of advertising, digital, promotions and merchandising?
Start with merchandising, which is not where most start. Merchandising is about connecting the brand to the shopper, not about waiting for the shopper to come to you. If merchandising gets your product into the hands of your consumer, then your advertising, digital and promotions can be used to close the deal. Finally, it is not about having the most touch points, but about using the touch points that are the most effective, most effectively.
6. What are the drivers of impulsivity?
The word "impulsivity" describes what in-store experiences need to accomplish to turn consumers into shoppers. Why argue whether the percentage of purchase decisions made in-store is 70% or 20%. In truth, it varies. The key is to understand the dynamics in play because they give us opportunities to drive impulsivity -- and sales -- at retail."
If you can help your clients answer these 6 questions, they should have effective marketing in place and should be developing the kind of ROI that really makes sense for their business.