APRIL 2004 HIGHLIGHTS...
	Director's Note: News in Review Research: In-Store Merchandising Chaos by Mosaic InfoForce Desktop Marketing Conference: Making the Sale at the Point-of-Purchase by Monaghan & Co. Trends: Browsing Through the Acquisitions: Shaw's and Eckerd Desktop Marketing Conference: Seven Steps to P-O-P Success by BrandEquity International

Director's Note News in Review

Since the Institute launched in May 2003, our editorial staff has been tracking marketing at retail on a daily basis. We've been focusing on co-marketing activity, programs developed by brand marketers to give key accounts a promotion that fits their particular needs (or, as is sometimes the case, retailer-developed campaigns funded by a brand's trade promotion dollars). What we've found are hundreds of retailer-specific campaigns conducted by scores of brand marketers in numerous channels. It's not the type of marketing that earns business-magazine headlines or wins industry awards (at least not often). But it is the kind of marketing that gains heightened presence in stores -- something a brand needs more than headlines or awards to be successful. (Click here for our Industry News Archive.) This month, through the support of Display Express Insights, an in-store promotional measurement service from Mosaic InfoForce, we were able to revisit two campaigns covered recently to get a look at the support they gained at retail. In the first, independent grocer Giant Eagle provided strong display support to Kraft Foods products in an account-specific program that united the supermarket chain with Pittsburgh neighbor Dick's Sporting Goods. (Read the full article here.) Giant Eagle said it would use the promotion to focus on a few key Kraft brands such as Capri Sun. Apparently, that's exactly what the chain did. For the week of March 21, 64% of stores visited by Mosaic's field team provided secondary display space to Kraft's juice brand; the figure gave Kraft a commanding share of category display space within the chain. In other parts of the store, Kraft's Tombstone frozen pizza received secondary display in 86% of stores and enjoyed category exclusivity for the week. Planters displays were found in 57% of stores and Kraft snack nut brands in 79%, giving the company a strong presence there as well. (Visit this article on our home page to see related charts.) Mosaic also reported on display activity for Bayer AG's analgesic tablets in the week following the company's drop of a national FSI promoting its Easter Seals sponsorship. (Read the article here.) The promotion earned feature space in the circulars of seven retailers on the day it dropped. Display activity in those chains varied widely that week, ranging from the 70% of Walgreens locations that gave Bayer brands enhanced positioning to a complete lack of in-store support for that week at Chicago-area Osco Drug stores. Rival and category leader McNeil (maker of Tylenol) had stronger placement in all seven chains. (See the accompanying chart for a full breakdown.) These statistics imply how tough it can be to bring a national campaign to store level, and how effective an account-specific campaign can be -- at least when conducted with the right retailer. Read a little further down to see more insight from Mosaic. As always, we encourage your feedback and welcome your support. Sincerely, Peter Breen Managing Director, Content Click here for more information. »

Research In-Store Merchandising Chaos by Mosaic InfoForce

The average number of displays increased in supermarkets in 2003 while holding steady in drugstores and slipping a bit in mass merchandisers. However, the average number of products on display jumped in all three channels. That means the impact of any single display has diminished, and "endcaps are now just cluttered extensions of the shelf," says Kim Feil, chief executive officer of in-store data collector Mosaic InfoForce. The Institute presents highlights from Feil's presentation at Information Resources Inc.'s Reinventing CPG Summit last February. The report also can serve as the preview for a State of In-Store Marketing presentation to be given by Mosaic executive vice president Steve Frenda at the In-Store Marketing Summit in June. Members: View the research here. »

Desktop Marketing Conference Making the Sale at the Point-of-Purchase by Monaghan & Co.

What did William Butler Yeats know about P-O-P? Not much, probably. But the illustrious poet did understand that visual appeal is vital. As Monaghan & Co. president Robert Wilkes says, "The eye recommends a product to the consumer." In a literary-minded presentation delivered at The P-O-P Show/New York last December, Wilkes outlines 10 tips for developing imagery and communications that will give brands greater impact in the store. Members: View the presentation here. »

Trends Browsing Through the Acquisitions: Shaw's and Eckerd

After a quiet year in 2003, retailer consolidation in the packaged goods world roared into spring like a lion, as Albertsons signed a deal to acquire New England grocer Shaw's and CVS and Jean Coutu agreed to split up drugstore chain Eckerd. The Institute presents a look inside the acquisitions -- both literally and figuratively -- through in-depth profiles and pictorial tours of all the chains involved. Members: View the articles here. »

Desktop Marketing Conference Seven Steps to P-O-P Success by BrandEquity International

"The key to building a memorable brand is to create a distinct visual look that can be protected" against competitive attacks, according to Elinor Selame, chief executive officer of BrandEquity International. In a presentation from The P-O-P Show/New York, Selame discusses how to build, organize, leverage and revitalize brands by developing distinctive and consistent packaging and P-O-P designs. Members: View the presentation here. »