January 2005 Contents
| Director's Note: Kudos, Without Canapés |
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There will be no cocktail party following this article.
We haven't commissioned any trophies, either. But
after covering hundreds of campaigns over the course
of the year, the Institute's editorial staff didn't
want to pass up a chance to acknowledge some of our
favorite in-store marketing activity from 2004.
Our selections are purely subjective and wholly
unscientific. But having visited innumerable stores
during the year, we figure we've learned a little
something about what's working at retail.
Best Merchandising Event: Sure, there was
the Super Bowl, and the Fourth of July, and
Halloween. But there also was the video release of
Shrek 2, which was so successful at gaining
dedicated merchandising (thanks to a group of
extremely motivated CPG partners) that DreamWorks
should consider re-releasing it next November.
We'd also like to offer an honorable, and late,
mention to Procter & Gamble for the September 2003
launch of Prilosec, whose barrage
of purple displays and packaging immediately
blanketed the nation (and didn't really diminish
until a product shortage last summer).
Best Unified Presence: Unilever brought
some much-needed organization to the low-carb
merchandising craze by uniting all its offerings
under the Carb Options umbrella, resulting in a strong,
clear shelf presence. (Now, if only the media
can decide if the low-carb "revolution" was a trend
or a fad.)
Most ubiquitous brands (new and old):
Schering-Plough maintained a
strong presence for Claritin in the brand's
sophomore year -- which helped keep the
private-label
wolves at bay. Among older brands, we dare you to
find a chain pharmacy that doesn't have a
power wing for Wyeth's Advil. We couldn't.
Most Effective Merchandising Program: CVS
introduced
the Boots cosmetics brand to select U.S.
locations with wall units and islands that
single-handedly improved
store atmosphere, helping the drugstore chain
toward its goal of becoming a bona fide beauty
destination for women.
Most Effective Display Program: For the
launch of the Nintendo DS gaming system, the idea
was to tailor displays to an older, more
sophisticated audience. The
resulting designs did exactly that.
Most Effective Display: The gorgeous
cask pictured above, from Vina Santa Alicia in
Chile, enhances the image of both the brand and the
store. We found it in an H-E-B
Central Market in
Dallas, where it matched perfectly with the store's
positioning as a classy purveyor of world cuisine.
What were your favorites of 2004? Send them to us.
Peter Breen
Managing Director, Content
In-Store Marketing Institute
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| Trends: Lowe's Becomes Bilingual |
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Many retailers have at least experimented with
bilingual communications in stores serving Hispanic
shoppers. But Lowe's Inc. set a new standard last
fall when it began requiring all vendor-submitted
displays and signs to include Spanish translations
as part of a chain-wide
bilingual program. And the home improvement
retailer will raise the bar even higher this
September, when bilingual product packaging also
becomes mandatory. Packaging expert James Peters examines
the implications of this watershed event.
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| Desktop Marketing Conference: Hispanics and P-O-P Displays by Garcia Research Associates |
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Why is Lowe's moving toward a national bilingual
program? Maybe it's because the U.S. will be home to
more Spanish speakers than any country but Mexico by
2010 -- and because, although Hispanics are heavily
concentrated in just six states, their numbers are
rising rapidly in many other markets. Carlos
Garcia, founder of Garcia Research Associates, looks
at this growing "minority" and the impact P-O-P
displays have on their shopping behavior in an
audio-enabled lecture first presented at last year's
P-O-P Show/Chicago.
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| Research: Super Bowl Merchandising Trends from Mosaic InfoForce |
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New England vs. Philadelphia? Atlanta vs.
Pittsburgh? Who cares? In supermarkets, the real
Super Bowl matchups have already begun, as Coors and
Miller again try to steal display share from
perennial beer champ Anheuser-Busch and Frito-Lay
works to keep all snack underdogs at bay. Using
store-audit data from Mosaic InfoForce's Display
Express Insights service, the Institute examines
merchandising activity in the weeks leading up to
the Super Bowl.
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| Store Checks: PetsMart; ShopRite and Pathmark; Gerbes, Schnucks and Hy-Vee |
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A store redesign is allowing PetsMart to "recapture
the drive aisle" for displays and promotions;
Wal-Mart TV operator PRN Corp. moves toward a
national supermarket "media buy" with networks in
two Eastern chains; a visit to Missouri finds the
"stack 'em high" theory alive and well at three
regional supermarkets.
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| Welcome New Institute Members |
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The In-Store Marketing Institute is delighted to
welcome new and renewing members to the Institute
family. Below is a list of the 18 companies that
graciously allowed us to crow about their decision.
Welcome aboard.
- IATCO, www.iatcom.com
- Archbold Container Corp., www.archboldcontainer.com
- Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc., www.dpsu.com
- DreamWorks, www.dreamworks.com
- Ideal, www.idealpop.com
- The Integer Group, www.integer.com
- Idea Works, www.ideawrks.com
- Korg, www.korgusa.com
- Lingo Manufacturing Co., www.lingomfg.com
- MSA Safety Works, www.msasafetyworks.com
- The Howard Co., www.howardcompany.com
- Moen, Inc., www.moen.com
- Meredith Corp., www.home-and-family.com
- Pure Fishing, www.purefishing.com
- RadioShack, www.radioshack.com
- Stevenson, The Color Co., www.stevensoncolor.com
- Tree Free Greetings, www.tree-free.com
- Vulcan Spring and Manufacturing Co.,
www.vulcanspring.com
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NEW in the Library... |
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Retail
Handbook
New Retailer Profiles of No. 2 specialty chains
Linens 'n Things and Petco, including more than 65
related images.
Plus, more than 60 articles covering
football-related marketing activity.
Research
Library
Meyers Research Center
surveys consumers on which channels they think of
first when buying 16 different product categories.
Plus, "Insights into the Hispanic Shopper" by
Santiago Solutions Group.
Case Studies
New programs from L'Oreal, Natural Pet Nutrition,
Lego, Hershey and Yamaha.
Plus, 60 additional articles on football
merchandising.
Image Vault
More than 200 new images from Lowe's, PetsMart, CVS,
Office Depot, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Walgreens and others.
Plus, a gallery of award-winning displays and
signs from the 52nd San Francisco Point of Purchase
Show.
Legal Corner
The Attorney General's Office and the SEC file
charges against U.S. Foodservice vendors in the
ongoing Ahold USA accounting scandal; OfficeMax
launches an internal probe into allowance
improprieties.
Lecture Hall
"Retail Marketing and Merchandising to the Hispanic
Shopper" by Willard Bishop Consulting.
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