PR And The Blogosphere: A Short Guide To Success

As a PR practitioner who spends most of his life in the digital world, I can’t help but notice the mistakes of others in the industry who sometimes give the rest of us a bad name.
 

Ignorance is no excuse, and PR people need to treat bloggers and web publishers with the same respect as they would their print counterparts. If anything, I’d argue they need to treat these people with even more respect, because as time moves forward and deeper niches are drawn out in the media industry, having those key bloggers as allies can be vital for your success.

The PRs world is buzzing about blogs (and has been for quite some time). All the glossy trades have articles talking about campaigns, case studies and statistics; companies and firms are vying for blogger’s attentions, and the interaction and experimentation in the blogosphere is well underway.

New media sounds fresh and exciting (it is), and everyone wants to get involved. It is dangerous, however to dive right into the blogosphere without knowing what you’re getting into. In this space, anything you do can (and usually will) be exposed, so don’t send out anything you wouldn’t feel comfortable published publicly for the entire world to see. If you pitch a blogger, for instance, don’t be surprised to see that he or she has posted your entire pitch (potentially along with your email address) for the world to see.

Realize that most bloggers aren’t blogging for the money. Most keep a blog purely for the passion of their subject matter. And, even the ones who are making money blogging still realize that they could easily lose their audiences they have worked tirelessly to build up over the years if they publish material that isn’t ultra-compelling for their users. Don’t think that just because you have found a popular blog on your client’s subject that it’s going to be easy –just the contrary.

Most (but not all) blogs also skew towards the younger demographic, and many of them are not journalists by trade (although many journalists do keep blogs now too). If they aren’t already fans of the brand, they may be weary of your news, or even of someone just directly reaching out to them altogether. It may be an entirely new experience for them.

Get in the mix
 
The only way you will ever fully comprehend the blogosphere is to jump right in. As I mentioned before, every marketer and PR professional should have a blog. It’s beneficial on so many levels, you will:

• Get perspective on what it’s like to blog
• Understand what motivates bloggers
• Document your professional expertise
• Create a strong personal brand and a standout resume (yes, your blog can act as a resume – one that potentially gives you the edge over someone else)
• Learn a little code
• Have an altogether learning and positive experience and perhaps even make some new friends

If you’re unwilling to take this step, then it may be wiser to leave the blog

outreach to someone else.

Subscribe, read (daily), learn and follow the trends
 
If you desire success online for any degree of time, you have to realize that the web is the fastest changing system ever known to humanity. Trends, flavors, people, topics, music all come and go so fast, you need to really have your finger on the pulse of what’s happening if you’re going to stay ahead of the curve. Some ways to get started:

• Read Digg and Reddit and StumbeUpon
• Subscribe to blogs you want to get on – and read them…even the comments
• Subscribe to Techno//Marketer, Strategic Public Relations, and other marketing / PR blogs (these are just two fantastic samples, there are many – find the ones which speak to you);
• Have Google Alerts setup for the topics of your choice (industries you’re in, your clients, etc.)
• Have Google Alerts setup for your competitors
• Read BoingBoing and other Technorati Top 100 blogs
• Have your own Facebook and MySpace pages
• Mess around with Twitter and other popular web services
• Subscribe to the trade publications (ie, MediaPost, which is actually free)

Ditch the press release…at least for now
There are cases a blogger does want your press release. If you’re Apple, for example and about to release a new, revolutionary product – go ahead and send Engadget your release. It’s compelling for their users. It’s a direct fit, and something their readers are already raving fans of.

But what if you’re a company they haven’t heard of? Yes, you could just send them your press release, but that’s a better chance you’re lost in the shuffle of the thousands of emails they’re getting daily. If you’ve been reading their blog, you probably have a strong sense of what they write on, their tone, what they might cover and what they won’t cover. If you’ve been commenting on their blog (you should be) they may already even know your name.

Opening the doors of communication with a friendly email saying you’ve been enjoying their content is something appreciated, especially if you are in the blogosphere too and can share your content with them. Connect with them, and they may want to help you. Give them something you know their readers want, something that ties into their passion. If you’re passionate about it too (you should be), it will be obvious and it will create a smooth interaction. They may even ask for a press release later on with the full details – permission marketing in full effect.

A tailored approach is desired, and the blogger will appreciate it. Write it in their tone of voice, give them images and video (if you know they’ll want it), let them know this is unique for them, and you really think this would be a great fit. If you’ve been reading their blog, what you’re sending should be.

Tips for pitching bloggers:

• Read their blog daily, subscribe to their feed, comment
• Get creative, give them something they haven’t seen
• Always be prepared to see your pitch verbatim, in public
• Don’t just send your press release unless it’s really on beat, or you know that the blogger runs press releases
• Have compelling images and compelling copy
• Give a popular blogger an exclusive – even before mainstream media. The story, if exciting enough, could end up on the front page of Digg
• Treat them with respect, take your time, and be sure what you’re sending is on beat
• Respond to their comments directly and promptly, as bloggers move onto new things quickly. If you’re not quick, you may lose the story.
• Use services like YouTube to offer video along with your information. It’s an easy, quick way a blogger could embed content to go along with a post.

It’s an exciting space to be in, and with proper time, effort and creativity you can create positive buzz in this space. Bloggers and their readers are some of the most vocal people on the planet, and are clearly setting the trend for culture online. Success here is possible only if you take the time to learn, interact and contribute in ways which make everyone content.




Source: http://thefuturebuzz.com/2008/01/23/pr-and-the-blogosphere-a-short-guide-to-success/

Writing in school used to suck, and now, I want to be an educator

I am in an inspired mood for some apparent reason, and for some reason, I find myself reflecting my educational growth as student. As finals week is approaching quickly, I am alarmed that I would have one year’s worth of my degree. In fact, Monday will be the start of a week long journey of finals, and the birth of vigorous coffee drinking. In reality, I suppose late night, early rising, all-nighters might be an exaggeration to the truth of finals week, but I must say that we might appear to be underneath the pressure of last minute changes to a paper. Whatever the case may be, finals week is surely not the same fashion as a weekly ritual for a college student. What is the meaning for college? I mean, can going to classes, study your ass off, and graciously buzz through a three section test for about four years to say that you are qualified enough to work for a higher paying job? All of these types of questions used to swim in head, but now they do not because I find meaning and purpose in the academic lifestyle. I suppose each person is different, but as for me, I am excited about learning and growing academically. Can the building excitement for education inspire us?
 
What inspires us? How can the college lifestyle allow us to become inspired? I think for the most part, at least for me, inspiration comes from hard work. I love the quote from one of my professor’s door. The quote from Jim Fay, “Building self-respect comes from struggle and achievement, not from being made comfortable.” is truly something I really agree with because I can totally relate to my own struggles and achievements in the academic spectrum. But, in my other personal experiences, I can safely say that I experience various physical and cognitive disabilities that render my work a tidbit harder compared to if I did not experience the firsthand disabilities. With or without disabilities, hard work is hard work that creates self-respect. The first time I attended college, the quote aforementioned was hanging on the professor’s door, and used to think differently about it. I used to think that my self-respect needed to come from my educators and peers, but of course, I think differently about it now. Self-respect needs to come from the inside of us. People get to choice what formulates as hard work. The moment we start setting and achieving harder goals for ourselves is the moment we begin the process of having self-respect. Once we create and build our self-respect, I believe that it could be a harnessing tool to be inspired.

With that said, I am inspired because I have worked hard to be where I am now. With my language mechanics department in part of my cogitative disabilities, I used to agonize over the thought of writing, grammar, punctuation, and writing structures because I failed many, many, many times to the point of giving up. The giving up part started at a young age right after my accident, and I was constantly informed that my brain was damaged. Although, my educators and my parents under no circumstances told me that I would never achieve the normal excellence of a writer, I found other methods of communication to be much easier than to find ways to write properly. Before graduating high school, I maintained only an excellence of third grade writing level, and fifth grade reading level. I hid from my poor language skills through the invention of a word processor. I went to college for the first time to only to have the attitude of a “pricked-up-know-it-all” because I knew a few HTML codes. Short story of that – I flunked college and had to find other way to go about my life. Fast forward five years, and I ended up where I left off.
My first semester back, I enrolled for a developmental English course, where I would learn the very basis of English formality. I took the class very seriously, and allowed my English professors to perform open brain surgery on me. Once in my life, I rewarded myself with small but important steps to becoming a better writer. Once in my life, English writing made sense to me. Once in my life, I understand the importance of academic writing. All of these, “Aha” moments tie into the works of communication, and of course, I seek communication, knowledge, growth, and professionalism on a daily basis.

So how can these experiences make me desire to be become an educator? During of the course of this semester, my peers would come to me for assistance in our technology program courses. I enjoy helping students achieve success, and I always wondered why. I made the realization that the reason why I enjoy it is because I have empathy toward students. In essence, I was that lost student at one time, but today was different; I had one of my peers asked for my advice in a given subject. Can you guess the given subject? Yes! Writing – I felt honored because writing used to my weakest link, and of course, overcoming the struggles to be a lending hand in editing or advices surely gives me inspiration of what I am supposed to become. This post is a reminder for everyone to never ever give up! If you say you can’t or can-You are correct! I tell myself that I want to become an educator, but I have already realized, I am an educator and a student.



Source: http://www.digital-media-blog.com/blogging-bites/writing-in-school-used-to-suck-and-now-i-want-to-be-an-educator.html

11 ways to find your organisation’s go-forward strategy for 2013

News publishers that are open to an innovative, multi-media approach will be in the best position to grow their customer base this year.

Since I left Digital First Media in the third quarter of 2012, I have had the pleasure of working with a number of media companies in a consultative role, helping them define their go-forward strategy. It has been a very positive, eye-opening experience for me.

  I plan on using those lessons learned to help organisations of all sizes in my new role as vice president of interactive services for Affinity Express.
That being said, here are some thoughts to consider as you prepare yourself for 2013 and beyond:

1. The economics of the business are in a constant state of transition. The classified business has retracted to become a small minority of revenue for publishers, and the future of legals and pre-prints are in question now.
Publishers have to be ready to adapt their business to what their audience and advertisers want. I am in no way suggesting print will disappear, as I do not think that will be the case. But it will be a different business. I fear those who are unwilling to adapt may not survive.


2. There are a number of companies taking very innovative steps and trying new things. That is the best, most practical approach; if any one company had figured it out, everyone else would be copying the model.
   
   Seek out these innovators and find out what they are doing and how they are doing it.


3. At the core or your strategy, you have to sell advertisers things they want to buy.
   
   I believe those publishers that are constantly feeding the sales organisation new products and platforms, and are willing to find success through experimentation with a fail-fast mentality, will be the most successful.


4. I typically find the smaller the company, the more fluid and dynamic it can be. The digital agency concept is sweeping the publishing business, but few are fully committed to it.
   
   Companies need to start thinking about what they are today and envision what they will be tomorrow. Then build plans accordingly.
   
   You can’t be everything to everyone nor can you do everything yourself. To quote Jeff Jarvis, “Do what you do best and outsource the rest.”


5. Small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are dedicating a significant part of their overall expense budgets (not just marketing) to building out dynamic solutions and customer acquisition models online.
   
   Those publishers offering Web site design and development, coupled with search engine optimisation, pay-per-click, maps, and social solutions are able to get in front of virtually any business.
   
   And this is what SMBs want to talk about first. You can then layer on additional marketing opportunities across all platforms. But they need this foundation.


6. The more comprehensive the offerings, the better they are for SMBs when it comes to time, price, and relationship. Spreading money across multiple companies doesn’t allow them to properly leverage their total marketing spend to get the best possible pricing.
   
   Plus, publishers that can look to offer more than just one or two platforms will find the relationship with the SMBs will be richer and longer-lasting.


7. Multi-media publishers have the single most important advantage: an established, in-market sales force with existing relationships and a local brand. This above anything else distinguishes them from any pure-play competitor.


8. You have to think in terms of total audience as opposed to individual segments. The reach of a local publisher is greater than it has ever been when you combine print, online, mobile, and social channels.
   
   Offering a collective solution with robust targeting capabilities is a huge opportunity.


9. You need to take action. Stop talking about what you want to do and stop discussing what you can’t do. Focus on what you can and will do.
   
   Hire specialists to work with the existing sales staff who also will cultivate new business on their own. Remove complacency from the current sales organisation and look to serve the market as a whole.
   
   Stop constricting yourself by what you don’t know.


10. You walk a fine line between being aggressive and driving change, and taxing the bandwidth of the local sales organisation.
    
    I think you can fit only so much on one plate, and it takes time for things to really click. Make sure you have proper support functions in place so salespeople can sell.


11. You can build the best solution, create the best marketing material, have the best training, and sell the hell out of it. But if you cannot fulfill it, you will fail.
    
    Be overly prepared to support the sales effort and partner with companies that are strong where you are weak.

I hope, at the very minimum, this sparks conversation within your organisation. You may agree or disagree with the points above, but there should be internal discussion and debate around these topics.




Source: http://www.inma.org/blogs/integrated-advertising-sales/post.cfm/11-ways-to-find-your-organisation-s-go-forward-strategy-for-2013

What is market research?

The exchange between sellers (supply) and buyers (demand) for particular goods or services is called a market. A market does not necessarily exist in a single location, nor need it be a real location – products can be bought and sold online.
 
Markets change constantly and businesses need to have a clear understanding of both the supply and demand. The principal role of market research, therefore, is to provide a business with a comprehensive view of consumers in order to develop products and services that satisfy their needs better than the competition. Also, given the increased complexity of the business environment, it is no longer enough to make key decisions using a ‘gut-feel’ approach alone. Decisions need to be informed and market research helps to support this process, significantly reducing the level of financial risk attached with investment decisions.

Market research involves the capture and analysis of consumer, competitor and market trend data. This enables JD to assess more accurately the level of demand for its products. It also influences decisions to target capital investment on projects that will offer the best return on that investment, such as opening a new store or entering a new market.

Market research provides consumer feedback. It is essential for JD to have this dialogue with the consumer to gain insight into what they think about its range of products, brands and services. This enables the business to meet its demands and outperform the competition. It helps the business develop a clear and informed strategic business plan which all business colleagues can work towards fulfilling. For example, this information can create a winning marketing mix to target promotions to reach different customer groups or influence decisions on range planning in new stores.

Ansoff's matrix

Research can also provide information about the size and performance of markets. It can inform a business about who the key competitors are, what they are doing, and their market share. Potential areas of opportunity within an international, national and local context can also be identified. By using tools such as an Ansoff’s matrix to assess the levels of risk, JD can then decide which marketing strategies to focus on.
These are:

• market penetration – winning greater market share in its existing markets
• market development – entering new countries or new retail sectors
• product development – acquiring or developing new products or brands
• diversification – taking the business in a completely new direction.

 

 

 

 

 

Source: http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/jd-sports/using-market-research-to-support-decision-making/what-is-market-research.html#axzz2JcWt1Iz8

Identifying and Targeting the Most Valuable Shoppers

Big data provides big opportunities for brands and retailers to identify and target their most valuable shoppers. According to IBM, the world creates 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day. Beginning but not ending with purchase transaction records and loyalty card programs – and with the help of shopper analytics companies such as dunnhumby, EYC, Nielsen and Spire – brands and retailers are challenged with leveraging this abundant information in their shopper marketing.

"Most likely identification [of most valuable shoppers] is coming from frequent shopper cards," says Catherine Lindner, managing partner at Sagres Consulting and a former vice president, retail marketing, at Walgreens. "But it's also looking beyond that. Credit and debit card purchases, online behavior and other social media tagging are the wave of the future."

Understanding all of that information and using it to create effective strategies that target and motivate core shoppers is a key to success for brands and retailers. Unlike the length of time it took companies to figure out what to do with frequent shopper data, the "analytic power that has come from the Internet companies like Amazon.com has dramatically shortened the time it will take smart companies to aggregate big data," Lindner says.

The Kroger Co. and dunnhumby, which mines the supermarket giant's loyalty card data, are mentioned time and again as those that get it. Spire, which provides custom analytics for nine regional retailers, does as well.
"These companies are a good example that, more than just a good ROI, there is strong evidence that being able to identify and incent these shoppers is the difference between survival and oblivion," says Jeff Weidauer, vice president of marketing and strategy, Vestcom.

Identifying Most Valuable Shoppers

DunnhumbyUSA's Matt Nitzberg cites three necessary components to identifying a retailer's or brand's most valuable shoppers.

• Current spending: "Our global experience confirms that most brands and retailers have a core following, typically 20% to 30% of all shoppers, who contribute 70% to 80% of sales."
• Potential spending among current shoppers: Even the most loyal shoppers often spend less than 50% of their category and retail sector dollars on "one brand in a category or one retailer in a sector," Nitzberg says. The opportunity here is to win a greater share of wallet from current shoppers.
• Advocacy/social media engagement by shoppers with authentic enthusiasm. Whether or not they spend a lot with one retailer or brand, they can help drive awareness, positive associations and sales. Nitzberg says dunnhumby, through its BzzAgent social arm, has found that social marketing campaigns that leverage shopper insights to target known shoppers not only generate higher volumes of word-of-mouth endorsements online, "they also drive dramatically higher sales lifts in-store than campaigns that use demographics or store-level analysis." And when given the opportunity to move from loyal shoppers to brand advocates, they spend more themselves and make twice as many repeat purchases of the brand.

Other factors that come into play when identifying most valuable shoppers are loyalty and consistency. "Maybe I'm only devoting a third of my purchases to a particular brand, but I do it with great consistency," says Dan Sherr, vice president and general manager, integrated media optimization, Valassis.
Saatchi & Saatchi X's Christopher Gray, vice president, shopper psychology, says his company also takes a look at clients' fastest-growing spenders. "This can give us a sense of evolving shopper needs and emerging opportunities to further grow sales now and in the future."

Each brand's or retailer's definition of which shoppers rank as most valuable is unique. "Therefore, it's one of the key aspects of activating a strategy that can't be repeated by your competitors," says Nitzberg, "and one that can lead to a sustainable business advantage." Yet, he notes, many brands and retailers define their most valuable shoppers as those who aren't actually buying from them at all and spend most of their marketing and promotion resources on these uncommitted shoppers to generate awareness and trial with only a small spend to reward those who are loyal. "The economic irony," Nitzberg says, "is that it would take roughly 15 of these uncommitted shoppers to replace one lost most valuable shopper."

Understanding Their Behavior

Identification is the first step, but to truly influence spending, marketers must develop an in-depth understanding of the needs and motivations that drive purchase behavior. This requires the ability to develop and maintain relationships with individuals, rather than with a demographic bucket. "This is much more difficult than a simple definition such as 'female, head of household, age 35-49,'" says James Fraser, vice president, Hunter Straker.

"To truly inspire shoppers to buy our products," says Liz Boyd, president, LB Insights, "we need to get into their hearts and minds (through good, in-depth primary shopper research) to understand what triggers their inspiration." Boyd says it's about developing and nurturing a relationship as you would any other – finding out what they like, dislike, how they think, their attitudes and desires, and how they make decisions along the entire path to purchase. She suggests this can be accomplished through qualitative research such as ethnography, in-home interviews, shopalongs, neuromarketing techniques and quantitative research such as online surveys and virtual shopping. "One can't get at true attitudinal/emotional drivers of behavior by looking at panel or loyalty data," Boyd says, "and emotions are what drive our behavior as people, including our behavior as consumers and shoppers."

Focusing on most valuable shoppers is not a short-term campaign but an on-going relationship that needs to be implemented for the long haul and for long-term gains. "It is this point," says Fraser, "that challenges many shopper marketing organizations who are charged with delivering immediate ROI on dollars spent."

It's making a strategic decision to focus your spend and efforts in the places that will deliver the best results. You target the best shoppers, and you say "no" to others. "The challenge is that it's hard to say 'no' to things," Lindner says. "You are saying to others that 'I'll take your business, but I'm not going after it.' It's valuable because your resources are much more productive, but it requires some fortitude."

Marketing to Most Valuable Shoppers

Coca-Cola Co. has seen a four to seven times greater response with personalized shopper marketing activities, says Michael La Kier, group director, shopper marketing strategy and capability. He does admit that targeting at the right time with the right content can be difficult. "Lack of proper data is typically the culprit," he says. The company created the My Coke Rewards program in early 2006 to interact with its most valuable shoppers along the entire path to purchase. "Understanding the brands they buy, where they shop and what they are passionate about allows us to serve up more value," La Kier says. "In return, they reward us and our retail and other strategic partners with loyalty and seek more interaction with us." Core shoppers are also tracked by syndicated panel data, primary research, shopper card data and social media interactions.

Elsewhere, when Dr Pepper Snapple Group launched Dr Pepper Ten in 2011, the company used loyalty card databases to identify shopper behaviors that fit the beverage's most valuable shopper profile and used a variety of high-value offers to incent trial. "These targeted offers proved to be some of the most effective programs from an ROI standpoint as they allowed us to get the product in the hands of shoppers who were most likely to buy the product in the future," says David Knoepfle, shopper marketing manager.

For its work with a major Southeast grocer, Valassis receives frequent shopper program information on a regular basis from the retailer. They look at spending and loyalty and develop targeted programs based on those two segments. "You need to take the metrics and convert them into strategy statements and into accountable key performance indicators," Sherr says. "You can't spend enough time analyzing who your most valuable shoppers are and refreshing that every year. You also need to develop a methodology to track whether you're really getting it done."

Fraser cautions not to evaluate a long-term most valuable shopper strategy with short-term ROI metrics: "This has been the death of many potentially great initiatives."

Brand and Retailers Working Together

Campbell Soup Co. is able to partner with retailers on shopper marketing strategies that target both the brand as well as the retailer's core shoppers when there is alignment between the two companies, says Phil McGee, director, shopper insights. However, that isn't always the case. And when a manufacturer's most valuable shoppers don't sync with a retailer's, agencies are left trying to develop programs that serve both, Fraser says.

But, Fraser admits, if retailer objectives aren't met, programs may not be executed. "In the relatively new world of shopper marketing, retailers are holding most of the cards. The choice is to make compromises or be left watching the competition outperform your principled but ill-fated efforts." So, perhaps a brand isn't targeting its most valuable shoppers as directly as it would like, but the "increased store-level compliance that will occur because you have met the retailer's objectives will more than make up for a perhaps less-targeted effort."



Source: http://www.shoppermarketingmag.com/articles/?nid=118991

10 Ways Shopper Marketing Can Help to Improve Sales in a Tough Economy

Although Shopper Marketing has only really permeated the marketing mainstream over the last few years, its proponents argue that it is an important move away from the short term and adversarial past of trade marketing and sales promotion tactics to a more strategic marketing discipline that has a key role to play in an integrated marketing approach.

And now we find ourselves in a recession where those very same tactical initiatives are the ones that conventional wisdom suggests we should favor.

So if Shopper Marketing really is a key strategy for driving sales and a different approach to the past, what principles can we draw upon to deliver greater returns?

Here are ten ways that I believe Shopper Marketing can help to improve sales in these challenging times.

1. Sell to the shopper, not the consumer.
Utilizing insight into shopper behaviors and motivations is a key principle of Shopper Marketing and the main differentiator over traditional ‘brand push’ strategies. In times of change, when shoppers will be thinking harder about every item they put in their basket, such understanding is more critical than ever.

Consumers use, shoppers buy. Shopper Marketing complements the ‘passive’ awareness and preference building role of consumer marketing by focusing on the ‘active’ purchase decision making process of the shopper.

Do you understand the barriers to purchase for your brand and category and how they may have changed as a result of economic pressures? Has the consumption occasion changed, what role does price now play versus other factors such as convenience, wellness or sustainability?

Are shoppers’ trips and missions changing in a way that will affect your brand? Are your shoppers making fewer, bigger and more planned trips? Are they shopping different channels in different ways?

2. Know your brand
Every brand marketer commits significant resource to understanding how their brands are perceived by consumers, but do they have the same understanding of the assets and equities that influence shopper choices?

In a recession, non-essentials are hit the hardest – how can you make yourself essential? Price is undoubtedly a major driver of choice but it is not the only one. How important are trust, quality and familiarity?

What opportunities are created by changes in usage or consumption occasion? How can you re-frame value? Consider how you can ‘Up’ the benefit and ‘Down’ the price to remove or minimize the inevitable trade-offs shoppers will have to make.

Kraft is promoting the taste, value and nutritional benefits of its cheese slices when used to make a toasted cheese sandwich. Trading up to a premium laundry detergent to prolong the life of expensive clothes may be a wise financial decision. Remaining loyal to a bottled premium beer may be important if nights on the town are substituted by nights in. Hallmark is stressing the variety of powerful emotions that can be unleashed – by sending a 99c card. Emotional imagery at the point of purchase may dissuade pet owners from compromising on quality or treats for their beloved pets.

3. Offer solutions.
Keep in mind that the final purchase decision is made in favor of the product or selection of products that provides the shopper with the most convenient response to her or his shopping motivation.

What is the purpose of that particular trip and how is it impacted by financial considerations?

Think about themes, co-locations and adjacencies that address shoppers’ needs for value – healthy meal options for the whole family, fun nights in that won’t break the bank, pamper yourself and be kind to your purse, save money and save the planet.

4. Collaborate
If shopper insight is a central pillar of Shopper Marketing, so is retailer collaboration. Recessionary pressures will affect shopper segments in different ways, presenting different challenges and opportunities to each retailer.

Understanding how your retail partners are reacting to these changing times and working with them to meet their own shoppers’ evolved needs will deliver incremental returns for both parties.

What programs will they be developing? How do they relate to your shoppers? How can you bring your knowledge of consumption and usage occasions to the retailer’s knowledge of buying behavior?

Working with Kraft and Wal-Mart, under the ‘Simple Mealtime Ideas’ banner, we provided convenient, affordable and delicious meal solutions for their price conscious shoppers. The program was communicated in-store with POP materials, on in-store screens, sampling and out of store on walmart.com, with email blasts and print ads.

5. All shoppers are not the same.
Just like the general population, shoppers are not one homogenous mass. Exciting demographic changes present segmentation opportunities for focusing tailored offerings and messages whether that be based on ethnicity, age, families or singles. All have distinct needs that will be affected by an economic downturn.

And it’s not just about pure demographics. How does a shopper’s frugal financial mindset relate to other more positive areas of interest like health & wellness and sustainability?

6. Think about the path to purchase.
Whilst the ‘first moment of truth’ is undoubtedly when a shopper selects one brand over another, the decision making process does not take place entirely at the shelf.

If shoppers are planning or combining their trips more or looking for deals, what role do coupons (and coupon websites) play, is on-line a channel for raising awareness, do retailers loyalty programs influence planning decisions, can radio talk to your shoppers while they drive to the store?

7. Align your brand and sales teams
Those organizations that see winning with shoppers as the sole remit of the sales and customer teams will not be as successful as those that realize shoppers’ changing habits need to be addressed by the whole organization.

Recession beating solutions may present NPD opportunities, require new pack formats or equity communication that focuses on relevant attributes. This will require an integrated planning process with brand and sales teams working in unison.

8. Keep it simple
In times of change and uncertainty, clarity is key. Value messages, especially in-store should be simple and to the point. If things get too complex, shoppers will resort to the cheapest price.

Shoppers will also look for familiar cues of trust and re-assurance. Combine relevant value messages with these valuable equities. Be proud and confident and not apologetic. Shoppers are looking for re-assurance that they are making the right choices. Be transparent and don’t sell people what they don’t need – you will lose their trust and loyalty.

9. Innovate wisely
While marketing in a recession is undoubtedly about marketing to the core (brands, consumers and retailers) times of change create new opportunities as consumers and shoppers re-evaluate their needs.

New segments will emerge from changes in consumption and shopping behaviors while digital technologies in and out of store present new engagement opportunities. Whilst all expenditure should be carefully considered, an insight led and integrated planning approach can reveal opportunities for competitive advantage that can last well beyond the current recession.

McDonald’s for example, is currently targeting Starbucks dominance with a value and convenience message that, if successful, may fundamentally change the behavior of certain coffee drinkers. P&G’s cold wash detergents appeal to both a value and environmental mindset.

10. Evaluate constantly
This recession is far from over and none of us knows how things will play out. More change is certain however.

It’s important that we stay close to the consumer and our retail partners ensuring our products and messages are relevant to their needs and remaining flexible as these needs change.


Source: http://www.wpp.com/wpp/marketing/hottopics/downturn/shopper-marketing.htm

How Online Advertising is like a wayward teenager

Like an adolescent with plenty to still learn about life, online advertising must now be shaped and given a strong foundation for future growth and prosperity.

If online advertising were a person, he’d be a young teenager. He’s learned how to take care of himself to a certain extent but still needs quite a bit of supervision. 

  And, although he has matured, he’s got a long way to go before he can be expected to be self-sufficient. Like an early teen, online advertising is still in a life stage in which we can shape it and help craft it in ways that will ensure it will grow and prosper in the years ahead. 

I’m talking about establishing a foundation on which to build a future empire. And that empire is digital advertising for news media companies.
But we’ll only get there with the help and guidance of digital advertising programmes, procedures, metrics, and, most importantly, advertising sales reps and their advertisers. All of these things need to have a solid foundation for future growth to be sustainable.

News media companies should not have primary interest in the short-term gains that digital advertising could bring. As an industry, we’ve been far too dismissive of future growth.In the early days of online advertising, we were happy to take online ad buys, put simple display ads up, and collect the money. It was, essentially, the same process for accepting print advertising we’d done for so many years – order taking with the expectation of success and repetition.

The approach we need now is one of foundation-building. We’ve got to start with a solid framework, build solid walls and plumbing, and put on a roof that will last 30 years — not one we’ll need to replace every five years.
For advertisers and sales reps who have little or no knowledge of how digital advertising works, now is our time to establish some basic education and understanding and plant seeds for future growth. 

We can’t be in this for short-term gains. Certainly, we need a sense of urgency. But it’s more important to educate sales reps and advertisers with a deeper understanding of what they need to know, and get a better (and more effective) campaign commitment within weeks instead of days.
It’s never too late to address foundation issues. In some cases, it may mean tearing out what you have in place (internally, if your infrastructure at your news media company for digital advertising is not sound), and/or addressing the basic needs of your advertisers to help them understand what their digital marketing goals and possible gains could be.

I’ve known some sales reps who haven’t felt comfortable asking some of their long-time accounts basic needs assessment questions (with respect to their digital marketing), because they thought they’d appear as if they don’t know their account as well as they should after so many years.
There is no shame in approaching advertisers honestly with the “let’s grow, learn, and evolve digitally, together” mentality.

So let’s take a look at our young teenager with fresh eyes and make sure we’re bringing up someone who will be ready to lead us into the next phase of news media. If we’re not sure, it’s not too late to revisit the basics and ensure our foundation is sound.

Source: http://www.inma.org/blogs/integrated-advertising-sales/post.cfm/how-online-advertising-is-like-a-wayward-teenager