MODULE FOUR
P-O-P Best Practice Part Two
Learn
Aim and Purpose
Part two of Module 4 will explore the rationale, planning and co-ordination that goes into developing best practice P-O-P campaigns.
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Learn
Module Introduction
Part two of this unit is focused on looking at the retailer and brand relationship, and how this affects the campaign planning and delivery. We will also look at design considerations that can lead to create display with greater effectiveness in-store, including the practical demands that the in-store environment places on them, and explore recent case examples of P-O-P best practice. These are the key topics we will cover during the course of the next session: Retailers and brands – working together to deliver success Design considerations Influence of shape and colour Using light, sound and aroma Industry best practice – Case Examples Review
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Learn
Learning Outcomes
After completing this module, you will be able to: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Recognise good standards of P-O-P Choose appropriate approaches with confidence Identify key considerations which influence success Recognise opportunities for shopper communication using P-O-P Understand implementation issues effectively
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Part 1 Working with retailers
MODULE 4 |
Insight
The retailer It is important to understand that retailers and brands have shared but also slightly different views on the role of P-O-P. Within a retailer there are many stakeholders who can directly influence P-O-P success. Those with responsibility for deciding what P-O-P goes in to store can often range from individuals with direct corporate or marketing responsibility, to buyers and even property managers in the case of some permanent and digital screen network installations.
There are many stakeholders within the retailer who may influence P-O-P success.
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Insight
The retailer
Although some retailers are reliant on third-party branded P-O-P, head offices teams are rightly intent on maintaining and supporting their own brand position in the marketplace and will set visual look and feel and overall tone for their stores, in line with their own brand strategy.
Retailers are intent on maintaining their own brand position and visual look.
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Insight
The retailer At a retailer level, there are often teams charged with strategic store planning and merchandising, seasonal planning and new store layouts. All these parties, as well as the retailer’s marketing and buying teams, will input into the work that is carried out with brands to create P-O-P campaigns.
Retailer’s marketing and buying teams will input into P-O-P campaigns activated in-store.
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Insight
The retailer In order to truly engage retailers with P-O-P brand activation plans in-store, brand marketers must give careful consideration to presenting a robust case for their promotion or activity to be accepted in to store – with clear objectives, a targeted shopper audience and campaign concepts based on meaningful shopper insight. What is the story behind the activating? What are you trying to achieve? How will it benefit my shoppers?
Think about your objective and share it.
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Insight
The retailer But in many ways, the real hard work begins after a campaign has been accepted by head office. Even at store level, there are several gatekeepers – store managers and key members of retail teams - who have power over and can, in different ways, affect the outcome of planned P-O-P activity. Particularly, as we have seen with temporary display, they are often responsible for placing the P-O-P within the store. It is out in stores where P-O-P displays are actually placed. As a result, there is tremendous value in presenting to key influencers to ensure campaigns objectives and the value and benefit to both retailer and shoppers are understood, with campaign successfully implemented and supported (championed) whilst in-store.
Gaining store manager acceptance is as important as head office.
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Insight
Identifying retailers One of the key decisions marketers must make when planning a campaign is to determine which retailer(s) it is to be activated. Often a brand who sells a product through a number of retailers may choose to execute a campaign through just a limited proportion of those accounts. Decisions about which retail accounts are to be included in a campaign are based on careful planning and the answers to key questions that will determine activity and channel priority. For example: Who is our target audience? Which shopper group do we want to target in each channel?
Identifying participating retailers is a key strategic decision when planning a campaign.
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Insight
Identifying retailers
For example, there may be particular issues concerning how shoppers are currently buying a product within convenience multiples, compared to supermarkets. Or a need to drive greater shopper engagement with younger audiences in order to promote a product as still being relevant, compared to a traditionally older shopper type that may be loyal but less frequent purchasers of the product.
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Insight
Selecting Stores As well as having to make decisions about which retailers will participate in a campaign, marketers must also decide how many sites within the retailer’s store estate will be included within the campaign plan. Within many categories only a select number of stores will be chosen to take part in the campaign. In much the same way as media buyers only select a certain number of TV channels, magazine titles or outdoor media sites and time of day to communicate with audiences. The retail marketers will target specific stores based on criteria including geographical location, shopper numbers, engagement with previous campaigns, the preference of the retailer, implementation results from previous campaigns and other key performance factors.
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Case Examples Applied
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Channel targeted retail activity
This following short example from Kellogg’s shows the importance of developing campaigns targeted to different retailer accounts. Rice Krispies Squares is the number two selling cereal snack in the UK worth £37 million in retail sales. To engage shoppers, Kellogg’s created a wide range of in-store materials to appear across all distribution channels. MODULE 1 | Examples
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Channel targeted retail activity Bespoke suites for large format grocery retailers included front-of-store pallet wraps and die cut SRP’s. Experiential activity also saw staffed Cash Calls Cash Machines installed in the foyers of select key accounts, giving shoppers the chance to win on-the-spot prizes. Kellogg’s also created special point of sale material to help convenience retailers create a real sense of drama and excitement around the launch, comprising of stand-out front of store and counter top units, dump bins and wobblers to allow them to make impactful displays to make the most of the promotion and drive incremental sales. Convenience retailers can also take reassurance in the fact that shoppers will hear all about the campaign through various media and social media channels – with field merchandising teams encouraging retailers to stock up on promotional packs and get behind the promotion. Kellogg’s invested in a £1 million media campaign to support the Cash Calls campaign which includes a new TV tag and a host of digital activity on social media including Facebook. With the bars becoming the equivalent of an edible scratch card, retailers would potentially be passing on the opportunity for their customers to win £100 by simply making a 39p purchase. MODULE 1 | Examples
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Insight
Promotional Space Negotiations
The best Shopper Marketing programmes have been engineered with retailer strategies and objectives in mind, not a purely brand focus. MODULE 4 | Working with retailers
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Insight
Promotional Space Negotiations Category leadership…
Shelf pace is always a premium commodity in any retail outlet and buyers are charged with achieving the highest revenue return on their shelf footage: therefore, any decision to increase the space given to a product or supplier will have to be carefully considered. The onus is on the brand to present a convincing case as to what additional revenue the retailer could achieve. However, the core principle remains essentially the same – space needs to deliver profits and so must be allocated and managed to generate the highest return. MODULE 4 | Working with retailers
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Insight
Negotiating Promotional Space To improve promotional space negotiations, brand marketers must: Understand the retailers’ shoppers – as we explored in earlier modules, shoppers within different retailers and different retail formats will have different shopping traits, wants and needs. Develop strong dialogue with key retail accounts – ongoing communication is vital to understand retailer strategy, aims and goals . Co-ordinate activity to retailer’s own promotional calendars – by identifying ways in which your planned activity could be used to support and strengthen a retailer’s own retail calendar, you be much better placed to secure the promotional space required for your activity. Tie-in to specific promotional themes – it is important to identify those themes which shoppers will identify with the most either for promotional marketing such as competitions or seasonal in-store activity. Demonstrate integrated and insight led campaign planning – the more insight you are able to use to support your proposed activity – giving retailers robust rationale behind your decision making process – the greater the likelihood of maximising promotional space for your campaign Geo-targeting of relevant stores optimised to promotion – be specific and selective about the stores you include in your campaign.
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Insight
Negotiating Promotional Space Add value to shoppers – Happy shoppers are just as important as sales for retailers, so ensuring your campaign brings real value to their lives (not just money off), will help during negotiations Understand store managers’ priorities – having an understanding of the practical issues they face in-store (especially within the convenience channel where one person, often the store manager, may have to perform several functions) is crucial to positive retailer negotiations.
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Insight
Supported Funding There are often additional costs attached to implementing P-O-P advertising. These are often dependent on proposed programme or in-store location. These can include an agreed percentage of sales, specific subsidies relating to product or display placement, or the buying of additional media e.g. trolley or car park advertising. Agreed % of sales Specific subsidises related to product or display placement Buying of additional media High traffic locations attract higher values
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Insight
Retailer Strategy Any proposal you develop should be produced with retailer collaboration in mind and support the aims of individual retailer accounts. Getting the retailer onboard by developing a strong understanding of their key strategies and targets will be essential to your initial planning framework. As a current supplier, you should be close to this information. You can seek to develop your knowledge here by talking to the buyer, undertaking store checks and reading the trade press. The more informed you are, the more chance of developing complementary strategies.
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Insight
Current performance The retailer is more likely to consider your proposal if your brand is performing well. Ensure your sales and service levels are good. Demonstrate, through your current performance, your expertise in the sector and understanding of the shopper. Actively develop these areas as part of your initial approach to ensure that, when you present your proposal to increase space, your case for doing so is as strong as possible.
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Insight
Category/Range Management Working with the retailer to manage and develop categories to strategically and operationally develop the business return involves a thorough review of the sector, consumer and competitors. This has become increasingly popular since pointof-sale scanning data has been available to interrogate buying habits in more detail. It can be a valuable means of developing your retail relationship and increasing shelf space by developing your products to support the category needs. Competitively, it can provide a significant advantage: however, it may involve investment and can be resource intensive. Another good opportunity to increase shelf space is when the retailer initiates a range review. In this instance, you should find out why the range review has been actioned and what the retailer hopes to achieve through it. Develop your proposals to support their objectives. MODULE 4 | Working with retailers
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Insight
Trial store rollout
It may be that the buyer will not initially agree to increased shelf space. One option would be to target a test region or cluster of stores. This reduces the risk for the buyer and provides an opportunity to assess the product. Above all, ensure that whatever you do can be replicated when the product is given increased distribution or you run the risk of returning a disappointing performance.
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Insight
Sales Promotions aimed at retailers
The importance of engaging retailers with your campaign ideas and its direct link to the willingness of them to give over promotional space to subsequent promotional activity cannot be underestimated. One option to increase engagement is to aim your sales promotion at the intermediary (the retailer) rather than at the end-customer as a key tactic to drive greater retailer engagement with your promotional plans. For example, you could offer a short-term discount to retailers, or free branded goods for sales staff. Many sales-promotion ideas can be adapted to target the trade instead of consumers, or perhaps both. MODULE 4 | Working with retailers
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Tips for success Here are some top tips for promotional space negotiation success: 1. Early planning and collaboration with retailers 2. Engage and excite all stakeholders 3. Educate and engage sales/merchandising teams 4. Creating pre-launch excitement with consumers/shoppers 5. Creating a TRUE ‘through the line’ campaign 6. Retailer engagement – samples to retail teams
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Case Examples Applied
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Unilever‌Retail Promotion We will now look at some case examples of campaigns which have maximised promotional space by applying some of the approaches we have just reviewed. Unilever have consistently maximised promotional space in-store by targeting campaigns exclusively to retailer accounts, through carefully identified stores and by linking their campaign on promotions that have a clear theme that resonates well with the target shopper. Most recently, it has run two campaigns for Flora butter. The first offered mums the opportunity to vote for their local playground, with the winner receiving new play equipment. The second was for mums to collect tokens which could then be exchanged for tablet devices for their children’s schools.
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Utterly Butterly…Retail Promotion Another example that was also based on strong shopper insight in order to maximise promotional space and overall campaign effectiveness was the ‘Thanks Mum…’ promotion by Utterly Butterly. The brand identified that mums not only had a hectic life, but they also spent a lot of time looking after the pennies too. What she saves on groceries, she can spend on things like days out for the kids. This on-pack promotion gave mum the chance to win a prize a day. It proved the perfect way to spread investment on advertising and promotions more strategically – driving retail listings, greater brand engagement, and giving mum a well-deserved little extra.
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Premier Foods…Retail Promotion
For its Halloween promotion, Premier Foods identified 45 stores to target. It then compiled a carefully consider proposal to secure retailer engagement, with the promise to drive sales through a combination of experiential sampling, promotional teams and engaging P-O-P.
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Unlocking unused retail space When big chains do take a chance on a new brand, they often charge stiff first-time stocking fees — but merchandising fees for UrgentRx have been less than $100,000. In the three years since the company’s debut, UrgentRx founder Mr Eisenberg has made inroads with major retailers, placing UrgentRx products near the checkout counter at 2,700 retail outlets across the US, including those of Duane Reade, Walmart and Kroger. Recent agreements and continuing negotiations, he estimates, should put the products in 27,000 stores.
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Unlocking unused retail space
How has he done it? 
 With a simple insight: He realised that while most small brands cannot break into the planogram, they can persuade retailers to give them access to the unused space in the margins beyond the planogram. 
 This insight has earned Mr. Eisenberg a reputation as a master at finding wasted spaces hidden in plain sight. Employing a variety of custom-fabricated display units, the former engineer has designed a display tray that spins on top of the queue lines, racks that hang off the ends of display walls, and oddly shaped shelving units that seem to levitate above sale counters. MODULE 4 | Examples
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Insight
Gaining retailer agreement
Although creativity has a major role to play in the success of P-O-P campaigns, influencing retailer decisions on the type, extent and volume of advertising allowed in-store is of critical strategic importance if brands are to activate their campaigns as they are intended. In the highly controlled world of major multiple retailing, getting P-O-P accepted in to store can be a long, sometimes difficult and expensive process. Display space is always at a premium, regardless of store format and competition for both floor and shelf space is fierce. MODULE 4 | Working with retailers
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Insight
Working with retailers Retailer regulations have become restricting in recent years as they attempt to better control the type and volume of P-O-P entering their stores. To improve the likelihood of displays being accepted, it is important to focus attention on how a display will impact on a retailer’s stores from an operational perspective, a retail environment perspective, as much as the impact it will have on shoppers.
Retail marketers and their suppliers must balance visual and operational needs.
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Insight
Working with retailers
That means ensuring it is not only visually impactful but also designed in a way that it can easily be accommodated within a variety of store environments, be easily assembled and replenished by retail teams and engineered to withstand the demands of in-store life for the duration of the campaign without becoming untidy and tired looking.
Consider retailer guidelines, store footprint, assembly and floor life.
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Insight
Meeting retailer guidelines It is important for marketers to identify the particular stance of a retailer on the placement of displays as well as their physical design, materials use, creative messaging and manufacturing methods. For example, cosmetics company L’Oreal does not allow the use of any PVC material within display solutions within both its retailers (The Body Shop) and on its own-brand P-O-P. It is also important to work closely with retailers to ensure solutions are aligned to a retailer’s own store formats and clearly identified shopper missions.
Align with shopper missions and formats.
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Case Examples Applied
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Take two retailers very different approaches to the Valentine’s promotional period as an example.
Understanding retailer accounts
As already touched on, it is important to understand the different individual retailer accounts you may work with. Although in the same sector, and of relatively similar scale, they may have very different approaches to in-store promotional activity, which will affect how they view request for promotional space. Superdrug and Boots are both large retailers in the health and beauty category, carrying many of the same brands and both running strong promotional campaigns during the Valentine’s period.
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Different promotional approaches
Between 31 January and 14 February 2013, health and beauty retailer Boots ran a total of 1867 fragrance promotions, while another major retailer in the same sector, Superdrug, ran just 376.
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Targeted discussions
This year, Boots has reduced its promotional activity by 73 per cent to only 498, while Superdrug has also reduced the total number of promotions in this period to 193, down 49 per cent on 2013. MODULE 4 | Examples
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Aligning promotional activity
As an alternative to price promotions, Boots switched its emphasis to a free gift with purchase during 2014.
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Aligning promotional activity
Meanwhile, Superdrug continued to focus on Price Reduction promotions in both 2013 and 2014. This example is proof that one size does not fit all. Understanding these key differences to in-store approaches taken by retailers within the same sector is vital in order to ensure campaigns are correctly targeted, thereby maximising the chances of success when developing promotional plans and campaign concepts to present to retail accounts. MODULE 4 | Examples
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Nivea…Securing retailer buy-in Meanwhile, Superdrug continued to focus on Price Reduction promotions in both 2013 and 2014. This example is proof that one size does not fit all. Understanding these key differences to in-store approaches taken by retailers within the same sector is vital in order to ensure campaigns are correctly targeted, thereby maximising the chances of success when developing promotional plans and campaign concepts to present to retail accounts.
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Planned campaign proposal
The brand also developed a strong promotional campaign proposal to present to the retailer, carefully considering possible tie-in to existing retailer instore assets and demonstrating potential in-store executions based on robust shopper research in order to aid negotiations concerning the use of promotional space to support the campaign.
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Improved Retailer Relationships While some marketers often view working with retailers as being a battle, in reality this is not the case as long as brand marketers approach retailers with strong business cases for the type of campaign they wish to activate in-store. These six bullet points are important to remember, in order to improve the effectiveness of retailer-brand relationships. Work with the retailer. You both want the same thing. The retailer wants to grow sales too. Think about your retailer’s customers. Each retailer’s shopper is distinct, with different demands and, importantly, sometimes different expectations of the shopping experience within different retailers Support ideas with insight. Demonstrate to the retailer that you have identified a clear need or issue and how your proposed campaign will help solve that and improve the shopping experience and drive sales. Explain what your message is. Be clear about what you’re offering shoppers and why it will add value and benefit to them. Be realistic – the store isn’t endless. Thinking differently is good but keep proposals realistically optimistic in terms of what you’re asking from the retailer. Have a long-term view. Retailers are keen to hear about ways to drive growth now, but are also keen to work with brands on developing ‘Store of the Future’ ideas that will help them to remain relevant in a rapidly changing retail landscape.
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Part 3 Design Considerations
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Insight
Gaining retailer agreement
Creating a form of advertising communication that has the power to engage audiences and at the same time address in-store demands such as shopability, durability and ongoing stock replenishment, is unique to P-O-P advertising. Whilst this is not intended to be a training course in P-O-P design, it is worthwhile within the context of this module to take a brief look at the broad design considerations that must be taken into account from an operational perspective. Strength is a major design consideration, both in terms of displays being able to bear the weight placed on them through stock holding for an extended period of time, but also the durability to withstand the unforgiving rigours of a modern store environment. For example, the constant bumping of shopping trolleys and repeated opening and closing.
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Insight
Strength
Although strength is important, it’s also important from a cost and environmental point of view that displays are correctly engineered. Not stronger enough will result in failure in-store or constant wearing of parts. Too strong and it will represent more expenditure that was require to produce a display fit-for-purpose.
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Insight
Material Use
Choose materials sympathetic to the brand values and its position in the marketplace.
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Insight
Material Use
Choosing materials that are reflective of the brand, its category and brand positioning within the market is also a key consideration. For example, a rugged, outdoor clothing brand is likely to state the use of natural materials such as reclaimed wood and metals, as seen here within Timberland’s flagship store in Barcelona, Spain. Whereas a fragrance brand such as Diesel may specify the smooth lines and curves of acrylic, together with materials that provide a high gloss finish.
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Insight
Durability
P-O-P must be designed to withstand all that will be asked of it. In-store floors are regularly cleaned, so it is important to ensure materials used will not be affected by potential water damage. This is particularly important for temporary displays.
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Insight
Durability
Within some categories, such as garden products, even weather conditions can impact durability considerations for design of displays, if it is planned to place them outdoors.
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Space Restrictions
Flexibility is often required to meet diverse space restrictions across retailer store estates.
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Insight
Space Restrictions
This award-winning display created for the UK National Lottery not only won praise for its creative designed but also for being a successful evolution of the previous design, delivering a dynamic new look whilst retaining the same footprint as before – resulting in 100% compliance of like-for-like replacement across retail estates.
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Insight
Versatility
Designing a versatile display concept can bring many benefits that include extending the unit’s shelf life, minimising wastage and reducing cost. It also enables marketers to secure a presence within a greater number of retailer stores. For example, the ability to create a modular approach that allows P-O-P displays to be turned from a counter display to a floorstanding display, with the simple addition of a base.
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Insight
Versatility Interchangeable graphics are also becoming commonplace. Such as this example here, which was activated instore within Hungary and the Czech Republic. The display made it quick, easy and cost effective for marketers to refresh the display with different promotional messages for new DVD releases whilst retaining the core components of the display from the last campaign.
Modularity and inter-changeable graphics can bring cost efficiencies and operational benefits.
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Insight
Assembly The last and perhaps most important influencer on the effectiveness of display campaign, in terms of compliance, is the ease of display assembly. The key is simplicity and the elimination of all but essential component parts. If advertising displays are to be installed by retail teams, then clear instruction sheets should be produced to show retailer’s in-house personnel how to assemble displays correctly.
Ease of assembly is a key consideration. Simplicity will ensure greater compliance.
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Part 4 Shape and Colour
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Shape and Colour
We will now spend a few minutes looking at the influence of shape and colour on shopper engagement with P-O-P displays. As already discussed, it is possible to achieve impact amongst shoppers by presenting them with something that is visually uncharacteristic within the retail environment. At the same time, other shoppers will look for familiar ‘pictures’, which may include identifying with expected shapes and forms, to either orientate themselves or as part of their repertoire of decisions.
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Insight
Shape For example, the use of soft curves on plinths and shelf tray PO-P displays within the health and beauty category is typically associated with female-orientated brands, in much the same way as product packaging.
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Echoing Product Shape
The use of shapes that echo the product itself can provide either surprise or sufficient immediacy to draw their eye and generate the levels of interest required for them to make the decision to engage with the advertising message.
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Insight
Use of Disruptive Shape
Similarly, the use disruptive shapes within displays can grab shoppers’ attention, providing the brand with sufficient standout against competing brands within the same retail space that appear more reserved in their look and feel.
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Insight
Colour
The use of colour can have a significant influence on the impact of P-O-P campaigns.
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Insight
Colour
As you know through experiences within your own industry, human response to colour and its importance in brand recognition is well documented. Ask yourself: what colour do you most associate with chocolate bar wrappers?
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Insight
Colour
Yellow is viewed as a two-faced advertising colour. Although it is eye-catching, yellow is also tiring on the eyes and overbearing to the mind. The colour yellow also has a conventionally ‘cheap’ connotation.
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Insight
Colour
Within the in-store environment, certain colours, such as red, are viewed as the preferred choice of colour for many marketers seeking to highlight ‘Sale’ promotions or price discounts. MODULE 4 | Shape and Colour
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Insight
Colour
Perhaps this was the rationale behind grocery retailer Tesco’s decision to combine the use of yellow and red for its in-store price promotion campaign. MODULE 4 | Shape and Colour
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Insight
Colour
Colour
Tests by the Outdoor Advertising Authority of America
Of major importance in-store, however, is the combination of colour and readability, especially when shoppersat are approaching displays at or from distance. Test for readability a often distance were conducted onspeed different groups A test for readability at a distance was conducted on different groups by the Outdoor Advertising of America. #1 OAAA. is the most legible moving to #18 as the least legible. under Authority the sponsorship of the
#1 the most legible moving to #18 as the least legible
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Colour
The results are interesting when considered in a retail context. White text out of red scored poorly, and yet is typically used a lot by retailers in-store. A combination of yellow and black scored the highest of all, and yet in this example it is combined with lower scoring red and white, with the stronger colour combination placed lower down on the display. Here, the high scoring yellow and black helps to deliver strong impact from distance, framed by red – the colour most associated with “sale” MODULE 4 | Shape and Colour
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Insight
Colour test How many colours are there? The psychology of colour and its impact within the retail environment cannot be underestimated. Let’s try this very simple test. How many colours are there on this next page?
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Colour test
How many colours do you think there are now? MODULE 4 | Shape and Colour
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Insight
Add more, see less… Obviously 8?!
Answer? Just eight on both. Did you think there were more on the first slide?
Remember The More you What does this mean for P-O-P? Limited colour combinations and, in merchandising terms, as we have already seen – lessup is more.The Less You See! Put
The reason for this, research has shown, is that the more our brain has to process, the less we actually see.
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Insight
Colour What is clear, is that careful and considered use of colour has the ability to create instant standout and brand recognition in-store. By using colours synonymous with the brand, marketers can secure instinctive visual brand engagement with shoppers to help them signpost the familiar and important. Take Cadbury with its brand ownership of the colour purple…
Create instant standout and brand recognition in-store.
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Insight
Colour
Or Coca-‐Cola with its ownership of the colour red. Colour can create instant standout and brand recognition in-store.
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Insight
Colour
The role of colour is something that is vital when brands only have a small window of time to attract shopper attention. MODULE 4 | Shape and Colour
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Insight
Letter Shape
1. thu
2. to
3. the
4. An
5. ca
6. for let
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Insight
Letter Shape
Letter shape used within P-O-P display can also play a significant role. Crowding too many letters into a space tends to repel the eye. Too great a contrast between thick and thin elements leads to confusion Minimising the difference between letters by uniform rounding at the top or lining up of all horizontal centres loses readability. Strokes which are too fine fade into the background and become invisible at distance. Too-heavy letters become blobs at a distance making letters unrecognisable Script and similar styles often mean individual letters are hard to identify.
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Insight
Letter Shape
Communicate cont.
7. For easiest legibility at a distance experience research indicate that the width of that a letter’s For easiest legibility and at a distance experience and research indicates the width of a letter’s vertical strokes should be about one-fifthshould its height. strokes may slightly thinner. vertical strokes beHorizontal about one-fifth its be height. Horizontal strokes may be slightly thinner. These proportions apply equally to capital and lower-case MODULE 4 | Shape and Colour
letters.
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Insight
Readability
Add all three elements together and while shape and colour may deliver instant standout, the message can still be lost to shoppers if the display is not readable. MODULE 4 | Shape and Colour
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Insight
Importance of Shape and Colour
Applied in the right way, it means that: 1. Displays are easier for customers to shop 2. There is less frustration and tiredness 3. Less postponement of purchases 4. And greater customer satisfaction
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Part 5 Light, Sound & Aroma
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Light, Sound & Aroma With the level of attention now given by marketers to create more experiential, destination retail environments, it is perhaps not surprising that more and more retailers and brands are turning to the introduction of tools such as light, sound and aroma within P-O-P displays. With products fighting for attention, it is increasingly difficult for brands to stamp their authority on the shelf. Getting the blend right can create a positive shopping experience.
Getting the right blend can create a positive shopping experience.
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Insight
Light The use of light can create natural disruption, catching the shoppers eye as they pass through the store and attracting them to the display. Its use also triggers the primitive human fight or flight response – our natural inbuilt warning system to be alert to movement. The recent Lynx Apollo brand launch saw the use of small LED lights on the front of traditional vacuum-formed shelf trays in an attempt to do just that. Crucially, however, their use also had the allimportant ‘relevance’ – providing a suitable tie in to the space themed nature of the campaign.
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Insight
Light
As this interior image of the Suit Supply store in Philadelphia, USA shows, backlit lighting can be highly effective within permanent display solutions. Imagine a permanent beauty or cosmetics display without strong light. MODULE 4 | Light, Sound & Aroma
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Insight
Sound
The use of sound within P-O-P offers an interesting topic for debate. Music, even on an only slightly audible level, elicits emotional responses. Music is processed differently from language and more easily heard Audio related brands are at a natural advantage when it comes to making use of sound within displays. Importantly though, the nature of their products often mean they are able to provide an isolated sound experience, that is not intrusive to other shoppers. Simply introducing audio into P-O-P displays, on top of existing in-store noise, can often result in an unpleasant shopping experience for all. Convergence with shopper technology may provide new opportunities, with targeted audio being fed directly into the headphones of shoppers’ mobile devices. For now, the use of directional sound is the best solution available to the wider brand population. MODULE 4 | Light, Sound & Aroma
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Case Examples Applied
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FairTrade bananas…P-O-P Sound
A great recent example of directional or ‘spotlight audio’ use was the All Good Bananas campaign in New Zealand to promote reasons why shoppers should buy organic bananas. MODULE 4 | Light, Sound & Aroma
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Bang & Olufsen‌Audio Theatre
This next clip showcases how brand Bang & Olufsen harnessed its reputation for superior sound products to incorporate audio within in-store displays in a truly engaging and immersive experience. MODULE 4 | Light, Sound & Aroma
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Insight
Aroma Aroma P-O-P is becoming increasingly widespread amongst brands. One notable recent example was Molton Brown’s Navigations Through Scent display, which won Display of the Year at the POPAI Awards in 2012. Product bottles were displayed using specially designed porous ceramic personal ‘nose flute’ in the shape of a Lilly that enabled shoppers to sense the true aroma, rather than using the traditional tester strips commonly found in most beauty store environments.
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Insight
Aroma
Another brand experimenting with the use of aroma is Reckitt Benckiser. Its innovative Filter and Fresh campaign uses scented ink within the printed display board cladding of the unit. With fragrance the number one purchase driver, representing over 40% of purchase decisions, being able to smell the product before buying, without having to open the pack, was hugely important. MODULE 4 | Light, Sound & Aroma
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Part 6 Best Practice Examples
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Case Examples Applied
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Best Practice Examples
The final part of this module will now look at several best practice case examples from recent and past POPAI Awards winning campaigns and groundbreaking industry activations.
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adidas…Boot Wall Display
adidas negotiated to take over the central panel display area within retailer Sports Direct for the launch of its F50 football boot range. A ‘dynamic’ approach was considered for the design and form of the display to compliment adidas’ high performance brand positioning. The adidas boot wall illustrates why displays that incorporate forward thinking during the development phase of any new in-store project are ultimately so successful. It is the specific consideration of future, as well as immediate needs, that lead to an increase in the true value of retail marketing activity.
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adidas…Boot Wall Display adidas has three main launches a year for its boot ranges. Devised to be the base unit for not just one, but two of the brand’s other product ranges – Predator and Adipure – the decision to deploy magnetic graphics onto a main carcass allowed for individual product launches to be promoted, without the need to constantly introduce new fixture solutions into store. With Sports Direct store spread over 220-sites across the UK, adidas can also be more regionalised in its approach to in-store messaging, thanks to graphics which can be cost effectively adapted to support branding opportunities that may exist through endorsement links with football clubs and players in geographical proximity to specific stores.
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adidas‌Boot Wall Display A total of three different shelf configurations are possible within this one display solution, creating a different hero section for each product. Cleverly designed and engineered, fixings on the base carcass for each option can be hidden from view of the shopper, with magnetic graphics only revealing those required to support a particular range configuration. The creative solution revolves around a central mirrored acyclic dome to house the hero boot. An integrated rotating mechanism allows shoppers to see a 360 degrees view of the product. Rear, surround mirrors reflect the boots design and colours creating a dynamic look.
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adidas…Boot Wall Display
Modularity was essential in the displays structural design, ensuring it can be easily adapted to accommodate future boot launches using the existing wall carcass. Cleverly re-cladding the unit with new graphics on the back wall instantly transforms the display, whilst maintaining a new and fresh look and feel. The unit went through extensive period of testing at Sports Direct’s Shirebrook store - which is regularly used as a test bed for new solutions, prior to nationwide rollouts. The exercise identified some key considerations, which were introducing into planning considerations before final launch. MODULE 4 | Examples
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adidas‌Boot Wall Display It became clear that some stores would have issues with the depth of area required behind the unit to accommodate the dome for the hero product. As a result, an additional collar was introduced into the design, so that the dome solution would fit into any store format. Final graphics for cladding were also produced in three sizes, with additional cutting undertaken during installation into store to address ceiling height issues and ensure a perfect finished fit. Magnetic surrounds were also produced to frame in-fixture TVs in stores where they existed.
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adidas…Boot Wall Display The launch colour scheme reflects the brand’s ‘F50’ boot range, resulting in the prominent use of a vibrant Cyan, Blue and Yellow colourway for the in-store display. The end result is a solution that successfully blurs some of the more traditional lines between permanent and temporary display solutions. Perhaps the most significant legacy of the display, apart from on the bottom line, is how it has directly influenced future retailer thinking. Sports Direct has now begun the process of introducing dual centre panel displays in-store.
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alli…New Product Launch
alli was the largest over-the-counter launch in European history and the first ‘switch’ product, previously prescription only to be approved by the European Medicines agency.
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alli‌New Product Launch
The P-O-P challenge was to create a suite of advertising material to be launched simultaneously in 27 different European states into independent pharmacies. All would have different store footprints, but would all be crowded, small retail environments.
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alli…New Product Launch
There were many barriers to purchase that needed to be addressed. Firstly, slimmers were not used to speaking to their pharmacist about dietary advice and pharmacists were not used to consulting and advising. The P-O-P campaign therefore needed to educate both. Another barrier was the price point - £50 for a month’s supply was not an impulse purchase. The campaign therefore took cues from the premium health and beauty sector, using high gloss white materials to allow breathing space for the messaging in an extremely busy retail environment with lots of messages competing for shopper attention. MODULE 4 | Examples
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alli…New Product Launch
Virtual Reality movies were used to demonstrate best in class activation and multiple touchpoints on the shopper journey to purchase, aiding compliance in-store and achieving a high level of buy-in from retailers. In total, more than 40 pieces of individual P-O-P advertising material was created for the launch including FSDUs (Freestanding Display Units), door security wraps, floor graphics, shelf tray selection, posters and wobblers. MODULE 4 | Examples
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alli…New Product Launch
Key to its success, apart from awareness, was the focus on driving education, including the use of double-sided counter display units. These featured shopper focused messaging on the front and retailer reminders and prompts about the product on the reverse, facing the retail teams behind the counter. alli sales during launch were £100m in Europe, significantly above forecast with more than 30% of consumers first becoming aware of alli in-store. MODULE 4 | Examples
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Boots…Remerchandising Project
Keen to maintain its competitive edge within the cosmetics category, health and beauty retailer Boots wanted to improve the shopper experience in-store by redesigning and updating the brand inner units for Self Selection Cosmetics. The aim was to give the category a new 'Look and Feel' and extend the brand portfolio, reinforcing Boots position as the market leader in this category. The installation took place in stores of various sizes - including small local stores, stores within shopping centres, airports and train stations and out of town and flagship stores. MODULE 4 | Examples
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Boots‌Remerchandising Project The installation brief itself included a number of key challenges. Most notably, replacing old style selfselection inner units for a number of brands, and completing the re-alignment of brand adjacencies in every store following the introduction of two new brands and the installation of new store furniture. The rollout included the installation of new self-selection display units, illuminated back panels, newly designed headers, drawer acrylics and graphics across all brands, the replacement of ticket strips, and a deep or surface clean of the display inner. But with the project involving a total of 14 brands and 43 different unit types, all of which had different implementation instructions, coming by a formula for success was far from easy.
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Boots…Remerchandising Project In total, 97,436 unique parts were received, handled, picked and packed for installation, delivered in to the warehouse on 9,500 pallets. The scale and complexity of the 5-month long rollout required a dedicated project management team of 10 full-time office staff to chart the course of the retailer’s new project, along with a field management team of the same number to manage all the key elements effectively. Installation timings for each store were calculated based on the number of modules that had to be replaced and removed – over 19,000 existing modules would also have to be taken out of store for recycling.
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Boots…Remerchandising Project Pre-planning was essential, beginning eight-months before project commencement – including a number of detailed planning meetings with Boots. Planning involved working with the P-O-P manufacturer and offering advice on the design of the kit to drive installation efficiencies. Work was also completed outside trading hours in order to minimise disruption to store staff and the retailer’s customers. The creation of a ‘mock store’ environment provided installers with the opportunity to see and install all types of kit in a life-like replica of a typical Boots store environment. This also ensured any questions about installing the kit were resolved prior to the full-scale rollout. The ‘mock store’ also ensured that all electrical elements of the installation could be tried and tested. Specifically trained office personnel made two telephone calls to stores - 2 weeks and 24 hours before visits - to liaise with store staff and ensure they were prepared for installation teams descending on their store. Only 17 of the 1638 stores re-scheduled – equating to just 1% of the total number of stores visited.
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Scotts Miracle-Gro…Pallet Display
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Scotts Miracle-Gro… Pallet Display Expand n ‘Gro is an innovative new compost. As a result, Scotts Miracle-Gro wanted to educate shoppers in-store on the key product benefits. The displays were to be rolled out as part of a planned 50-‐store launch trial within ScoTs’ key Independent Garden Centre accounts throughout the UK, ranging from small groups with up to a half a dozen stores, to one-‐centre family owned sites. The P-‐O-‐P display would have to be pracEcal, weatherproof, durable and mobile to promote the Expand n ‘Gro brand in-‐store. MODULE 4 | Examples
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Scotts Miracle-Gro…Pallet Display
The top shelf of the display was designed to be used to demonstrate the expansion of the product by showing the product in one box fresh from the packet, the amount of water required, and a second box of product, this time expanded. Leaflet holders were also included on each side. As the display could not take up any additional floor space, the key was to engineer a unit that would fit into the 250mm gaps either side of the pallets when positioned together. This resulted in a solution that bridged over the pallet, without impeding shopper access to the product and enabling the retailer to access the pallet, remove it and replace it.
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Scotts Miracle-Gro‌Pallet Display
Longevity was one of the biggest design considerations. Traditionally, many retailers would dispose of in-store display after just one or two seasons. Therefore, a great deal of work had to be done to secure buy-in from the retailers and ensure they understood that the display was being designed to last, and not to dispose of them.
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Scotts Miracle-Gro‌Pallet Display
Finally, by incorporating casters on the base of the display, it could be moved and re-sited easily by retail teams, if required. Unlike its card-based predecessors, at the end of each season these units can be retained and reused, representing a significant improvement on return on investment.
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Summary
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Learn
Learning Outcomes Congratulations. After completing this module, you will be able to: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Recognise good standards of P-O-P Choose appropriate approaches with confidence Identify key considerations which influence success Recognise opportunities for shopper communication using P-O-P Understand implementation issues effectively
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Key Learnings
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Key Learnings 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Work to improve dialogue with retailers Importance of sharing objectives and coordinating promotional plans Ensure you understand your retailer’s shopper Identify ways to unlock used retail space Develop P-O-P solutions that are targeted, focused and fit for purpose Colour and shape can be a key tool to disrupt shoppers Shopping is primarily a sensory experience Constantly review against best practice examples
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