According to MEI Trade Insight, 87% of CPG brand marketers intend to increase or maintain their spend on trade activities in the year ahead. This stems from a belief that, in these recessionary times, moving more money closer to the shopper is a better way to get more bang for the buck. We have no argument with the “closer-to-the-shopper” philosophy. But in order to make this approach actually work, you have to know what closer to the shopper actually means —and “in the store” ain’t necessarily the whole story.
Tag Archives: cpg
Archives for Tag: cpg
It’s often been said that innovation is the lifeblood of any CPG manufacturer. Without a deep pipeline of new product SKUs, it can be hard to garner the excitement of retailers and consumers and fight off the inevitable encroachment of private label.
But regularly rolling out new product forms and flavors can be costly and a risk that most brands don’t have the stomach for.
I’ve recently noticed a few brands have been able to innovate, without changing their product at all.
The first reaction when asked to write a blog post for the Production function at The Smith Brothers Agency was one of mild reluctance. I mean, who would really give a hoot about our agency’s internal process? But then it occurred to me how I myself read project management blogs in my Google Reader every morning, trying to glean a modicum of affirmation or wisdom or maybe just to enjoy a little wise humor (read: The Tao of Project Management and you’ll see what I mean). Suddenly I realized it actually might be quite helpful for folks working in the CPG space to see how we go about creating what we here at SBA call “a culture of flawless execution.”
QR (Quick Response) codes aren’t new. Here’s a quick look at the what, who, why and whether to consider using them for your brand.
I recently went to Ad:Tech NYC with a fresh stat in my head. According to TNS The Digital Life, 60% of people do not want to engage with brands via social media. As my colleague @peteschnupp states so eloquently, “Yikes!” Pretty scary stuff for a guy who makes his living in digital marketing! As I sat there in our Ad:Tech sessions listening to the different speakers on social media, it hit me – brands and marketers become obsessed with “the Like.”
Believe it or not, there was a time in our industry when copywriters ruled. Tasked with leading the creative process, they would craft headlines based on brilliant strategies and slip them under the office doors of their art director cohorts. Only then would their second class colleagues embark on the relatively easy task of “coming up with a visual.”
My, how times have changed. Today the tables have not only turned–they’ve been upended –as our industry seems to now be ruled more and more by The Visual. Nowhere is this more evident than in today’s digital marketing mix.
Recently, one of our CPG clients asked us straight up why they should continue to do digital banner advertising. This was not an unexpected question given an almost universal client frustration with the medium due to low click-through rates. But click-through rates are hardly the sole measure by which brand managers should judge their digital display campaigns. Below are five reasons why CPG marketers should maintain – if not increase – their digital display advertising efforts.
Coming to the end of summer, I can’t help take notice of Google’s push to influence what shopper marketing professionals call the “path-to-purchase”. The path-to-purchase is the route that shoppers take from discovery of a product to the actual purchase of a product. This may include several steps such as consulting research or product reviews on the internet, discussing products with friends, being exposed to media advertising, traveling to a store, and examining the product on shelf or display before buying. Google recently published and is heavily promoting an eBook titled Zero Moment of Truth that boldly marks their proprietary spot on the path-to-purchase.
What does it take to make a successful viral video? The answer to this question is debated by agencies, analysts, journalists and brand managers alike. And, from our perspective, the deliberation is absolutely warranted.
Ever wonder what people are really saying about your brand? I don’t mean the generic answers consumers provide on brand surveys or a circled number on a rating scale. I’m talking about the good, the bad, and the sometimes shocking things people write in their Twitter feeds, Facebook posts or blogs. With an estimated 61.2% of US residents utilizing social networks in 2011, daily social media monitoring plays an integral role in understanding CPG consumers and what they have to say. Yet, today this is one of the first line items to be cut from the marketing/communications budget.
Social