Category — Marketing Organization

Below-the-line agencies are rising to the top. By Paul Kramer. In the past, when asked what their biggest asset was, marketers would invariably reply, “our brand.” In today’s environment, you are just as likely to get the answer, “our customers,” defined as both retailers and their shoppers.

Yet surprisingly, in today’s highly visible world of brand building and mass advertising, the reality is that traditional, above-the-line agencies often lose focus on the most important part of the equation — the customer. The better agencies tend to be adept at growing brands while also building customer relationships. Below-the-line agencies, where the focus is on targeted, direct and measurable customer interactions, are well-positioned to meet today’s challenges, and tomorrow’s … read >>

The new shopper-marketing agency is ready to lead the way. By Ken Barnett. When Advertising Age took its latest look at “What the Media Agency of the Future Will Look Like,” 11 industry leaders shared their visions. Not surprisingly, none mention the words shopper, retailer or path-to-purchase. Instead we got visions such as the following:

This begs the question: Is it ethereal thinking like this that is best equipped to lead one’s business into the future, or is it the grasp of hard, everyday realities that will best service the needs of marketers whose challenge is to integrate brand with retailer objectives? … read>>

Marc Pritchard of Procter & Gamble seeks deeper brand meaning. By Tim Manners. No longer is it good enough to make the best products. At Procter & Gamble, a brand is not a brand until it makes a difference in your life. A P&G brand must have a purpose that transcends its benefits.

It may not be a new idea that a brand should solve your problems or make your life happier. But as Procter & Gamble marketing chief Marc Pritchard suggests, it is transforming the way marketing — if the term even still applies — is done at Procter & Gamble … read>>

Jesse Spungin explains how ConAgra nailed shopper marketing. By Chris Hoyt and Tim Manners. In both 2009 and 2010, ConAgra Foods was voted by its peers as one of the top three companies in the Hub’s annual “Top 12” report on shopper-marketing excellence.

What has ConAgra done to earn this? What are the essential building blocks that define ConAgra’s shopper-marketing approach? What can others learn from ConAgra’s experience? To find out, the Hub spoke with Jesse Spungin, ConAgra’s former vice-president of shopper marketing … read >>

The new way forward is at the nexus of brand management and shopper marketing. By Ken Barnett. (more)

First, our congratulations to Unilever and Mars Advertising for topping the third annual Hub Top 12 of Shopper Marketing Excellence! For Unilever, it’s a first — and testimony both to Unilever and that shopper marketing is maturing as a discipline.

For Mars, it’s the third year in-a-row at the top, which is an amazing accomplishment. It is also not surprising given that Mars built a shopper-marketing infrastructure before it was even called shopper marketing.

Kudos to RPM Connect and TracyLocke, as well. They held onto the number-two and number-three positions, respectively, for the second year in-a-row. Marketing Drive meanwhile zoomed into the number-four spot.

This is no small feat given the intense competition; we had more than twice as many ballots cast this year as last. We also had more than twice as many attempts at ballot-box stuffing, which of course was painstakingly purged. Next year we are going to dock those who attempt this!

But in the meantime, let’s take a moment to bask in the industry’s undeniable progress, while also taking a long, hard look at the work yet to be done. As you read Chris Hoyt’s “Top 12” report (link), the areas of improvement are plain to see. But so, too, are the areas that lag — most notably research. Obviously, insights are the heart and soul of shopper marketing, the very lifeblood of making shopping better for shoppers.

And so it’s only fitting that the May/June issue of the Hub is dedicated to the challenges and opportunities of understanding why shoppers do what we do … because it’s all about insights, after all.

Putting category before brand is like driving in reverse. By Chris Hoyt. (more)

Insights, integration and collaboration bring retail success. A discussion featuring Tia Newcomer of Hewlett-Packard, Jay Contessa of Sun Products, Mary Goggans of Kimberly-Clark, and Al Wittemen of TracyLocke. (more)

"Grey was a symbol of what advertising used to be: very slow and not very nimble," says Tor Myhren, Grey Advertising‘s chief creative officer in a New York Times piece by Jonathan Vatner (2/10/10). It’s a rather stark admission, made possible by Grey’s recent move from 777 Third Avenue, which it had occupied for 45 years, to 200 Madison, the International Toy Center building. With this move, Grey left behind its traditional walled offices in favor of an open plan. Grey is hardly the first to make such a move, but for the agency, it’s a big shift.

"We’ve created a faster environment, one that is more open and collaborative," says Tor. "This space reflects what’s happening in the digital world." Designed by Studios Architecture, the new space provides "ad hoc collaborative spaces" with "long butcherblock tables." Elsewhere, there are standalone desks separated only by "low cubicle walls." As Alex Lubar, the agency’s new business vice-president notes, "No more affairs and siestas. Or at least if you’re going to do them you have to be more theatrical about it."

Grey spent a year prepping its people for this change, and has a psychologist, Dr. Joel Mausner, on hand to help everyone adjust. Joel plans to help employees mourn the old space, deal with any drawbacks, and "use the new space to its full potential." He says workers need "to reach a collective understanding of how they’re going to behave differently." For Natalia Schultz, the agency’s chief talent officer, the adjustment includes finding a place for her shoewear collection. At the old office, she had a closet, but now she keeps her shoes in the trunk of her car. She also notes a new house rule: "Tuna should never be consumed in the open plan," she says.

Integrated Selling drives bottom-line sales and better brand performance. By Paul Kramer. (more)