VERBATIMS
Which companies are best at marketing thorugh retail and why?
those with large quantity of product.....products more visible
DeWalt Nike
kraft, pepsi, coke, frito lay --- they have some of the above in question 4 and they have big clout/muscle in their respective categories
Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Anheuser-Busch, SC Johnson
Disney and Microsoft as two examples. They perfom all kinds of renegade operations to get the best shelf space, and promotional cooperation.
Don't know american brands, I can speak of argentinian ones only!
Fossil - they rely almost exclusively on POS marketing and have generated high awareness with relatively low expenditure.
Kraft - they offer a broad array of custom programs and they have great internal people planning and executing them.
record co.'s
Coca Cola -- totally consistent consumer message in-store and before the store
P&G, Kraft--they get it
WalMart Starbucks
beverages, beer - they view retail as an important marketing medium
The companies that are the best are those that dominate their category with a strong retail presence-Georgia-Pacific, Nestle, Kraft, General Mills
Coke and Pepsi
Nestle-for the above-they know who they are and do a great job being it. On the household cleaning side-our client Orange Glo Industries-they have done such a good job that Clorox & SC Johnson copied many of the personality.
Companies with DSD systems have the greatest success, since they control their in-store environment and have frequent presence at retail outlets.
Cosmetic firms. They create stores within stores, staff them with their own personnel, offer one-on-one attention, and provide sampling and testing in realtime.
target, ikea, american girl

Beverage, especially Coke, Pepsi and beer companies. Major displays (oftern quite large) and the produce price drives people in the store.
nestle foods, clorox
cosmetic/beauty brands
Target does a great job both with the brands they sell (presentation, offering consumers something different) and by marketing themselves to the consumers--there is no question when you are in a Target, that you are at Target, and not Wal-Mart of KMart.
Coca-cola - outstanding combination of brand, distribution, pricing, retailer relationships and consumer relationships P&G - same
Frito Lay - off aisle presence drives extra consumption and keeps brands away from competition. Video Game Manufacturers - what could be better marketing than allowing potential consumers to try before they buy. It becomes in-store entertainment and trial.
Ralph Lauren.
McDonalds
Goya, for obvious reasons. McCormick does an excellent job with a very well thought out program and great flexibility for retailer needs. Other than that, most of the manufacturers I am familiar with really have no clue about what is going on at retail level.
store delivered, control of product and brand
Science Diet Pet Foods -- They've established themselves as the "gold standard" of pet food. They don't through themselves out to every retailer -- they stay within "niche" retailers of pet stores. This associates them with a 'specialty' retailer who already 'knows' animals; which translates to the consumer that Science Diet must be better for their pets since pet stores are the only ones who carry it.
Companies that are willing to work with the retailers... Wal*Mart & HEButt are retailers that actively seek mfgr partnerships Proctor & Gamble -closely tied to category management, a leader in developing new ways to approach retail. Surprisingly flexible.
P&G, Kraft, G Mills
P&G and Target - no better example of understanding a retailer's mindset, objectives and strategies, and developing programs that build the equities of both companies
DSD companies--soft drinks, cookies, etc. These companies have more experience and control over the retail environment, and also have strongly image-dependent marketing.
I think Sprint PCS does a great job--they have a very consistent approach to their brand which to me stands for simple, personal communication. They cut through the clutter by using lots of white space in their printed material which reinforces the idea that they can cut down on miscommunication which we see in their TV commercials. They also have a distinct color palette which carriers over through their merchandising.
Customer-service driven companies
BoarsHead. They offer the retailer a way to strenthen the retailer's brand (i.e. Publix) by offering specialty deli meats in their deli... the deli which has been designed to cater to the stores specialty shoppers.
DSD cos. Access and opportunity.
Beer, some liquor, few others
Whirlpool understands that an immersive retail experience is perhaps the most compelling brand contact point. The customer's ability to touch, demonstrate, compare and appreciate their products in real time is a key driver behind new in-store initiatives.
Beverage, Cosmetic, Soaps, HBA, Snacks - Because of the competiveness of the categories and the limitted space available.

Phillip Morris, P&G, Hershey--they continually build brand strength with consumers, yet tailor programs for retailers.
DSD Products
Frito Lay -- knows how to manage the aisle; knows how to be everywhere.
1) Large consumer goods(P&G, Lever, New Balance, Nike, Apple)
target coke placement and look and feel
P&G
Private Label companies, because the retailer usually makes a better profit on these items.
Coca Cola: they are everywhere P&G, Unilever:same
Coca-Cola and Pepsi because their packaging changes regularly to reflect topical events while maintaining their branding; their prices (through specials and coupons) are competitive; their products are often displayed at aisle-ends or free-standing islands within aisles.
KIMBERLY CLARK - QUALITY PRODUCTS PROCTER - PRODUCT - PORTFOLIO,
P&G Colgate Gillette Coke Pepsi
pillsbury general mills
Starbucks (consistency, strong brand point of view, excellent product), IKEA (stimulating environment, brilliant merchandising that encourages multiple purchases, cross between retail and theme park)
Procter and Gamble Revlon they partner with the retailer to create custome programs for the brands at each specific retailer.
direct delivery companies have more control over shelf stock and display inventory
Procter and Gamble. Kraft General Foods. Estee Lauder, Clinique, Lancome, et al. Pet food brands when marketed through niche retailers like Petco and PetSmart - psychology here is brilliant!
Frito Lay, Kellogg's, etc. Strong POS materials & cross promotional programs.
Chicos women's clothing creates an environment (place) and product for their audience rather than trying to catch buyer attention once I'm in the place. REI creates space that reflects the product uses -an environment that the audience wants to visit - making place as much a motivator for a visit as specific products In wireless dealers where multiple carriers sell the only strategy seems ot be POS - one might say a strategy is to minimize o/o expense by using dealers - but that doesn't build brand
Frito-Lay - more research about consumers in channel, and great execution through the DSD system. Coca-Cola - great responsiveness and flexibility by channel type and outlet type
One example comes to mind: IKEA, the Swedish home furnishings giant. They control every aspect of their operation from manufacturing through retail. They know their market and the retail side of their operation is their marketing focus and is not viewed as a distinct channel. I think this is one of the keys to their success. While IKEA perhaps is not a brand in the same manner as, say Coca-Cola, who rely on a distinct separate and less controlled retail channel, they do have the same problem of taking a recognized name and ultimately turning it into retail profits. Being close to the retail side of the operation and not looking at it as a distribution channel that follows marketing gives IKEA an edge.
Kraft--they have a category management system that helps retailers properly design shelf layouts for optimized revenue; Goya
I always liked Lloyd's Ribs because they were a pioneer in using the floor of the store with foot steps right to their product. Campbell's has always done a good job of "owning" the soup aisle. Frito Lay and Coke are also very good at getting in your face, in the right place , at the right time. All of these companies connect the consumer to the brand experience visually. Radio that drives the consumer to retail, having them look for the product to win something, is also a very active tool. Bottom line...these brands have used their marketing efforts to make their logo and products universally appealing, and by doing that, they create the impression of quality and leadership in the category, which leads to sales.

Starbucks - consistent with the core of the brand. GAP, Nike, McD's (all of the obvious ones).
DSD companies, i.e. Frito, Pepsi, Coca-Cola because of their control of the shelf and display
Apple,Patagonia
Coke and Pepsi- they take over huge amounts of space and tie into promotional offers. They achieve this by spending a lot of money for space and price cuts.
P&G
P&G because they have critical mass and mega bucks
Fragrance / cosmetic companies. Because they setup thier own displays, use thier own people, and determine thier own inventories, image, marketing programs etc. And mostly their brands are larger than the store that is carrying them.
Budweiser because they lock up space early.
In general rather than particular: Cosmetics Clothing Increasingly, credit cards (banks are a retailer and traditional retail partnerships are on the increase for both credit and ATM)
Heinz Corporate Brands does an excellent job. They partner with the Retailer to promote and build the Retailer's Store Brand to National Brand caliber through promotions, product photography etc.
major national brands (eg kellogs, P&G, Hallmark, Mattel) - they have great shelf presence leveraged with retailer ads
Target -- message & entire strategy reflect/reinforce it's positioning. There is a local upscale jewelry store in Okemos, MI (Bechy Beauchine Kulka Fine Jewelry) that has done a great job of marketing through retail. Everything they do is focused on the core brand --- from the gold wrapped candies at the door to the Use of Kenny G's music as a background music for their tv spots. The only voice on their spots is a simple "Becky Beauching Kulka Fine Jewelry, Okemos" at the end. Hits her target market right on the nose!
Frito Lay - creates in-store displays that make you want to buy. They tie into relevant movies/themes to make their brand 'hip' and 'current'. P&G - In oral care. New technologies (Spin brush) that are exciting and make brushing fun. Crest with Scope creates a great product that meets long time consumer needs and P&G spends to get unique dislays to create trial and usage with all of their brands.
Anheuser-Busch, Pepsi. They don't just dump promotional activity into retail locations. They tie together with the retailer to make it work at the local level.
Target
PM
In the supermarkets, it seems to be the well-established brands that do the best job through coupons, incentives and taste testing. In durable goods, auto manufacturers use their advertising to get you to the showroom, but the actual dealerships do a fantastic job of capturing that high connection with the buyer's real need (not the actual car but what they perceive the car will do to or for them). The salesmen can spot a customer's hot button and run with it.
Beer companies, cosmetic companies - MONEY
Breakfast cereal, because each package provides a large, glossy photo of the product at its most appetizing. One of the cleverest of these was the box for "Cracklin' Oat Bran" which showed a nearly empty cereal bowl (in contrast with all the other boxes that show the bowls full) with the words "more, please."
The smarter retailers themselves: Target (Mossimo), Nordstrom (several owned / controlled brands), Nike (through American Golf Centers). Gatorade, Starbucks, LaCoste.
Many of the best are those who do not use a single brand--Phillip Morris comes to mind. Say Phillip Morris and one thinks smokes--not a good picture--but when you look at all the brands they manage, the picture changes.
I agree Goya does a great job with its aisles of products.

A rapidly diminishing roster of companies whose brands are so dominant it would hurt the retailer not to carry - and occasionally feature - them. Coca-Cola used to be the best example.
Companies that have a presence in multiple channels (candy: Mars; coffee: Starbucks)
food brands are not good retail marketers because their approach is driven by distribution and the fear of losing it rather than what their brands have to offer the consumers and consequently the retailers. perhaps this is because most food brands have so little innovation and/or insight to leverage or are committed to leveraging.
Russ, Precious Moments, Nike, clothing brands like Tommy Hilfiger that have the store within a store concept
Paint companies have done a great job at places like Home Depot to educate consumers on color, apllication and how it will actaully look on a variety of surfaces.
P & G - shopper insights, customization, collaboration General Mills - shopper insights
Snack Foods, Beverages: samples, coupons, in-store ads on carts and floors
Starbucks - They manage to convince us that a $5 cup of coffee from there is better than a $1 cup from anywhere else. Amazon.com & eBay - They made their brands the first truly interactive internet retail sites involving customers in reviewing and recommending products. Jelly Belly - They became the de facto jelly bean of US Presidents. They're also fun because you can mix flavor recipes.
Soft drink mfrs. (Coca Cola, Pepsi et al)because they control the retail real estate; McCormick (spices) with their ability to create seasonal/food events that have strong appetite and visual appeal; P&G-type monoliths who can create excitement across an entire category/aisle
bookstores are borders are great because they have the titles you're looking for, but also the top CD's, which are very tempting for the price at the check out counter. Sainsbury's does the same. I don't know anywhere else I'd be tempted to buy lunch and a top 40 CD.
I think more of chains marekting their pvt label goods (Target) than of specific brands per se.
alcoholic beverage, toys and games--just look at the merchandising they receive in stores
calphalon at Target - designed the aisle!
Lever, Excellent bend of channel stragety and brand managment J & J
FMCGs
Sony Canon HP They have large field support organizations to do what the retailers have failed to do, provide educated sales people and keep the product merchandising in place
Coke - Largest section in supermarket Revlon - Obvious display areas
Retailers: e.g., Bodyshop, Some FMCG with own retail: Haagendazs Fashion: Ck and Boss Watches and perfumes
Walmart and QVC: They cater to the price-conscious consumer with quality products. They make consumers feel like they are part of a family and getting 'a deal'.
Coke - of course, they own the soft drink aisle with posters, shelf talkers, floor decals, you can't avoid seeing the brand
Beer companies - great displays Soda companies - great displays and great promotions Snack companies, e.g Nabisco, Keebler, Frito Lay - innovation in product and display keeps consumers looking to see what s new. All are impulse purchases in many ways and displays and great retail presence (is that strategy, i guess so) drive their sales
Direct Store Delivery (DSD) manufacturers. They have the experience, sales force, retail relationships and often deep pockets to fund innovative promotions.

P&G
- McDonalds, Bodyshop, Crate & Barrel - Frito Lay, Coca Cola - Nestle will be on this list next year !
Breweries - on and off trade - they have a capacity to exploit ATL values and create powerful calls to action
I think that some companies try to innovate in retail strategy such as Coca Cola, Shiseido, Unilever, Auchan and Monoprix (in France), but it stays marginal like some experiences, it's not a true will to refine the retail strategy. In one town or one region they offer new solutions consumer-driven but they don't extend it worldwide like a new retail strategy specific to the company.
right now i'd say the supermarkets...they understand people, service, loyalty and are very quick to innovate and experiment with their shopping environments
Unilever and P&G great distribution network, quick delivery
Generally, the brands that have the biggest budgets usually try to incorporate retail marketing into their plans, because they can afford to peel off some dollars from TV, print, etc. But they by and large don't do it very well -- it is just an add-on. On the other hand, the brands that ought to be concentrating on in-store communications often shy away from it, instead they spend their limited dollars first on TV, etc.
don't know in USA, in Italy specially (cutted)fresh food company (cheese specially): Galbani, Kraft...
Stanley, answer a need, keep it simple, recognized look and name.
Pepsi-Co, P&G, Frito-Lay, Mattel, Visa. They take the time and the trouble to really understand the retailers business and customers and they aren't afraid to take risks together with them
Frito Lay - great shelf presence, good promotions General Mills and Kellogg's - understand pantry loading and how retailers make money
P&G because of the long-standing, intense relationships that they have been key on developing - realized by their powerful sales staff.
Kraft, Kelloggs,
Coke (& other soft drinks) - channel-specific or account-specific programming is developed to ensure relevancy to the channel/retailer while ensuring appropriate communication to the consumer.
Harley Davidson & Starbucks they have all of the above "keys."
Nike - tries to add context to their brand at the retail level helping the retailer sell its brand
Kraft, P&G and General Mills - they understand what can be accomplish and have put the necessary manpower in place to work with the trade.
Procter, Kraft--understand what they want (beyond volume) from a retailer

Fresh Samantha delivered its own stocked mini-coolers placed just outside the check-out aisles. (1) Positions the product literally "outside of" juice alternatives, (2) creates a an eye-catching Brand environment and (3) captures impulse purchases from thirsty shoppers.
Cereals, sodas and chips (high appetite appeal, some impulse purchasing, end aisle display ease).
Beverages
Starbucks -- seemless brand championship at its own retail outlets, online, catalog and grocery. Disney -- for obvious reasons. True, it would seem to be a lot easier for brands that "own" and/or are synonymous with their retail outlets, but Coke, Nabisco, Frito-Lay are all notable exceptions.
5a. Which companies are the worst at marketing through retail. Music Industry! Distribution companies and their associated labels have all but given up on their traditional pure player retailers - the distribution channel that they worked so hard for so many years to establish. There is no longer an incentive to be an expert in the field, a pure player who creates the perfect selling environment for their product. Distribution is now all about units, supporting the big business it has become through alternative channel sales, internet and other direct competition with their dedicated pure player retail channels. Distribution companies turn a blind eye to multi product concepts who use music as a loss leader or, low ball to entice customers in. Sorry for the diatribe but, after 7 years in music retail I finally realized that the vendors didn't really care about selling "music" anymore.
The retailers themselves as they brand themselves, e.g. Target
Coke and Pepsi for sheer volume and sometimes imagination around specific holidays; Bose and Sony for Consumer Electronics; Mossimo in Target; If you want to eliminate the "I have more money than God" factor you might want to look at Hickory Farms, Hershey and M&M/Mars and Gillette in Drug (razors, Oral B and batteries combined at checkout); Duracell in general
Unilever and MasterFoods. They are organized to understand and develop relationships with their customers, thereby increasing the opportunities to develop and execute successful strategies in the marketplace
Coke, They have created an image of there product
food & beverage companies because they trend spot as well as mass market to set trends and brand through other pop culture arenas such as movies and the use of current popo icons in their ad campaigns
Pepsi (Beverage & Snacks), Kraft Foods/Nabisco
Pfizer (Warner Lambert) is excellent for synergizing elements of mix. You'll see big and little brands well presented.
Coke/Pepsi, b/c they do their own replenishment
Frito-Lay - they do a lot of in-store promotion(displays, etc) and with that is usually some sort of tie to the overall consumer message that we also see conveyed in TV, print, etc.
Kodak & Fuji, Coke, Dr. Scholls, and I would add stores like "The Gap" because they have blended marketing products and retail.
Dish TV - Kraft foods
Food and cosmetic.

Hallmark - the shops that they have set up in Wal-Mart really showcase the brand. In addition their own retail stores really stress the brand it's products from cards to cakes.
ex: baby food in baby section
BathBodyWorks, Discount Shoe Warehouse, MOPAR dealers, DODGE/Jeep/Chrysler Dealers, Coke, Campbell's, Levi's