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)

Creating community and higher purpose will elevate our brands in the 2010s. By Dori Molitor. (more)

Marketers can help build strong shopper-strategies six ways. By Chris Hoyt. (more)

New research uncovers keys to successful digital-media integration. By Jim Garrity and Kerry O'Connor. (more)

Growth at retail demands a more holisitic view of shopper marketing. By Ted Taft. (more)