Procter & Gamble this summer offered yet another
textbook example of how to collaborate with retail
accounts.
Ahold USA had an even greater need than usual to
find a unique way to establish itself as a
destination for back-to-school supplies. The company
had just rolled out new school-and-office supply
aisles in its Stop & Shop and Giant Landover chains
through a partnership with Staples Inc., and was
looking to make an immediate splash in the
category's most important selling season.
Enter P&G, which provided sales-driving
assistance through a program offering savings on
school supplies with P&G purchases. The offer was
advertised under a "Rewards in Store" banner that
the chains and P&G have been using for similar
cross-merchandising campaigns throughout 2005.
For its support, P&G got a half-page feature in
weekly circulars, giant ceiling signs in the main
aisles, multi-product pallet displays in secondary
locations (most often right in the Staples
department) and shelf signs flagging all
participating products.
Naturally, P&G wasn't the only packaged-goods
manufacturer delivering seasonal "solutions" to
retailers. Kraft, ConAgra, Kellogg, General Mills
and Sanford Corp. were among other companies
providing accounts with the hook (and, of course,
the funding) for back-to-school incentives.
These programs are designed to help a retailer's
store-wide performance, not just to increase sales
of specific products. Providing support at that
level is becoming increasingly critical in the
battle for in-store dominance. At some chains, it's
already mandatory.
Collaboration will be a major topic in some of
the seminars at the In-Store Marketing
Expo (formerly The P-O-P Show/Chicago), to be
held Sept. 14-15 in Chicago. Noted author and
consultant Stephen Smith will tackle it head-on in a
session reviewing effective strategies for
developing collaborative programs. Meg Kinney of
Integer Group and Jim Rose of Mosaic will explain
how to win over retailers by focusing on the
ultimate goal of both brands and stores: influencing
consumers. William Righeimer of the Smarte Group
will offer account-specific insight by discussing
how to break into Target.
Of course, even forward-thinking retail
collaboration has its potential downside, and the
Rewards in Store program offers an example of that,
too: For the campaign's second week, Unilever
replaced P&G as cross-merchandising partner.
Hey, all you can do is try.
Peter Breen
Managing Director, Content
In-Store Marketing Institute
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