Sustained Momentum

Remember when "sustainability" used to be called "recycling"?

The first time the word "sustainability" shows up in the Institute's archives comes in a November 2005 cosmetics category report, which discusses the trend toward natural beauty products. The first mention of a recyclable P-O-P display dates back to July 1990, when an article about fitness brand Weider notes that the company's temporary displays were often made from recycled die-cut cardboard "despite the slightly higher cost" involved.

In the first half of the 1990s, P-O-P Times covered the occasional recycling effort, mostly from environmentally friendly brands such as Patagonia and Earth Station. Activity picked up in the mid- to late '90s, with more mainstream products getting involved. (Our favorite is a 1996 display from Freestyle watches manufactured from old aluminum cans.)

But the trend seems to have waned in the early part of this decade, most likely because the more pressing trend in display manufacturing was the reduction of overall costs -- and probably in part because "recycling" had no single influential champion to lead the charge: For all its noble goals about protecting the environment, the current "sustainability" drive wouldn't be happening right now if Wal-Mart hadn't made it an imperative. (Three cheers for the conversion of business profitability, public image enhancement and environmental best practices!)

Of course, the corporate commitment for sustainability goes a whole lot deeper than it ever did with recycling. To address the recycling issue, P-O-P producers didn't have to investigate the feasibility of converting methane gas from nearby landfills into the energy needed to run their plants. Brand marketers never had to verify that the suppliers to their P-O-P vendors' suppliers were practicing green harvesting methods. Basically, all anyone had to do was provide materials that could go straight into the appropriate dumpster.

"Marketers don't usually think in terms of utilizing the cubic space in a semi-trailer. Nor do they care about the amount of plastic resin that goes into a package. But this math is going to become fundamental to product and package development," said James Peters, education director for the Institute of Packaging Professionals, in an article we posted in January.

Assuming that sustainability is not a short-term trend but the business model for the future, there is a lot of work needed in the years ahead to meet the demands of Wal-Mart and other forward-thinking companies. Some organizations are farther down the path than others (see recent activity from Gerber and Coppertone among the case studies highlighted below), but all will be learning through a gradual process of trial and error.

"Can I make things 100% recycled, sustainable, reusable? Absolutely, but that comes at a price -- a price we can't afford because the materials have not come down to the level where they can be widely used," said David Curtis of The Timberland Co. in a "People to Watch" feature from the November 2006 edition of P-O-P Times. "Can I make it 30%, 40%, even 20% eco-friendly? Every little bit helps, and we do the best we can."

That will be our goal here at the Institute as well. We'll track the ongoing evolution of sustainability as comprehensively as possible, and present innovative case studies and best practices whenever we can find them. As always, our efforts will be greatly enhanced by contributions from you, our members. Every little bit will help.

Peter Breen
Managing Director, Content
In-Store Marketing Institute

Members: More information here.

New Features: The Online P-O-P Buyers Guide

A large percentage of calls coming into the Institute begin with, "Can you tell me the name of a good P-O-P company that can..." In response to this constant stream of inquiries, we've launched a companion online P-O-P Buyers Guide. The site contains information on hundreds of companies, searchable by name, display or component category, sub-category or keyword. Browsers also can search for specific needs such as "minority-owned status" or "overseas production capabilities." Launched in early March, the site will be continuously enhanced with additional listings in the coming months.

View the P-O-P Buyers Guide.

Case Studies: Sustainability in Action

The Institute presents a gallery of recent display programs that tackled such issues as material usage, transportation efficiencies and post-promotion waste in the drive toward sustainability. (Guess which retailer was the most common "beneficiary.") Our coverage also includes a searchable archive of environmentally friendly campaigns dating back to 1990. A special thanks to the P-O-P manufacturers that provided new case studies: Alliance, a Rock-Tenn Co.; Beeline Group, a division of Leggett & Platt; Consortium Companies; Harbor Industries; Henschel-Steinau; Mechtronics; Pratt Display; and Sonoco.

Members: View the gallery here.

Research: Information Resources Inc.
Summit 2007 Highlights

For the fourth year, the Institute presents an analysis of IRI's "New Product Pacesetters" report, which tracks the most successful packaged goods launches of the prior year. Supplementing IRI's report are links to more than 20 articles on specific launches from the Institute's archives. Our coverage of IRI's annual conference also includes overviews of a presentation made by Supervalu's Duncan Mac Naughton and a session conducted by Stop & Shop's Stephen Vowles and Unilever's Amanda Kelly.

Members: View the highlights here.

Desktop Marketing Conference: "Effective Branding and P-O-P" by Martin Roberts,
GRID2 International

Consumers will pay extra for quality, but only if the supporting marketing materials help them understand exactly what their money buys. In a presentation from the December 2006 Total Retail Experience in New York, GRID2 president Martin Roberts explains how Harden Furniture improved its in-store success by redesigning marketing materials and display components to better tell the brand's story.

Members: View the presentation here.

Welcome New Institute Members

The In-Store Marketing Institute is delighted to welcome new and renewing members to the Institute family. Below is a list of the companies that signed up recently. Welcome aboard.

• AAA Publishing
• AccessVia
• Arcade Marketing
• Armstrong Partnership
• Beam Global Spirits & Wine
• Cornerstone Display
• Crown Imports LLC
• Curb-Crowser Design
• Damay Enterprises
• Disney Consumer Products
• First Data Corp - Western Union
• Geoff Howe Marketing Communications
• Healthnotes
• Ivey Imaging
• JWT
• Keter Plastics Ltd.
• LeapFrog Enterprises
• Modernistic Inc.
• Pratt Display
• Sony Computer Entertainment America
• Spring Design Partners
• Stihl Inc.
• The Coca-Cola Company
• The Hoosier Lottery
• Warner Brothers Consumer Products
• Windsor Marketing Group
• Zipatoni