Light Reading, Heavy Issues

Welcome to the fourth anniversary edition of the In-Store Marketer.

Since we launched instoremarketer.org in May 2003, this monthly newsletter has served as the table of contents for the site, delivering the highlights selected from among the retailer profiles, image galleries, research reports, case studies and other information we've been providing members.

We now have nearly 7,000 articles related to in-store marketing, and later this month will surpass 20,000 images of marketing and merchandising activity inside stores. We're currently parsing through this content, to take a full inventory of what we have and devise better, more efficient ways in which to present it to you. (You'll hear more about that in the coming months.)

It's summer time, however, so we should move away from statistics and focus on lighter fare. It's a perfect time, then, to look back at the triple play provided by Hollywood last month, when the third installments of three film franchises led to scores of retail promotions that dominated the in-store landscape.

It's also a good time to kick back for an hour -- if not on the beach, then at least in the conference room -- and listen to a pair of thought-provoking presentations from the In-Store Marketing Summit in April. (More below.)

Personally, I've never been very good at the light stuff: Having just finished two books providing opposing viewpoints on the existence of God, I've started Norman Mailer's The Executioner's Song (and will probably need some divine assistance to get through its 1,000-plus pages by Labor Day). Those of you in that kind of mood can check into the Federal Trade Commission's investigation into the impact of advertising on childhood obesity, which is moving beyond TV and right into the cereal aisle.

Of course, if you want some really light summer reading, a Jackie Collins-style page-turner filled with sex, deceit and corporate intrigue, you can always read through the lawsuits generated by the Wal-Mart vs. Julie Roehm affair. We've chosen not to cover those on the site, because allegations of professional misconduct -- however entertaining -- don't help anyone market better at retail.

There is one anecdote from the lawsuits, however, that we think is worth filing: In her countersuit against the chain, Roehm states that then-chief marketing officer (now chief merchandising officer) John Fleming "consistently told [her] that Wal-Mart's in-store environment was more important than media and advertising."

Now that's good reading, no matter what your taste is.

Peter Breen
Managing Director, Content
In-Store Marketing Institute

Members: More information here.

Desktop Marketing Conference: "The Shopper-Centric Journey" by Claire Quinn, Coca-Cola North America

In 2006, Coca-Cola conducted a landmark study that used surveys of 60,000 consumers to identify the essential "need states" motivating shopping trips and driving channel choice. Armed with that knowledge, the beverage giant is now working with key retailers to implement a "shopper-segmented merchandising" strategy that seeks to make retail execution a store-by-store process. In a presentation from the In-Store Marketing Summit, director of shopper marketing insights Claire Quinn explains what led Coke to field the study, what it learned and how it will apply that knowledge to make a greater impact in stores.

Members: View the presentation.

Desktop Marketing Conference: "An Exploration of America's Relationship to Shopping" by Meg Kinney, The Integer Group

Common wisdom in the early 21st century says that grocery shopping is a mundane chore that consumers begrudgingly endure. But through year-long interaction with 32 "highly involved" shoppers, The Integer Group found that shopping for packaged goods sometimes goes beyond fulfilling basic wants and needs to provide meaning for the individual. In a presentation from the Summit, Integer executive vice president Meg Kinney makes the case for creating an in-store experience, arguing that "the act of acquiring" is as important to some shoppers as the products they buy.

Members: View the presentation.

Store Checks: Summer Movie Tie-ins

Merchandising around Memorial Day typically is dominated by tie-ins to a major theatrical film release. But activity was three times heavier in 2007, as scores of brands and retailers leveraged a trio of part-three premieres: Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Our coverage includes round-ups of promotions for each film and more than 75 related images.

Members: View the store checks.

Industry Watch: Advertising's Impact on Childhood Obesity

Since the Federal Trade Commission began examining the issue in 2005, leading packaged goods marketers not only have changed some of their media advertising practices, but also have developed healthier food offerings for kids. Now, the FTC's inquiries are moving beyond mass media to other marketing venues, including the store, and it wants to know exactly what tactics brands are using to attract kids in the aisles. Our coverage includes a response to the FTC's inquiry from the Grocery Manufacturers Association/Food Products Association, which explains intelligently (but perhaps a bit disingenuously) how hard it will be for marketers to answer the FTC's questions.

Members: View the articles 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.

• Alliant Techsystems
• at sales communications
• Cingular Wireless
• cramer-krasselt
• Dad's Pet Care
• Dentsu Inc.
• EnfoTrust Networks
• Evincii
• FSD
• Hickory Farms
• Interstate Container
• Kao Brands
• Kraft Foods Inc./Nabisco
• LG&P In-Store Agency
• Madden Communications, Inc.
• Medela
• Mercury Mambo
• Movie Gallery US, LLC
• New Creature
• Northwestern University
• Novamedia
• Pointsmith
• SAI Marketing Inc.
• SC Johnson
• SignStorey Inc.
• Skechers USA
• Source Marketing
• Target
• The Display Connection
• Time Warner Retail Sales & Marketing
• Unilever
• University of Wales, Bangor
• VitroRobertson, LLC
• Westchester Community College
• Zareba Systems