Andy Murray has been in the trenches of shopper marketing. For a while, he was right on the front lines negotiating with Walmart on behalf of Procter & Gamble. That experience made Murray an early promoter of shopper marketing. In 2005, his hunch about the importance of the discipline was confirmed when Saatchi & Saatchi bought his agency, ThomsonMurray, and made it the centerpiece of its Saatchi & Saatchi X in-store marketing network. In a recent interview with Brandweek editor Todd Wasserman, Murray said now is the time to rethink what shopper marketing is all about and to look elsewhere for innovation, particularly Japan where one company is experimenting with in-store ratings similar to the ones seen online at Amazon. Murray expands on those thoughts below:
BW: There's obviously been a lot of focus on shopper marketing, but is there new ground to be broken? Hasn't everything been tried?
Murray: Yes. The complete nature of shopping has changed. Conspicuous consumption is dead. Shopping on autopilot is over. Our research shows that shoppers are exploring multiple methods to not only get the most out of their purchases and the time spent in planning the trip but also to ensure that the products and experience improve their lives. If defining shopper marketing as in-store displays and the purpose of shopper marketing as "disrupting in order to drive impulse," then yes, I would agree those tactics are tired and their days are numbered. Shoppers are much more aware of their environment and want to be attracted to and engaged with what is relevant to them versus being disrupted and frustrated by irrelevant merchandise/promotions. We believe the key to success is focusing on improving shoppers' lives and looking at the entire experience from beginning to end -- not just what happens in the store.
What are some innovative campaigns you've done on behalf of clients?
"Campaigns" in the traditional advertising sense are a small part of shopper marketing. We are doing very effective work worldwide in creating campaigns that bring the shopper a solution in the beauty or health category, for example, with a strong shopper-relevant idea across multiple brands. When partnering with a retailer and bringing a multi-brand campaign idea that leverages a shopper insight, we can move the needle on those brands’ business in a significant way. When stepping back from the aisle and looking at a category's complete shopping experience from home to store to home, we see barriers to purchase that when solved, can have significant lift for the retailer, the category and the brand. Far too many categories today are difficult to shop, time-consuming, and not easy to understand due to poor communication architecture. Tackling these challenges is the sweet spot of strategic shopper marketing, much more so than in-store, temporary displays.
Has the increased focus on shopper marketing meant that such media has gotten more expensive?
When talking about in-store, paid media channels, certainly there are fixed inventory and exclusivity issues to deal with that affect price and ROI. With 10,000 or more brands in a typical [food and drug and mass merchant], it is easy to see how available in-store media could be exhausted. I don't think we will ever return to the brand-centric in-store merchandising days -- at least I hope not -- as shoppers have become overwhelmed with clutter. I would like to see more innovative in-store tools deployed in the U.S. that deliver relevant content and could perhaps serve as more effective media choices for brands. For example, how many retailers in the U.S. allow shoppers to walk down an aisle to find ratings, comments, and references comparable to those found online in an Amazon "aisle"? Yet in Japan, a retailer called RanKing is doing just that. Have you ever tried to "search" a retail store? Vehicles designed to help consumers spend less time searching and more time shopping could be a great way to leverage media space.
Stuff like mobile-activated in-store media gets a lot of buzz, but does it really move the needle on sales? If not, what does?
It helps to recognize that the U.S. is not the center of the universe for innovation and retail. We see much more happening in other parts of the world. Regions of Asia and Europe are light years ahead of the U.S. in using technology in shopping or creating more compelling shopping environments. I've said for a long time that ultimately technology will evolve to where shoppers' on-hand screens will be far more effective, personal, and useful than perhaps screens in aisles or on shelves. We've reached a tipping point with smartphone apps, and the increased economic pressure has only accelerated shoppers’ desire to know what is true and of value, and sort out choice. Our work in India is heavily focused on the mobile phone as a major shopper-marketing vehicle. With over 300 million 3G-enabled mobile phone users, there is a tremendous opportunity to create a conversation with the shopper and inspire trip traffic in the planning stage of shopping.
