Point-of-purchase | The BusinessVoice Blog

Posts Tagged ‘point-of-purchase’

The Secret Marketing Power Locked In Your Brain

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Pop quiz time! Click “play” below to listen to a montage of audio clips of 15 blockbuster Hollywood movies from a recent episode of the KCRW Radio program The Business:

How many films could you name? Odds are you knew at least half of them, with only a few seconds of sound to prompt you. (Scroll down for a list of all the films featured in the montage.)

This is more than just a fun exercise in movie trivia. Do any of these clips evoke a memory or feeling along with the movie experience? There’s plenty of science behind how sound can cue your emotions. It’s called neuromarketing and expert Martin Lindstrom told Time Magazine about how it’s being put to use by savvy marketers:

The 0101 department store in Japan, for example, has been designed as a series of soundscapes, playing different sound effects such as children at play, birdsongs and lapping water in the sportswear, fragrance and formal-wear sections. Lindstrom is consulting with clients about employing a similar strategy in European supermarkets, piping the sound of percolating coffee or fizzing soda into the beverage department or that of a baby cooing into the baby-food aisle.

Are you using the sense of hearing to take advantage of marketing opportunities that are hard-wired into our brains? Whether your customer’s point of entry is on the phone, on-site or online, you can employ audio marketing that’s rich with sounds that can be as effective as the best copywriting.

(Films featured in the audio montage: The Empire Strikes Back, The Sound Of Music, Jaws, Gone With The Wind, Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, Top Gun, The Godfather, The Sting, Apocalypse Now, Love Story, Finding Nemo, Goldfinger, Rocky, Flashdance, The King And I.)

Tags: audio marketing, Martin Lindstrom, neuromarketing, on hold, point-of-purchase
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Exploring New Marketing Channels Pays Off

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009

Maybe you’ve thought about trying new channels to expand your marketing, but then the Naysayer’s Chorus begins inside your head. “It’s too expensive.” “It’s unproven.” Or, “That’s just for the big guys.”

Maybe you do business in “flyover country,” not on a coast or in a metropolis, and you think your customers just won’t get it. You have a tried-and-true marketing approach, so why take a chance?

Maybe because you’ll be missing out on a great opportunity to connect with new customers, improve sales with existing customers and increase your ROI. Just ask Eric Anderson.

He’s the Chief Marketing Officer and Co-President of Fresh Encounter, Inc. Based in Findlay, Ohio, Fresh Encounter operates a chain of some three dozen community grocery stores in Ohio and Indiana. No superstores here; floor space is usually just a quarter of the size of competitors like Kroger or Wal Mart. And Fresh Encounter’s ideal location is in a city with a population of about 10,000.

But being small doesn’t mean you have to think small. When it comes to marketing, Anderson prides himself at having a full arsenal with some of the newest tools of the trade.

“My goal is to make sure I’m in tune with the latest ways to communicate with our customers,” Anderson says. “I’ve got to make sure I’m using all the right technology, avenues, and touch points to get to my end-user.”

In addition to using print, radio, television, point-of-purchase audio marketing, on hold messaging, web site and email campaigns, Anderson employs “mobile marketing” with a system that uses text messages to deliver news of discounts and free offers to customers.

More than 2,000 customers signed up during the first weekend of the launch of their “Text-N-$ave” program last year. At last count, nearly 4,000 customers were enrolled and the number continues to grow.

New offers sent to Text-N-$ave customers each week range from free, seasonally appropriate items to 10% off total purchase offers. Each Text-N-$ave includes a unique PLU number that the cashier enters at the register. The customer shows their cell phone screen to the cashier to take advantage of the offer. And because each Text-N-$ave customer account is attached to a specific store, Fresh Encounter can send specific offers for each store.

“The results have been outstanding,” Anderson says. “Our customers love it. Redemptions are running at 20% or more, and the cost is a fraction of direct mail.”

New technology? Yes. New idea? No. It’s simply a new way to cut through the noise and market directly to your customer quickly, conveniently and affordably. Is there a new kind of marketing opportunity that could pay off for you?

Tags: innovation, marketing plans, point-of-purchase, technology, text messages, tools
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50% Of Retailers: “POP Tops For ROI”

Wednesday, November 12th, 2008

The following piece is by Kenneth Hein. It’s called “Study: Brands Sold on Shopper Marketing Programs” and it appeared in the September 22, 2008 online issue of BrandWeek.

In-store marketing tactics have not only become actively embraced by marketers of consumer packaged goods, many rank it as one of their most effective tools, per a study released September 22. Deloitte and the Grocery Manufacturers Association polled more than 100 companies for the “Delivering the Promise of Shopper Marketing: Mastering Execution for Competitive” report.

Companies no longer look at shopper marketing as an also-ran idea. In fact, 60% of the manufacturers and retailers polled said they have “significant” shopper marketing organizations. This was up from only 6% last year.

Respondents expect to continue to enhance their shopper marketing budgets for at least the next three years. Why? “Retailers and manufacturers who are embracing shopper marketing and executing against a core set of principles are growing 50% faster than the categories in which they participate,” said Rob Holston, Deloitte’s shopper marketing practice leader. “This speaks to the promise shopper marketing holds for those who do it well.”

Nineteen percent of consumer packaged goods manufacturers and half of retailers rank shopper marketing as the most effective activity for generating strong return-on-investment. Overall, 75% of manufacturers and 86% of retailers studied ranked in-store marketing among the top four activities in terms of gaining strong ROI.

Still, only 5-10% of companies are considered advanced at the tactic. One of the main impediments for accelerating the practice is the cost of data collection and analysis, according to 70% of respondents.

Tags: audio marketing, BrandWeek, point-of-purchase, ROI
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Use Music To Create The Right Mood For Your Business

Monday, October 13th, 2008

Try to imagine the world without music.

Life would not be nearly as rich or enjoyable. And, of course, you’d have no need for your favorite dancin’ pants.

Music is tremendously important to human beings (including your customers) for many reasons, but among its greatest values is its ability to affect our mood in a positive way. You can see evidence of this at concerts and high school dances, and in the faces of people listening to their favorite songs. (Learn more about the marketing benefits of music.)

You can also witness the power of music at nursing homes and rehabilitation centers where music is used to lift the spirits of residents and patients. In the summer 2008 issue of The Director, a magazine for administrators at long-term care facilities, Ed Newman wrote:

Activity directors and nursing professionals at hospitals and nursing homes have long recognized the role music plays in their patients’ care. According to Brian Rife, Activity Director at the Rehab and Nursing Center in Monroe, N.C., music can play an important role in healing. “Often residents in nursing home settings become depressed and withdrawn. An activity department has such a huge responsibility to help these individuals through different types of pleasant and meaningful activities. One element that we use here is music,” Rife explained. “You can go into a resident’s room and play some type of uplifting song and they become alive with joy. It’s amazing how music impacts our lives on a daily basis. Music just makes you feel good when nothing else will.”

Music is essential for creating the right mood within your business too, whether it’s a small town retirement facility or a major hospital; a local clothing shop or a regional chain of grocery stores. Not only does music put your customers and staff in a better frame of mind – a state they may subconsciously associate with being in your office or store – it can be used to connect with your target audience and solidify your brand image. Click here to look through some facts and figures.

Read “Music: Food for the Soul and Good for Business”

Tags: audio marketing, background music, customer service, point-of-purchase, sales
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Results: POP Audio Boosted Sales 400%

Monday, March 31st, 2008

One of our clients is very happy with the results of a recent Point-Of-Purchase Audio Marketing test we conducted. Read the mini-case study here. While the number of units sold is smaller, the increase in sales during our measured P-O-P campaign is dramatic.

Tags: audio marketing, point-of-purchase, sales
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Beam Me Up, Scotty

Monday, December 31st, 2007

A few weeks ago, A&E launched an unusual marketing campaign for their new “Paranormal” program.

See the article detailing the techniques here– Hear Voices? It May Be an Ad.

One technique that struck me is the use of Audio Spotlight technology. The name implies just that–an audio track is narrowly transmitted to a location, and only the individuals occupying the space within that “beam” can hear the message.

There’s been a lot of response to this particular method, and reviews have been entirely mixed. According to a poll conducted by AdAge, respondents were split 50/50 as to whether or not the technique was a good idea.

Personally, I think it is a GREAT idea.

It’s a genius way to use the Audio Spotlight technology in an interesting fashion. It’s not an effort at mind control or a some other dark purpose. It’s just a clever way to use clever technology to generate awareness. Marketing at its finest.

A&E found a terrific application for something that grocery stores and gas stations have been using for years. This type of audio technology, sometimes referred to and applied as point-of-purchase audio, has been cutting through the visual clutter of print and television ads, and reaching out to remind people that the detergent is on sale, or when they’re done filling up, to come inside and grab a beverage for the road.

Although, I must admit, had I experienced the A&E application, I would have felt slightly schizophrenic.

But most applications won’t have that effect. They will, however, produce results.

Tags: audio marketing, marketing, outdoor, point-of-purchase, technology, television
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Chevys, Cookies And Credit Cards: Music To My Ears

Monday, November 5th, 2007

Is it just me or does the audio from a typical TV commercial pod sound more like what’s on my iPod? Armed recently with an old school pad of paper and pen, I was able to jot down – from memory – 10 current TV spots that rely heavily on a famous tune, but hardly at all on the spoken word.

I’ll need another 10 or 12 years before I can separate the sound of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll” from my mind’s eye image of a Cadillac kicking up desert dust. But that’s the point. You may not ordinarily think of Cadillac on any given day, but now, if you hear “Rock and Roll” on the local classic rock station during the drive home, I’ll bet you a cheese danish that an image of an Escalade pops into your head. That connection can be so strong that Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll” isn’t just “Rock and Roll” anymore–it’s “that Cadillac song.”

More proof. What products do you think of when you think of these songs? “Like A Rock” by Bob Seger; “I’m Free” by the Rolling Stones; “Don’t You Want Me” by Human League. All of these tunes have a positive connection with Chevy Trucks, Chase Visa, and those chunky Chips Ahoy, respectively. Some companies have even elected to use lesser-known music to form an almost mutually exclusive relationship between the piece and the product. Most folks wouldn’t know Aaron Copeland’s “Rodeo: Hoe-Down” by name, but when it’s set to the sweeping images of families enjoying hunks of meat and paired with the tagline “Beef: It’s What’s for Dinner!” it becomes instantly recognizable.

Tapping into the powerful alignment of music and a famous spokesperson, American Express rolled several slices of sounds into one commerical. During the famous “Ellen’s Dance” spot, dog-dealer Ellen DeGeneres dances her way through the day to such tunes as “Car Wash,” “Respect,” and “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now).” Clever, American Express, clever – conveying energy by capitalizing on just seconds of famous songs.

Aligning your business with music, whether through advertisements or in your environment, affects how your customers and prospects perceive your company. Do it right, and you can achieve top-of-mind awareness every time “your” song hits the airwaves.

Tags: advertising, branding, music, point-of-purchase, radio, television
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Sounds Like Good Business To Me

Monday, August 13th, 2007

If you run a retail business, you should consider the soundscape that your customers experience. Retail psychologist Tim Denison of the British Retail Think Tank tells Time Magazine that noisy environments can turn the volume down on sales. In addition to minimizing the typical noise pollution, (like a loud food blender at the counter or a staff that’s always using their “outside” voices) try to focus on the smart use of sound with the right background music. People’s biorhythms often mirror the sounds around them. A gentle mix of classical music or soothing ambient sounds encourages relaxation and shoppers will slow down. Denison says, “If customers are moving less quickly, they’re more likely to engage with a product and make a purchase.”