Media buyers, the brands you strategize for don’t stand alone in a store, at least, not usually.
In an ideal scenario, the products are sold within a self-branded store. That means the retail space is exclusive to one brand’s products. Self-branded stores are an ideal that’s achieved by very few (Apple, Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, as examples). Why? Self-branded stores are costly to operate.
Cost is why shared footprints are the most common retail scenario. Shared footprints occur when a third-party retail brand (e.g., Walmart) sells a brand’s products alongside competing options. This scenario is so common that even brands with their own stores still utilize shared footprints to maximize their retail reach.
So, how can the brand you represent compete within a shared footprint? By deploying robust point-of-purchase advertising. The exact strategy can take many forms, ranging from creating a store-within-a-store experience to placing printed shelf talkers near your client’s product.
Bottom line, POP puts your clients’ marketing message in the same place where it is sold. That’s powerful and can create a significant sales advantage.
Discover why POP advertising is effective, what it entails, and how retail partnerships provide massive sales opportunities.
Tapping Into the Power of POP Advertising
At the core, POP advertising achieves the tactics that packaging alone cannot. Here’s an overview of how POP advertising conveys information that product packaging cannot.
Deliver Deep Information Stories
With POP advertising, a product or brand’s storytelling space is almost unlimited. Media buyers call upon overhead signs, posters, free-standing displays, and other formats to convey compelling messages that influence customer purchasing decisions. When media buyers include POP advertising in the budget, no critical sales information needs to be left out.
Attract Customers from Across the Store
Media buyers appreciate the ability to contract large-scale displays, high-traffic placements, and related product locations that direct customers to a client’s product. Since POP formats are not fighting for shelf space, they can be much larger in size and almost impossible for customers to miss.
Offering Special Pricing
POP signage is an ideal tactic for promoting sale prices and bundle offers with limited time availability. Doing so increases the perceived value of a product at that moment and taps into customers’ fear of missing out. Unlike packaging that must honor its printed price, in-store advertising can be deployed and removed as needed.
Update Content Rapidly
POP campaigns empower media buyers to adapt quickly to marketing campaigns, seasons, trends, purchase behavior, and more. Many successful POP campaigns are built upon short-term messages with high-impact results.
Visualize How, When, and Where The Product Excels
A picture tells a thousand customer use case scenarios. Savvy media buyers should advise the creative team to create POP advertising that reflects the geographic region, popular uses, seasonal applications, and other motivators.
Popular POP Formats for Foot Traffic Marketing Strategies
Perhaps the biggest challenge to implementing a POP advertising strategy is option fatigue. As referenced earlier, the possibilities for a media buyer seem limitless, ranging from grand and expansive impressions to small and economical placements. So what are the go-to formats? Use these ideas as effective and popular starting points when developing an in-store advertising strategy.
The Magnificent Seven of POP Formats
- Endcaps
- Floor clings
- Free Standing Displays
- Shelf hangers
- Table tents
- Wall posters
- Digital screens
All seven of those POP advertising options are easy to execute, economical, and effective at increasing sales. However, like anything, the creativity and complexity of each can be scaled up as desired with larger sizes, die cuts, metallic ink, and other specialty production techniques. Always remember that a simple format doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice creativity.
Strategizing POP Advertising
Do not let the options overwhelm you. POP marketing is too effective to overlook. It may also be more extensive than you realize. That’s why media buyers should collaborate with a POP marketing specialist. They work closely with media buyers, creative teams, brand managers, and marketing staff to identify the most effective formats, placements, and messaging. A POP specialist will also offer advice and insights on whether going big is the right call or if a scaled-back approach can get the same results.
Three Quick Tips for POP Retail Marketing
Consider your client’s product as a guest on the retailer’s shelf. It’s up to the media buyer and creative team to make it a prominent guest who attracts attention and garners sales. Never forget it’s the retailer’s store. Your clients’ product is only sharing the footprint. The host retailer’s brand will overshadow your client’s brand. Keeping that in mind is essential when being placed inside retailers who offer a competing in-house product. Products must work hard to stand out and be the preferred purchase.
Earlier, we discussed using some specialty production techniques. Here are additional ideas to consider when planning a POP advertising program to help it rise above the competition.
1. Be Loud, Be Brand Proud
Make your client’s brand stand out visually. Ensure it distinguishes itself from the store’s look, themes, and messaging. That said, don’t go too far and violate the brand voice. Always stay true to the brand’s persona and style characteristics. A product should always strike the right balance between brand tone and attempts to increase brand visibility.
2. Be Where the People Are
Seek out media contracts that allow you to position in-store signage in high-traffic areas. High traffic areas can include front-of-house displays, endcaps, and mid-to-upper shelves in aisles. Of course, you also want to fight for premium eye-level shelf space.
3. Make an Offer Customers Won’t Refuse
POP advertising is an excellent way to get a customer’s attention. Sometimes, media buyers might persuade the client to seal a sale using a special discount for trying the product, purchasing it in bulk, or combining it with other items from the brand family.
Consider Co-Branded Retail Marketing
Among the most on-trend in-store advertising strategies is for a product brand to collaborate with an established retailer. While the concept is quite hot today, it is not new. It’s also something that tends to be initiated by, or budgeted by, the media buying team. After all, who is better equipped to know the budget and evaluate return on ad spend? And that’s precisely what co-branding comes down to: an ad spend.
Among the earliest and most popular marketing partnerships was between Target and Michael Graves Design in 1997. It resulted in 2,000 original, exclusive products across Target in 20 categories, and lasted 15 years.
The success sparked a retail revolution. Now, customers can find co-branded relationships just about everywhere, from fashion to fast food. Why does it work? The answer comes down to three ideas.
1. Expanded Audience Reach
Consider this the borrowed interest strategy. When two brands collaborate, they tap into each other’s customer bases. That increases exposure and enables both brands to reach new audiences.
2. Elevated Credibility and Trust
We call this the halo effect (some might refer to it as brand drafting). Partnering with a well-respected brand elevates the credibility and value of the other brand. Consumers are more likely to trust and try products that are backed by two reputable names.
3. New Product Differentiation
The better together strategy. Co-branded products often combine their product strengths to become more unique and or better performing. This new unique selling point helps both brands create a buzz and drives sales upwards.
Ready to Consider In-Store Marketing Strategies?
In-store advertising within a shared footprint is just one aspect of in-the-moment marketing — a strategy created by Momentara. We turn in-store, out-of-home, and event promotions into useful touchpoints that sync with the customer’s routines to encourage behaviors. The Momentara approach makes your marketing messages a welcome, impactful, and natural part of the customer’s day.
Whether your media buying needs are focused on POP advertising or if you’re intrigued by the omnichannel opportunities offered by Momentara, we invite you to reach out. We bring you the technology, experience, production, scale, resources, and national presence to build certainty and programmatic success.
