Why Media Teams are Betting on Shopper Marketing

Shopper marketing has emerged as one of the most effective options with the ability to holistically tie together digital social campaigns and TV with an inreallife IRL experience as the final touchpoint But with any emerging media sector there is always a learning curve and a multitude of questionsWhat Is Shopper MarketingYou39re not behind on adworld lingo if you39re unfamiliar with the term When launching our Shopper Marketing team at ViacomCBS I wrote a 35page paper that started by describing what shopper marketing is and why it39s strategically relevant to our media businessShopper marketing is any marketing tactic that drives retailspecific behaviors Shopper marketers are focused on the actual shopper rather than the consumer And yes those are two entirely separate concepts that sometimes happen to overlapIdeally shopper marketing will lead the customer through the entire shopper journey amp8212 from awareness to consideration to trial and purchase and hopefully to loyalty The goal is to address the whole path to purchaseTraditional media addresses highfunnel brand building Shopper marketing is most effective when it extends a cohesive message to lowfunnel transactionfocused strategiesamp160To do this we create all kinds of shoppertargeted content and experiencesWe use influence and social content marketing extending that content instore on screens on display on signage and even onpack We also create amazing instore experiences driving shopper engagement instore at the point of purchaseYou might have picked up on the absence of the word television in there As I said shopper budgets typically don39t go toward TV advertising but that doesn39t mean media companies should shrug off shopper marketingShopper Marketing Creates a Deeper Relationship with AdvertisersMany of the advertisers that media companies work with depend on retail in one way or another whether that39s because they39re like Pepsi which relies heavily on retail distribution or they39re a retailer themselves such as WalmartA media company may run 30 million worth of traditional TV advertising for a client and then strategically layer in a 1 million deal for shopper media marketingamp160The shopper marketing investment is only a fraction of the overall media spend but it39s this portion of the spend that allows brands to demonstrate an understanding of their retail customer39s business and needs it39s an essential investment in growing that retail relationshipThe strategy may suggest a different skill set than a regular media strategy but with a company like Viacom the capability is already there You just have to unlock itCreating a Moment amp8212 Not Just for Customers But for EveryoneAs digital advertisers have discovered with banner ads shopper marketers know that you don39t want to clutter up or disrupt the shopper experience at the store This reality is why Walmart for example recommits itself periodically to a cleanstore initiative hitting the reset button on displaysInstead of storecluttering signage Walmart has begun to create experiences for its shoppers Something as simple as a meetandgreet with an NBA player at say a Dallasarea Sam39s Club amp8212 or a Nickelodeon activation for kids at Walmart stores in 14 states amp8212 elevates the shopping experienceCrucially though this sort of quotretailtainmentquot amp8212 experiential marketing in a retail space amp8212 cries out for a social component And that39s where a shopper marketing team can bring their expertise to the client By creating an experience or activation retail brands can reach hundreds of shoppers at the event by creating an Instagram campaign around the activation and they can reach millionsHarnessing the Power of LiveThe beauty of a media company like ViacomCBS is the massive appeal of live events such as the VMAs and VidCon both to viewers and marketersA whopping 93 percent of consumers say live events are more of an influence on their purchasing habits than TV ads The stat doesn39t take anything away from those TV ads but instead tells us we need to be using the two in concert Imagine taking a big televised live event and expanding it to include experiences at other venues amp8212 retail venues amp8212 and encouraging attendees to use a particular hashtag on social media to drive not just tunein but also interest in the retailer and the brand This is quite achievable with the right shopper marketing teamRetailtainment Is the FutureThe media landscape is fragmented but it doesn39t have to be And media companies are in a unique position to help brand partners think about advertising holistically and create cohesive crossplatform campaigns that stretch across TV digital and IRL experiencesShopper marketing can tie these advertising efforts together while creating a memorable experience for consumers that drives sales and brand loyalty If you39re an advertiser why would you want to leave that value on the tableClick the social buttons to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Why Media Teams are Betting on Shopper Marketing

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Mike Swart

We Are the Outliers - By Jack Myers

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Why Media Teams are Betting on Shopper Marketing

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Mike Swart

We Are the Outliers - By Jack Myers

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